Setup help

[karpomatic]

So I just got an early Christmas present and need some help. I picked up a 125 gal with corner overflows that was originally set up for a reef. I will be using it for discus. I have no idea how to set up the refugium or plumb the tank. This refugium has a lot of chambers. Also, the lights are T5 and set up on separate ballasts with LED moon lights. Can I use this for the tank? Believe it or not but I got all this for $500. I will not be setting this up until the spring at a minimum so I've got time to figure it out. HELP!


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[Second Hand Pat]

Hi karpomatic and welcome to Simply. :)

My first suggestion is to visit one of your LFS which have stand alone marine tanks (with sumps) and look at how it is plumped. Seeing it in person will help remove some of the mystery and allow you to ask questions. I would also suggest replacing the lighting system with an dimable LED light.

Pat

[karpomatic]

Hi karpomatic and welcome to Simply. :)

My first suggestion is to visit one of your LFS which have stand alone marine tanks (with sumps) and look at how it is plumped. Seeing it in person will help remove some of the mystery and allow you to ask questions. I would also suggest replacing the lighting system with an dimable LED light.

Pat

The LFS is a good idea. I don't know if they have anything open for me to see but I will check it out.

I was thinking the same thing for the lights. I know those T5 lights throw a lot of heat and am not sure how good they would be for a fresh water system. The previous owned built 3 axial fans into the top. I'd like to use them if I can, or get natural light spectrum bulbs, to same money but have thought about replacing them with inexpensive LED strips.

[Leland F.]

That sump is partitioned for a protein skimmer area, and a very small refugium area. You could put an inch of top soil in it, then another inch of small gravel to cap it, then put some fast growing Water Sprite, Hygrophillia, and light it 24hrs a day. I'd only use one ballast and light half the bulbs. The heat is a good thing when keeping discus, but the excess light will cause algae problems.

-Leland

[karpomatic]

Leland, thanks for the advice. I was looking into Miracle mud for the refugium with the plants you listed. As far as the lights, i was looking into LED lights that work in the florescent fixtures.

[Ryan925]

That sump is partitioned for a protein skimmer area, and a very small refugium area. You could put an inch of top soil in it, then another inch of small gravel to cap it, then put some fast growing Water Sprite, Hygrophillia, and light it 24hrs a day. I'd only use one ballast and light half the bulbs. The heat is a good thing when keeping discus, but the excess light will cause algae problems.

-Leland

Looks to me like the largest section is for the refugium (black baffles) with a small protein skimmer section (hole in side)

[karpomatic]

Looks to me like the largest section is for the refugium (black baffles) with a small protein skimmer section (hole in side)

Yes, it originally had a protein skimmer hooked up there. I am either going to put in a bulkhead and cap that off or add some kind of reactor. I have not decided. I was also thinking I may need to raise the height of the 1st low baffle to get more water volume in the middle for the plants. I'm not sure how that would effect the rest of the refugium though.

[Ryan925]

Yes, it originally had a protein skimmer hooked up there. I am either going to put in a bulkhead and cap that off or add some kind of reactor. I have not decided. I was also thinking I may need to raise the height of the 1st low baffle to get more water volume in the middle for the plants. I'm not sure how that would effect the rest of the refugium though.

Doesn't the water fill to the holes towards the top of the second black baffle? That would seem to be plenty.

[karpomatic]

Doesn't the water fill to the holes towards the top of the second black baffle? That would seem to be plenty.

Right you are, Ryan. I missed that. Here is my idea of what will be in each chamber. My 1st concern is the box all the way on the left. It's an overflow to cut down on bubbles for the reef system. I don't think I need it. Thoughts on this? Thanks!

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[Ryan925]

Right you are, Ryan. I missed that. Here is my idea of what will be in each chamber. My 1st concern is the box all the way on the left. It's an overflow to cut down on bubbles for the reef system. I don't think I need it. Thoughts on this? Thanks!

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Your first chamber is for mechanic filtration. Are there filter sock holders? That is where socks or foam/floass will go. You want to have good mechanical filtration before your bio media. This will cut down on cleaning or the bio media. If that first compartment uses filter socks then you can probably put bags of bio media in that compartment. If it doesn't use socks then that compartment will probably be packed with foam.
You would prob be better off with matrix, ceramic rings, substrat pro or something like that for bio. My understanding of bio balls is that they are much more effective as an emersed media like in a wet/dry

The over/under baffles to the far right is your bubble trap.

I am in no way a sump expert but I have been doing a ton of research lately as I am in the planning stages of building one

I'd recommend checking out pics and YouTube vids or various sumps. That will give you good ideas. That's what I did and am combining ideas from different sumps into one

[karpomatic]

Your first chamber is for mechanic filtration. Are there filter sock holders? That is where socks or foam/floass will go. You want to have good mechanical filtration before your bio media. This will cut down on cleaning or the bio media. If that first compartment uses filter socks then you can probably put bags of bio media in that compartment. If it doesn't use socks then that compartment will probably be packed with foam.
You would prob be better off with matrix, ceramic rings, substrat pro or something like that for bio. My understanding of bio balls is that they are much more effective as an emersed media like in a wet/dry

The over/under baffles to the far right is your bubble trap.

I am in no way a sump expert but I have been doing a ton of research lately as I am in the planning stages of building one

I'd recommend checking out pics and YouTube vids or various sumps. That will give you good ideas. That's what I did and am combining ideas from different sumps into one

There are no holes for socks. That first box is closed on the bottom with no holes. It was so water would fill up and flow over rather then directly into the 1st chamber, preventing foam. I'm not sure how to adapt this section yet.

