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Thoughts on possible new setup


Hig789

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Recently the wife and I were talking about possibly upgrading the tank stand and this got me to thinking it would be the perfect time to upgrade.

 

Looking to get a 40g breeder and add a wall to it to make it a AIO. I am just in the beginning planning stages so measurements haven't been nailed down yet but I would like the back compartment to be 3.5"-4" wide. Not positive that I want to put baffles in the back, maybe only one separating the chaeto compartment and then a big open chamber. My current tank is one big open chamber and I like the ease of customization.

 

The stand will be 4'x2' with the bottom being completely open. Both the stand size and the openness of the bottom are just preparing for another possible upgrade to a 75g in the future. The top of the stand will be a piece of granite and it will be on heavy duty casters to allow it to be moved if need be.

 

Still need to work out the bulk head size, depth of the overflow teeth, and baffle spacing.

 

Pretty much everything from my tank now will be used on the new one with the exception of the heater and return pump which will both need to be larger. Also I will probably just get another small retrofit from nanobox and diy it into the hood along with the one I already have on my 15g.

 

Sketch:

 

CE8E7DA7-6DD9-48AC-93E3-296A92848B68_zps

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For the thickness of the back section, first look at the equipment you want to put back there. From there, you can cater the size of the compartments that you will need for whatever you're putting in there (reactors, skimmers, etc.). You can also look at what else has already been done by companies that make AIO tanks. What comes to mind are the media baskets that already exist that you can buy/copy/modify in order to better suit your needs. For the bulkhead, you should be just fine with a 3/4" lock-line. You really don't want to have a ton of water flowing through the back. As long as you pump enough water to keep up with the gph rating of the equipment back there, you're good to go.

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Don't really care to have a media rack really. The only thing I plan on using is chaeto. Will be using a reactor for other media(forgot to put that in the original post). As far as the width, my tank now is 3" wide in the rear chamber and I really wish it was wider for ease of getting hands in there for cleaning.

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I like the way you thought this out. If I were to redo what I did for my tank I'd make the back 4" wide rather than 6"

Yeah 4" is a perfect size for the back I think. Big enough to get some decent size equipment in it and enough room to comfortably get your hand in there for cleaning.still trying to figure out how to mount the lights. I'm more than likely going to go with another nanobox small retro to go with the one running on my tank now and a few t5's. I like the idea of a flip up door on the front but running the lights close to the water would still hinder getting in there for cleaning. Maybe some sort of metal rack in side he good where I can raise the lights up if I need to get in there. I'd like to make the hood in two pieces where I can remove or flip the back section over the filter area up for ease of maintenance.

 

Not positive I am going this route though. I have a few months to think on it though. Might possibly go with a cad lights 42. I really like how everything is contained in a AIO but I miss having a sump also.

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I'll admit it's a pain to get in for cleaning. Snails love climbing over and getting into the back area. I don't know how many times I had to pick shells out of the skimmer pump and return pump.

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Steensj2004

Great sketch-up!, I would ditch the Refugium, little to no benefit having it, in AIO tanks they tend to become nitrate factories as they trap crud...

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Great sketch-up!, I would ditch the Refugium, little to no benefit having it, in AIO tanks they tend to become nitrate factories as they trap crud...

I can see how live rock would do that but chaeto?

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Steensj2004

I can see how live rock would do that but chaeto?

Refugiums that small have nearly zero nutrient export, one that small also won't culture many pods. But yeah, chaeto grows in a tight mesh, and unless water can wash crud through it, nitrate factory IMO/IME

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Mr. Clownfish

I really like your plan and design here. This looks really good for an AIO design.

 

But in my opinion and this is just me talking here.... I will never have an AIO ever again. I have the JBJ 45 RL AIO tank and the space is so small to work with and it really limits your options. I would just do the 40b tank with a 20 long sump. Because after all the time and money that your going to have into building the AIO set up you could have the extra 20 gallons for water capacity and a lot more room for rock, fish, corals, ect... you could use your same sump/fuge design in the 20 long and have a lot more room to work with.

 

again just my opinion

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Refugiums that small have nearly zero nutrient export, one that small also won't culture many pods. But yeah, chaeto grows in a tight mesh, and unless water can wash crud through it, nitrate factory IMO/IME

Yeah I can see that was hoping the floss would catch the big stuff but it doubt it would catch it all. Not positive I'll go this route, I miss having a sump and all the extra room.

I really like your plan and design here. This looks really good for an AIO design.

 

But in my opinion and this is just me talking here.... I will never have an AIO ever again. I have the JBJ 45 RL AIO tank and the space is so small to work with and it really limits your options. I would just do the 40b tank with a 20 long sump. Because after all the time and money that your going to have into building the AIO set up you could have the extra 20 gallons for water capacity and a lot more room for rock, fish, corals, ect... you could use your same sump/fuge design in the 20 long and have a lot more room to work with.

 

again just my opinion

Time and money? $40 for a breeder and a sheet of acrylic. Would be about less than $100 for the AIO setup. Haven't priced the black acrylic though. But yes you know what you mean. The extra room would be really nice.
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