# Tank and needed items questions



## Drwoodchopper (Nov 18, 2012)

Well we changed directions on where we want to go over the last few days on our mixed reef setup. We have decided to buy all new stuff and set it up the way we want instead of buing a used set up. For the tank we are doing a 65 gallon 36"X18"X24". I will probably drill it myself for the overflow and return. I was thinking 1" pipe should be big enough? How many GPH pump will I need? It will be in a sump/refugium set up. How big of skimmer? I was looking at a reef octopus 100 gallon one. Sump will probably be built out of a 20-30 gallon standard tank. How many powerheads will I need and at what flow level? Will I need any other filtration? Lights are down the road a bit will probably DIY LED's.
Thanks


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

1" pvc pipe flows aprox. 600 GPH with only gravity .I use a mag 9.5 on my 75 all out(no throttling down,flowing to sump through 1" pvc {mega flow built in overflow}).Head pressure needs to be figured in and elbow(90's & 45's count as 1') and being able to throttle down is possible ,where as increasing flow is not(without changing pump).Most believe skimmers should be rated for 2x your gallons(you may want to include sump volume).Power heads should move 10-20 x volume but some prefer more or less.Hope this helps.
here's a link to gravity flow Gravity flow rate for PVC pipe - General Discussion - WAMAS Forums
No other filter should be needed.I use bio-plastics in a reactor as an addition to sump(with calurpae) and have no nitrAte issues(0).


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## Drwoodchopper (Nov 18, 2012)

I think the 1" pipe should be plenty, but it sounds like I am going to need a 1000-1200 GPH pump not the 600 I was thinking. I am guessing power heads don't count as flow since they are just moving water around?


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Right, powerheads don't count as a retrun pump, they can't push the water at any kind of head loss. Yiu need to get close to the overflow, but not spot on, you can always use a T off the return line back to the sump, and add a ball valve, this will allow you to fine tune thw return.


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## Drwoodchopper (Nov 18, 2012)

Reefing Madness said:


> Right, powerheads don't count as a retrun pump, they can't push the water at any kind of head loss. Yiu need to get close to the overflow, but not spot on, you can always use a T off the return line back to the sump, and add a ball valve, this will allow you to fine tune thw return.


 thanks for clarifying!

I didn't think of the t off of the return line, good point. I thought of having two overflows and one return in case the return was pushing to much that sounds easier. 
How big of a heater am I going to need? Plan on putting it in the sump to keep it out of view?


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Having 2 overflows just means you'll have to cover what those will flow through the sump, nit easier, just means you need a bigger pump. The heater should be big enough to run total system water volume. I run my heaters at 84 to keep the temp in the winter at 79. I use 2 500w heaters.


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## shutter (Feb 23, 2011)

You should look into a Reef Keeper light system. Will prevent your heater from sticking on, and can control your lights and other things. Also consider a auto top off system.


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## Drwoodchopper (Nov 18, 2012)

Reefing Madness said:


> Having 2 overflows just means you'll have to cover what those will flow through the sump, nit easier, just means you need a bigger pump. The heater should be big enough to run total system water volume. I run my heaters at 84 to keep the temp in the winter at 79. I use 2 500w heaters.


Ok. I might be missing something here. So are you saying if I had two overflows rated at 600gph each I would need to have 1200gph flowing back into the tank? It seems to me no matter how many overflows I had it would only feed the sump what is being replaced to the main tank by the pump? Now I can see if you had a 1200gph pump and only a 600 GPH overflow you would overflow your tank and drain you sump...right?
I think I am clear on the heater thing now. 
Thanks


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## Drwoodchopper (Nov 18, 2012)

shutter said:


> You should look into a Reef Keeper light system. Will prevent your heater from sticking on, and can control your lights and other things. Also consider a auto top off system.


I think I am going to start off with a basic T-5 system and add Led's. My father-in-law is an electrician so hopefully we can build a sweet set up for minimal cost. as for an automatic top off I don't think I am going to have room on this set up. When I do my big tank in the basement I have that planned.


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## Drwoodchopper (Nov 18, 2012)

Another question. What is a decent test kit to get? I know you need to test for more things with corals. I haven't had an aquarium in 23 years and I don't have time or money to guess on stuff like that.


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## AZDesertRat (Apr 10, 2009)

For a 65 gallon display you will not need two overflows. Stick with 3-5x the display volume for your return rate so around 5x65 or 300+/- GPH is where you need to be. A single 1" overflow is perfect.
Never tee off the return pump and return flow to the sump, this is very inefficient and actually makes the pump work harder, use more power and create more heat. The most efficient way is if you are using a pump slightly larger than you need, which most everyone will recommend doing, is to install a valve on the discharge side of the pump leading back to the display so you can slightly throttle or regulate the return flow rate. Its hard to grasp by adding head to the pump in no way harms the pump and catually makes it work less since is not pumping as much due to the additional head which means less wattage consumed which in turn means less heat generated and transferred to the water.

Personally I would look for an energy efficient pump such as an Eheim 1250 or 1260, Ocean Runner 2500 or maybe one of the new WaterBlaster HY series like the HY-2000 or HY-3000. All are very reliable, very efficient pumps that will not have restart issues and will last for years. The Eheims and Water Blasters also have 2 or 3 year warranties which is pretty slick in todays market.

For the cycling of the tank something like the API liquid saltwater master test kit is pretty reliable. Once yoy get fuurther into a reef type system individual kits like Salifert and Elos are a must due to their reliability, sensitivity and clear color changes rather than trying to distinguish different shades of the same color.


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## Drwoodchopper (Nov 18, 2012)

Thanks AZ. That API kit was the one I was looking at. I will probably stick with a single overflow since I will probably drill myself. Thanks for mentioning some specific pump brands and models too!


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Now I got where your going with the 2 overflows. You were looking to use the one as an emergency back up. But, have a look at this stuff, this will help you decide.
Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums
Glass Reef - The Basics - Overflow
BeanAnimal's Bar and Grill - Silent and Fail-Safe Overflow System


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## Drwoodchopper (Nov 18, 2012)

Reefing Madness said:


> Now I got where your going with the 2 overflows. You were looking to use the one as an emergency back up. But, have a look at this stuff, this will help you decide.
> Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums
> Glass Reef - The Basics - Overflow
> BeanAnimal's Bar and Grill - Silent and Fail-Safe Overflow System


Thanks! That one at glassreef was awesome! Gives me an idea for when I build the big tank. 
You are partly right on the safety factor but I was thinking of having a drain hole cut on both back corners then having a pipe between the two, with two to three linear slits that would be "skimming" the surface the length of the tank. That would also eliminate the need for an overflow box. I thought if I did it out of abs pipe and painted the back glass black it would blend in pretty well too. So the second hole works for safety and support of the "skim pipe"
Good idea? Bad idea?


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

You can do that. So now your talking about this then??
DIY Overflow Using Only PVC Pipe (DIY OVERFLOW PROJECTS)


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## Drwoodchopper (Nov 18, 2012)

Here is what I had in mind. I thought of something similar to this, but I quite like the way this guy put it together. If you jump straight to 2:20 you can see the "overflow pipe" as he calls it. I was calling it "skimming the surface" anyways it looks like a good idea in theory to me.
65gal Reef Aquarium Project - Overflow and Sump Design (part 1) - YouTube


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