http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/rvgangstarr/tanksetup.jpg

This is a follow on of my previous thread

Can i put the powerhead in my sump?

Is the power head connect to any plumbing?

HOW DO I CREATE AN OVER FLOW FROM A DRILLED TANK WITHOUT THE BOX HIIDEN ?

DO I NEED MORE FILTER OR EXTRA EQUIPMENT IS THERE ANYTHING MISSING FROM MY DIAGRAM

I've heard from quite a few people to steer clear of Miracle Mud because it needs to be replaced every 6 months or so. It's not a permenant sediment. Also, I wouldn't bother mixing different types of live sand. Has the sump already been partitioned? I'd just go with live sand in the two middle portions and get rid of that partition. It's OK to have the live rock and plants together.

Will I Need To Make Ro Water Myslef Or Put It In The Sump From Tap Or I Was Thinking Of Having A Return Pump From Section 4 To Section 1 Beefore It Oes Back Into The Tank

Well, I KNOW you can't be putting water in directly from the tap. It's phosphateville in your tap water (if it's anything like it is in America). I don't know that you'll need to make your own RO. Over here, a lot ot the local fish stores sell premixed RO salt water and freshwater. Either way, if you install a filter or get it from a store use RO water, don't put tap water into your tank.

I don't understand the return pump from 4 to 1. What is the purpose of that?

you CAN NOT quarantine IN the same system. a QT HAS to be in a separate system, as it would be pointless to do. if you QT in the main system, IF anything where to arise ... it would happen in the system that you are trying to keep things from happening in.

Hi Ronny,

First a point of clarification. Here in the US a coast to coast is an overflow that runs across the whole back of the tank. It looks to me like you are using this term for the lines that run from your overflow to the sump.

So, you have water going from the DT, into the skimmer compartment, than a LR compartment, refugium, UV sterilizer, passing through a bubble trap and then being pumped back up to the DT. Right? My UV sterilizer can be used HOB or in-line but not submerged. I don't know if there are some that can be submerged or not.

You will have to leave room in your sump for back flow from the DT when the return is off. The water level in my sump goes up 2" inches when the return is off. I don't think you would want another powerhead in the sump. I'd rather see you put a second in the DT.

Here you can buy an RO/DI for about $125. Comparatively, this is about 1/3rd - 1/2 the cost of a decent skimmer. If you don't buy one then you should buy RO/DI water at the LFS. Don't use tap water even if you have well water and not city water.

Thank you can some one desribe a coast to coast system to me or the durso system asan overflow box wouldnt fit in my tank and its the only ting im struggling with to understand at the mometn know the systems but dont now how to apply with plumbing etc

Here is a good picture of a coast to coast http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/30580IMG_0115.JPG which is a kind of internal overflow and a whole site about Durso Standpipes Portal > Home (http://www.dursostandpipes.com/) which functions as part of an overflow. You don't have to have a sump. You can provide plenty of circulation with just powerheads in the tank. But you then loose water volume, the ability to hide equipment in the sump and your refugium. You can get HOT protein skimmers and fuges but if you don't have room for an overflow box you probably wouldn't have room for these either.

Probably your best thing to do is to drill the tank and use an internal overflow but I can't give you advice on that as plumbing is my weak point. :)

Here is a good picture of a coast to coast

Now just let me but in for a post. The Coat to Coast you still have to drill the tank right?
Cool tank ronnyv. Hope it all goes good for you. O and one more thing :welcome: to TR.

Now just let me but in for a post. The Coat to Coast you still have to drill the tank right?
Cool tank ronnyv. Hope it all goes good for you. O and one more thing :welcome: to TR.

yes, you still have to drill the tank for a CTC overflow. here is one that we did for Matts tank build ...

http://www.talkingreef.com/forums/member-tank-projects/6148-nay-kid-s-150-progress-2.html

:D :D

Hey englishman, you have been doing some research, maked difference from last convo, well done, unfortunatly its not over & never will be in this hobby, but we all try to keep ahead..lol

where is your reference material coming from to begin with bud?

