55 Gallon Setup Help and Questions!?

[Vertigo]

I am getting a 55 Reef Ready tank (meaning that it has been drilled with a built in surface skimmer from All Glass Aqua) I am going to build my own stand and I want to put in my LR and LS from my 12 gallon and 20 gallon on over into it. I am thinking about water and all. Like I said I am only buying the tank only! Here is my questions:

 

I have a 150 MH light that I want to use will this be enough for the tank alone?

 

I am new to the drilled hole things and I dont know where to start? I want to save money where ever and I have a 10 gallon tank sitting around can I turn that into a sump or Fug? What would it help? I dont want to run any filter systems at all! Advise Please. Any links with pic or Vids?

 

Thanks everyone I am looking forward to the replys and wish me luck!

[eddie29]

if its the standard 55, it'll be 48" wide and I wouldn't advise a single 150 because it won't cover the edges of the tank to well. But then again if your going with some rock and fish you'll be fine, it really depends on what your end goal is. You could turn a 10 gallon into a sump but once again I would advise against it because of the lack of space in a 10 gallon. There are many links of people with larger tanks that would give you could ideas on where to start, just make it porportionaly smaller based on your tank.

[HecticDialectics]

I am getting a 55 Reef Ready tank (meaning that it has been drilled with a built in surface skimmer from All Glass Aqua) I am going to build my own stand and I want to put in my LR and LS from my 12 gallon and 20 gallon on over into it. I am thinking about water and all. Like I said I am only buying the tank only! Here is my questions:

 

I have a 150 MH light that I want to use will this be enough for the tank alone?

 

I am new to the drilled hole things and I dont know where to start? I want to save money where ever and I have a 10 gallon tank sitting around can I turn that into a sump or Fug? What would it help? I dont want to run any filter systems at all! Advise Please. Any links with pic or Vids?

 

Thanks everyone I am looking forward to the replys and wish me luck!

 

 

If you really want to save money wherever you can, I suggest selling the 55G reef-ready and buying a smaller tank. The larger the tank, the more money it costs to set up nicely.

[Vertigo]

lol...money isnt the issue. If I can save some and have the skills to put it together I will. I am all about that as everyone on here shouldnt settle for everything that has to be bought. I have seen alot of great designs that i am going to be copycat'n from It leaves money for more items like corals and inverts. I just have never had any hands on with a 55 gallon and the setup of the sump and pumps. I am worried about leaks because a seal has to be used between the glass and the tubing. I dont set myself up with limits on anything, unless I try it and it fails repeatedly. Better to have tried and failed than to have tried at all! My quote.

[Vertigo]

Ok, here is what I have as a game plan so far any ideas are more than welcome!...I think I am going to go with the Mag 7 pump for the DIY Sump. How to connect everything from the reef ready tank to the sump beats me any ideas?? noobie with that! For the sump I am going to use an old 20 Long! This is my plan...I am building the Stand myself and a custom wood hood to hold a 150w MH bulb using a piece of steel angle as a cross bar to run along the center of the hood to place the MH bulb and reflector on.. I will need to find a good wide spread reflector any ideas? Also I will need at least 1-2 cooling fans to add to the hood and a way to give them power? I of course want to finish the stand and tank with either an all wood finished look or an all black. Hopefully some of my members on here will give me some Ideas and some pics to go by. Thanks again everyone!

[mattyice]

with my experience with tanks this is what i do

 

sump/fuge in a reef ready tank i feel should be half the size of the display, a 20H or 20 long would be perfect to fit under there

[Vertigo]

On the fittings that I would need to get the MAG 7 pump connected to the overflow, can I get a parts list for homedepot? That is the only thing that I know nothing about.

[msn711]

1 MH won't cover a 48" long tank. You will definitely need another light if you intend to keep corals.

 

For plumbing, the easiest way to do it is to use the all glass mega flow kits and flexible tubing. The mega flow kits will tell you what size tubing to use. To connect to the mag 7, I'm not sure what it's called, but you're looking for a fitting that screws on to the mag on one end but accepts flexible tubing on the other. Just walk into the hardware store and have a look around the plumbing section, or bring the pump and describe to them what you're trying to do.

[eddie29]

barb fitting is what your looking for. once my camera battery recharges I'll post a picture of my hot looking plumbing

[Chipsreef]

With the megaflow kit, the siphon dumps into your sump in one section; this is where your skimmer would be, then baffles, then your last section is for the mag7 return back up to your display. This type of sump is without refugium. Barbed clear tubing would work fine, unless you want to hard plumb pvc.