180g Build First Marine

[adamo]

Hi All,
I have a 180g and have done freshwater almost all my life. After breeding, raising,selling and conquering discus for quite sometime now i have decided to do marine.
As for now I'm going to start with a FOWLR set up and will move up later on. I am looking to run a sump/refugium with a overflow considering i do not want to drill. I have limited space for a sump and skimmer under the tank being i only have 21" in height to work with. I am limited to a 20g long or 30g long sump but i'm in the middle of trying to find a way to have a bigger sump.
I am also limited to skimmers because of height but the two i have been looking at is the magus curve 7 and the cad light tia 1220 being they are 20" tall and right at my height limit,anyone know if there any good?
I know i have a lot to learn for marine but always love a new challenge
All suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated
Thanks
http://s45.photobucket.com/user/outdoorworld_70/media/20140902_212743_zps3fa113b1.jpg.html
http://s45.photobucket.com/user/outdoorworld_70/media/20140902_212848_zpsbdca9b6a.jpg.html

 

[jeffopentax]

First of all, welcome and nice tank! I know you mentioned not wanting to drill, but I HIGHLY recommend installing a beananimal type overflow. It is silent, eliminates the possibility of a flood, and once it's dialed in (which is easy) you don't have to adjust it, even if the power goes out or you shut everything down for maintenance. Check it out at http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx

As for skimmers I'm no help, as I've only owned 1, a vertex in250, which is 32" tall! You'll find tons of helpful people on here though.

 

[Sewerat]

Skimmer. Make sure if you only have 21" and skimmer is 20". That you can remove the cup in that 1" of space.

 

[adamo]

Thanks jeffopentax and sewerat for the response will check out the link. Also what size sumps are you using and what size would you recommend for my set up considering my low stand
Thanks

 

[jeffopentax]

You probably want at least 50gal or so for sump. The bigger the better obviously. Make sure you have plenty of space for skimmer, return/reactor pumps, heater, etc. Take it from someone who can only fit a 30gal sump under his cube... get as big a footprint as you can!

 

[nexusnight]

Welcome!!! Don't do the cadlights skimmer as they are not very good IMO. I've bought two and returned two lol. I found them to be a pos in my experience. If u can def try to drill ur tank for the drains minimum. Makes life a lot easier. What kind of footprint do u have under the tank to work with?


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[pulpfiction1]

i have had stands similar to yours in the past and was able to remove or alter the floor inside to buy myself the extra head room.
barring that there are some excellent HOB skimmers out there that will do a 180,looks good so far and welcome aboard

 

[adamo]

Thanks again for the responses. I would really like to get a bigger sump and i am most likely going to alter the stand, it's 6'x17"x21" the reason it's 17" wide is because the 2x4's where put in vertically . As for the skimmer i will probably go with curve 7

 

[adamo]

i was also thinking of making my own overflow with 1" pvc any thoughts about that and a good return pump thanks

 

[pulpfiction1]

i was also thinking of making my own overflow with 1" pvc any thoughts about that and a good return pump thanks

show lots of pics when done

 

[adamo]

Will do! Do you recommend any return pumps?

 

[pulpfiction1]

i sure do,got a waveline DC controlable for sale
would be decent return pump

but probably the jebo 12000 would be best bang for the buck

 

[davesolo29]

I had the curve 7 for awhile. Great skimmer! The guy I sold it to loves it as well.


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[adamo]

Okay great will check out the pumps

 

[deeznutz]

Welcome.
Great start, but do it right!
Drill it and sump it. Can't find a standard size tank for underneath, go custom!

My sump is the same size as my display. You're going to need the room. Trust me.

Good luck

-deez

 

[adamo]

Thanks
I was thinking about making a custom sump but i am most likely going to cut the floor out in the stand which will drop about 2" so i will have a little bit of more room to play with. What is the benefit of drilling over having an overflow? Also for the overflow i was thinking of making my own using pvc any thoughts.
Thanks

 

[scubasteve]

i have an overflow box on my 125 problem is if they arent running at almost full capacity they can be loud but is very easy to silence with a little trick, only other drawback is the shadow you may get depending how lights are positioned other than that they are great drilling and overflow both come with pros and cons ive yet to have a flood in 2 years of using boxes i have never drilled any of my tanks... i also had to drop my sump to the floor not on the bottom shelf or my reefoctopuss would have never fitted

 

[jeffopentax]

I had terrible luck trying to get my hob overflow to be quiet and consistent. But maybe i just didn't have it set up / tuned properly. Have not had a single problem with beananimals, and I've drilled/installed them on 2 tanks. My 2 cents

 

[EricTMah]

I've always used HOB overflow boxes and have never had a major issue with starting after power outage or noise.

Few tricks are either increase flow or add a breather line down the drain line to prevent gurgling. Also filling the back portion with bio balls helps a lot too I've found.

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[adamo]

Okay thanks, now with an overflow what happens if there's a power outage? Will a lot of water drain into my sump? And is there anything like a check valve to prevent flooding?
Thanks