# Getting back into it



## cybergoon (Feb 5, 2014)

My son got a red eared slider a few months back and since I have to do all the maintenance, I decided to get back into the hobby. A friend of mine's dad sold me a 75 gallon AllGlass reef ready tank today. It is brand new, but didn't have all the plumbing with it, so I ordered it from the local fish store. I also had to buy the glass tops for it, since I'm going with freshwater. I also got an old sump box that I guess is around 30 gallon. He had a hanging 4 bulb light that I also bought. The light has 2 fans and they are making some noise, so I think I'm going to disconnect the fans, as it will be hanging around a foot above the tank which will have glass tops, so I don't think it should get very hot. I hear these fans go out frequently.

I picked up an Aquatop SWP3600 submersible pump. I don't know much about these pumps and was curious if this one is okay or should I return it and get a Magdrive 12? The Magdrive is double the money though!

I still have to build a stand for the aquarium, so it will likely be several weeks before I can get it up and running.

I'll post a couple of pics of everything so feel free to give me some input/feedback on it. I've never done a sump setup, so this should be a good challenge, but worth it in the long run.


----------



## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

Lots of great examples on the net just google away.


----------



## cybergoon (Feb 5, 2014)

I ended up buying a stand for the aquarium. It was just easier than building one and allowed me to get it set up much sooner.

I returned the Aquatop pump and bought a Mag 12 on Amazon for a good price. I like there only being 1 moving part on the Mag and I hear it uses quite a bit less energy to run.

I removed the fans from the light fixture. I have it sitting on top of the tank and it doesn't get hot at all, so I may not hang it after all.

I picked up some cheap starter fish (I was going to do fishless, but the LFS guy talked me out of it). 6 of the starter fish ended up in the bio bag in the sump and 5 of them didn't survive. 

I haven't gotten all off my substrate or ornaments yet, but wanted to get the cycle started. Here are a couple of pictures. Sorry for the poor lighting.






This is the sump. A friend gave it to me. You can see on the front wall that it is shattered somewhat and he repaired it by adhering another piece of acrylic over top of it. When I did a test fill on the sump, I didn't notice any leaks, but once the aquarium and sump were up and running, I noticed a drip under the bottom edge of the repair, so I had to drain it down, silicone the heck out of it and let it dry. Seems to be holding water fine now. I think I am going to build a new sump at some point once I have a good handle on things.

Please feel free to chime in. I'm just rambling...


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

If the ballast are remote you may be fine without the fans.If the ballsat are internal(in the fixture) the fans may be more important for them than overall light temp.Ballsat will not last as long if they are always hot.
Building a sump is pretty easy.I try to have as much mechanical filtration as possible.I like to use drawers for this.I also dislike all the overflows as they limit the final amount of water in the pump area and don't give you as much time between top offs.
sumps and surface extraction are really the way to go.
enjoy!


----------



## cybergoon (Feb 5, 2014)

coralbandit said:


> If the ballast are remote you may be fine without the fans.If the ballsat are internal(in the fixture) the fans may be more important for them than overall light temp.Ballsat will not last as long if they are always hot.
> Building a sump is pretty easy.I try to have as much mechanical filtration as possible.I like to use drawers for this.I also dislike all the overflows as they limit the final amount of water in the pump area and don't give you as much time between top offs.
> sumps and surface extraction are really the way to go.
> enjoy!


I was thinking I might order a couple of fans for the light and put them in. I'm thinking they shouldn't crap out so quick with having glass on top of the aquarium. My thinking is that it used to hang above a saltwater tank with no barrier from the moisture of the tank and that is likely what killed them.

I have already decided that I want to get rid of the overflow into the return chamber because of the evaporation, as well as the amount of bubbles introduced as soon as the water drops below the bulk heads. I actually have two Tupperware lids in the return right now to deflect the water from splashing and creating bubbles.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Radio shack should carry computer fans that wire right in(no transformers needed).I have used them several times and they come in different sizes like 3 or 4 inches.
I make almost all my sumps or modify the ones I buy.With surface extraction and drawers or any type of mechanical filtration before the rest of filter the extra overflows(gas exchanges)really aren't necessary.This is the last sump I built which is still running my 120g fowlr.The buckets aren't as easy to clean as drawers,but work well regardless.And was pretty cheap and easy.
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f37/simple-diy-sump-filter-42406.html


----------



## cybergoon (Feb 5, 2014)

I didn't pay attention when I pulled the fans out...do they both suck air in, push it out, or one of each usually? New fans will be here today.

I ordered 2 standard 80mm computer fans. I noticed you said something about needing transformers. The fans that were in there were just wire-nutted to two wires. I just assumed that the person who put them in had just cut the connectors off of PC fans. How do I tell if I need a transformer?


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

From most lights I've seen if they need transformer it will (should) still be in the fixture.If there are no transformers then straight power is how they probly were.
Regardless now you need to run the new fans according to their power supply needs.Almost all computer fans are standard current(just nut them to the existing power).They should have the power listed on them.The fans with transformers were all much smaller and on coralife lights.Yours looks like a current.
They could point eitherway ,but for no good reason I think they will perform better pointing in to fixture.If the fixture is not air tight(none are) then sucking air out ,it could be drawn from any where in the fixture as opposed to the passive vent I would geuss is on other side.


----------



## cybergoon (Feb 5, 2014)

Well, the fans that were in it were apparently 115v. I found out the hard way. I hooked up one of the fans I bought and boy did I see some sparks! Went to Radio Shack and they had the 115v fans, but they were $25 each. NO way I'm paying that much for fans that potentially need to be replaced in a year or so. I ended up buying a 12v adapter that is adjustable to lower volts (to be able to adjust the fan speed), took it home and wired the two fans to it and drilled a hole to run the power cord out right next to the other two cords. It is running great! Wish I had looked at the old fan closer to see what the voltage was before I fried one of the new ones 

Thanks for your help!


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

The transformers for the fans should still be in the fixture,behind the reflector.Seems like you worked it out all good though.


----------