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/rvgangstarr/tanksetup.jpg

Firstly, im guessing by everything you want to go the sump route, thats cool, just have to factor is you can with minimal fuss!

5000lt return pump, are you aware of headloss notion yet?
Just as a matter of course if your going the drilling of the tank route id split the return piping into 2 so its not a total jet stream on one side.

The power head in the DT is suplimental of the return pumps output. basicly you looking for plenty of flow where it matters, & thats in the main tank so it keeps all areas oxygenated, little to no dead spots, & makes for a cleaner tank as detritus (junk & gunk) are keeped in the water column (in suspension) so your overflow can capture it & wisked away into the sump for collection & further bactierial conversion (natral filtering) before heading on a closed loop back to the DT.

ron, your familur with swimming pools & there surface filtration capture boxes, same principle. Forget about the actual specific plumbing for a sec, & picture the box with water overflowing into, you have a hole, & a piece of straight tube to a tank below. , once that box fills to the top of the pipe, it drains into the pipe. simple - although loud, like a toilet empty 24/7 ! Now a durso is nothing more than that pipe with a tea pot bend (2 x 90deg angles) to allow it to be submerged & thus quite. Same principle, the pressure in the overflow box builds up with the incoming water & when it reaches the flattest part on the elbow down the pipe it flows.


as for the sump, keep your themo's one at each end, 2 is good for redundancy. id suggest deploying a filter sock for the dump pipes, instead of a wet/dry filter block. Im pro miricle mud style, its a hot debate, trace elements are primary considerations however the animals kept within are benifical if its looked after, im not sure on the 6 month shelf life though, as its just another for of media that set up correctly should function as lond as its healthy. Keeping in mind bud, i would only suggest this & refuges for more advanced keepers, id stick to quality sand & rock more than plants & selective "add-ons" at this stage till your ready for the next steps-ups. twice the price twice the fall if it fails if you catch my drift. You need to understand the "why" rather than the chapter you just read it from if you understand where im coming from!

all in all, not bad coming out of the gates bud! dont rush it, take alot more on board & we'll continue to guide you towards where you want to reach safely ok.

:sailing:Thanks for that been great see some of the books i have read have described the system i have diagramed.But obviously the writers didnt have as much experience as some who have quoted what seems to make more sense.

Any way my tank is drilled at the top and currently struggling as to how to apply the durso with-out sectioning part of my tank .So from the information provided i will buy another powerhead and try figured out an over flow thats hidding my euipment from my the top of my tank . I have this information beacuse the forum link above has a tank that is drilled from the top so i think i will take that route instead of drilling from the side as its already pre drilled from the top as this tank is desgined for marine so i figure along the way handy design that will ease this hooby for me so please help

return from section1 to 4 from the sump is a technique that is being applied by some hobbist of this field .I am guessing it is to help dissolve miro bubble and to keep the water more constant in the sump to help devlop more life etc but its in a book by a very experienced guy

Bud, a pipe sticking up vertical at the top will do the trick in simplistic terms, but its plain noisey. Having an overflow section does 2 things, firstly protects your fish from being sucked in, & hence one hell of a ride down to the sump, & 2, as an effective trap for the surface skim (milky shimmery amino based layer on the surface)
You were linked to nay's coast to coast job weren't you, manage to pull any design ideas off that build? having a word to him or bobby should you need assistance in that area should be no problem. You can do the exact same with the plumbing, without the coast to coast spill way wall, but how do you plan of protecting your livestock? These are the question you have to ask yourself ok bud! :up:

as for sump design, layout or fuctionality, it really depends on your overall concept, some dump at the ends, & the pickup returns are in the centre, so its not always a classical polar points end to end flow through if you know what im saying. For a first comer though, id suggest aim for the simple approach of this though.

There are always a variety of ways of setting up your tank! Reading, asking questions of experienced hobbyists and taking time to learn "why" will help you make the best decisions for your situation. There are some basic rules like QT everything that should always be followed. Other things, like photo period, are more variable and there is no single right answer.

can we have a happy snap of the tank in question, make a photo snap of the top drill section your refering to, might make it easy to inform of possible statagies.