The link below is a great video that explains how the filter works. I can see adapting this to the refugium I have but that box is a sticking point. I may have to remove it if I can't figure out how to use it effectively.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXMp5tbsgkk

[Second Hand Pat]

Careful on adapting the far left box. That is the inlet side of your sump and it is good to have something solid for the plumbing to adhere too. Also do not place the heater beside your pump especially if it is glass. Too easy to get broken.
Pat

[karpomatic]

Careful on adapting the far left box. That is the inlet side of your sump and it is good to have something solid for the plumbing to adhere too. Also do not place the heater beside your pump especially if it is glass. Too easy to get broken.
Pat

That part with the 2 gaskets in it is a lid that comes off. Only the box inside it is fixed. Thanks for the heads up though. The last thing I want to do is damage this expensive thing. Here is a photo the original owner sent me when he purchased the refugium. It shows everything much better. The others are of when it was in use for his reef. As you can see, one heater is in the refugium area with the plants and the other is in the pump area at the end.

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[Leland F.]

The tube led's apparently don't last very long, due to the heat inside the bulb, and not being cooled. Many people are saying they burn out in the first year.

[karpomatic]

The tube led's apparently don't last very long, due to the heat inside the bulb, and not being cooled. Many people are saying they burn out in the first year.

Hmm... I'll have to do some research on that. There are 4 axial fans in the top of the lid to pull out the heat so I think I'm okay as far as that goes. I'm gonna look into the life span of those LED tubes.

[Ryan925]

Hmm... I'll have to do some research on that. There are 4 axial fans in the top of the lid to pull out the heat so I think I'm okay as far as that goes. I'm gonna look into the life span of those LED tubes.

Would probably be easier to just removed ballast and fixtures and put in some led strip lights or an led fixture

[karpomatic]

Would probably be easier to just removed ballast and fixtures and put in some led strip lights or an led fixture

You are correct. It would be cheaper for me to purchase 2 of these instead of replacing the 6 T5HO bulbs. I think this is the route I will go and keep the T5HO setup for something else.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019YXYNRY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3HXZZCJ1PK4YN&coliid=I2K87V3AHQLC50&psc=1

[karpomatic]

On the refugium subject. If i did a planted tank with Miracle Mud 2 or Flourite, what would I put in the refugium? I guess I wouldn't need plants growing in it if they're already in the tank. I'm just exploring all my options before setting this up. Thanks everyone.

[Second Hand Pat]

On the refugium subject. If i did a planted tank with Miracle Mud 2 or Flourite, what would I put in the refugium? I guess I wouldn't need plants growing in it if they're already in the tank. I'm just exploring all my options before setting this up. Thanks everyone.

I would suggest creating a thread and asking about Miracle Mud. Some new members tried it and decided to remove it. Best to hear first hand from them as to why.
Pat

[Leland F.]

The idea of a Refugium is to have a high light, lit 24hrs a day, high water flow area, with fast growing plants, like wisteria or hygrophyllia sp., to quickly export nutrients. Periodically you'll have to trim the plant a bit to give room for new growth. Potting soil capped with fine gravel is all you need miracle mud is a waste of money. Most people go wrong not using enough light, and putting slow growing plants in the refugium. This is a decent filter system for planted aquariums, but not a good choice for growing discus.

-Leland

[karpomatic]

But using the refugium you described would allow me to have a bigger fish load would it not? I was thinking of throwing some shrimp into the refugium to help the clean up. After reading all over these forums I'm leaning towards not putting live plants in the tank, just in the filter. I am figuring on sand for the bottom with some driftwood.

[karpomatic]

So, a little update. I purchased 2 72" Beamswork DA FSPEC LED Aquarium Light Pent Freshwater 0.50W lights and boy are they bright. The tank isn't set up but I tested them upon arrival. WOW! I cannot wait to get this thing going in a few months.

[karpomatic]

A little update. I've moved into my new home and the tank is in place. I stripped out the T5 setup and installed my new LED strips. Plumbing will be done in the coming weeks.

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[karpomatic]

Quick update! I ordered all the filter media and incidentals needed for the sump. I've sealed the holes from the protein skimmer and let cure for 3 days. Then set it up on saw horses and ran the pump for 2 hours looking for leaks. I hope to have the tank up and running in a few weeks. I'm almost there!

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[karpomatic]

MODERATOR, can you move this to tank journals? Or should I create a new thread? Thanks!

[Phillydubs]

Very cool! Nice to see it coming along and moving strong!!

Any plans for what will be in it yet?

[karpomatic]

Very cool! Nice to see it coming along and moving strong!!

Any plans for what will be in it yet?

Fish? Not specifically no. As far as discus go, It's going to be what he has at Discus R Us when it comes time. I only live about an hour drive from his showroom so I plan on making it a family outing. I plan on multiple pairs of Dwarf Cichlids, a few interesting plecos from the Loricade family, and an army of corydoras roaming the bottom.

As far as decoration, I'm either going to use pool filter or white sand for the bottom. I'm undecided at this point but I wil have some kind of substrate. I'm not fond of the bare bottom look. I also plan on a big chunk of wood for a Royal Panaque to feast on.

However, the next step is getting a jack post for the basement to reinforce the floor under the tank. The post is only about $65 and will support up to 9100 lbs. hoping to be up and running by the end of the month.

[karpomatic]

I started a journal thread.

[Ryan925]

The tube led's apparently don't last very long, due to the heat inside the bulb, and not being cooled. Many people are saying they burn out in the first year.

I converted a lot in a commercial parking garage I do work for. Has been a good six months with them on 24/7 and so far so good