Starting up a display fuge

[D3monic]

I got one of those 5gal plastic $30 tanks that have a mini light and lid. On one side I have baffles for the line from the display and on the other side of the tank I have a Mini plastic overflow box I made. all with 3/4 bulkheads. Works really well. Ill dig through photobucket and see if I have any pics.

[D3monic]

Heres a pic from when I first set up the tank

 

 

[NanoDrummer]

I got one of those 5gal plastic $30 tanks that have a mini light and lid. On one side I have baffles for the line from the display and on the other side of the tank I have a Mini plastic overflow box I made. all with 3/4 bulkheads. Works really well. Ill dig through photobucket and see if I have any pics.

pics would be awesome! Where did you get the tank?

[D3monic]

I bought it off a buddy used but most walmarts or petcos got ones just like it.

[NanoReefNovice]

I know the OP is old but i thought i would give a crack at answering the questions. I have a display fuge running to my NC 24 and im getting more then enough pods being exported through the pump to the chiller then to the main. My thread shows the details.

 

Question 1. Can I run water out of the AIO to the chiller, have it go from the chiller to the other tank, and have the overflow run back into the AIO? or will the temperature not be stable enough that way?

If the fuge is above the main, A) you can run water from the fuge down to the main tank then back up to fuge through a chiller. If your fuge is below the main tank B ) you need to run water from the main tank, down to the fuge then up through a pump then your chiller then the main. A. is recommended b/c you wont throw pods through a pump. But as long a you have proper flow through you chiller you should not have a problem with temp in regards to pod export.

 

Question 2. Because Chaeto is just a ball of wires, is there any other macro algae that works as well but looks nicer? also looking for macro that won't overrun my display. (and is legal in California as some maybe all Caulerpa is not)

Chaeto is by far the best algae you can keep in your fuge, other may cause problems going asexual releasing CO2 into the water causing pH swings. Some more risky then others.

Here is a good start ...

http://reefcleaners.org/index.php?option=c...0&Itemid=75

 

Question 3. If I use "dead sand" (as in dry) and take live rock from the AIO will this cause another cycle? or will having it be connected to the other tank and using the same live rock from it be fine?

Dead sand will become live and add more LR into fuge for added bio filtration to the system, cycle the fuge independently.

[NanoDrummer]

you think a 5gal eclipse aquarium would work? Since it has a light in it and could i replace the filter stuff with something different? What to use? and use the Quiet One Pump to get water from my display to the fuge and drill the fuge for an overflow back to the main???? YA??? YA????

[NotTheFace]

Wow, you guys have been busy with this I thought it would die with no response like my other threads

 

I think I had it all figured out before I actually posted, but I'm glad to see that what I had envisioned seems like how it will work.

 

"If the fuge is above the main, A) you can run water from the fuge down to the main tank then back up to fuge through a chiller." -NanoReefNovice

 

This was the original way I intended to do it, except on a stand to the right of the tank, my only concern was if it would be too cold in the fuge and hot in the display, pumping out of the display, through the chiller, and into the fuge, chilling the fuge, and having it drain back into the main tank. I am going to go with that route first, if I find the temperatures not to my liking I will just not use one of my return pumps going from back to front and have it lead to the fuge instead.

 

"Chaeto is by far the best algae you can keep in your fuge, other may cause problems going asexual releasing CO2 into the water causing pH swings. Some more risky then others.

Here is a good start ..." -NanoReefNovice

 

I sort of got an answer for question two from Johnmaloney, what macros I keep depends on lighting, I had some Codium Taylorii (which is a "winter" macro) in my main tank, 150 watt 14k Metal hallide, but it didn't work out, apparently I had too much light for it.

So when I set up this fuge I need to use a light that suits what macros I want. I'll use chaeto also, but im going to layer it on top of the sand bed rather than have it balled up. I have to do more research on "which macro algaes work as good as chaeto" but I have options and that is great

 

For question three, I have a lot of live rock in my main tank, I was planning on taking the pieces I don't care for, out of the main tank and move them to the fuge, I also have pieces in the back sump area that are now bleached and they will go into the new fuge as well. So there should be no die off and should be no new cycle.

 

EDIT: Forgot to add that the "stand" I'm going to use is just a storage rack from home depot $67 bucks, each shelf holds like 700 lbs so no problem there, it will be to the right of my NanoCube. Top rack will be the display fuge, middle rack will be the QT/Frag tank, and bottom rack will hold my supplies, it isn't pretty but it will work well and not take too much space, I figure down the line if I want to pretty it up, I can add some carpenter's plywood to the sides and make hinged doors to hide the bottom stuff .

 

To the posters who were asking if they should place their fuges above or below, it only depends on which tank you are willing to drill. The highest tank should be drilled to allow for gravity/draining to do half the job, and a pump to push water back to the top tank. (which is how most people already have their seperate sumps/fuge.)

[NanoDrummer]

5gal eclipse? NO Yes?

[NotTheFace]

5gal eclipse? NO Yes?

You can do it with anything that will hold macro algae. You would have to drill the eclipse or make some other way to have it drain into your main tank. Or go the other way around and drill the main tank, and drain into the 5gal. You should look up DIY glass drilling, I went with acrylic on the fuge so there were no issues with drilling.

[NanoDrummer]

You can do it with anything that will hold macro algae. You would have to drill the eclipse or make some other way to have it drain into your main tank. Or go the other way around and drill the main tank, and drain into the 5gal. You should look up DIY glass drilling, I went with acrylic on the fuge so there were no issues with drilling.

Alright ill look into it more. And since it has a light it would help more with growth and whatnot.

[NanoReefNovice]

Chiller will only chill the water to the set temp if flow is the proper rate through it. This means you won't have a problem with fuge runnng cold when water supply is going through your chiller.

[danimal1211]

My old tank I kept mangroves in the sump. That was 6 years ago and I don't remember where I got them, but they worked out pretty good. Back then they were really popular and the school of thought was you needed one mangrove per five gallons of total system. Never had nuisance algae, but I also had a DSB so I can't say for sure that they were efficient at nutrient export, and 6 years later, they're popularity has died off so I guess not but they were pretty cool.

[Chyendra]

So is the generally consensus that there's NO way to connect another small tank to my main tank without drilling either or putting the fuge higher than the main tank? I mean my wall pretty much feels like it's made of concrete so I don't foresee being able to add a shelf that would hold any weight. I don't have the tools or the knowledge to go drilling any tanks, especially my main tank which is already established.

 

anybody have another method that works?

[D3monic]

you can always use a pump from the display to the fuge and a pump in the fuge back to the display. If you wanted to go that route. A small rio should work. Just put baffles on each side of the fuge, 2 where the water comes in and 1 where the water would overflow into the return side.

 

similar to this design but adding a baffle on the left for where you would put your pump. Obviously everythign would have to comein and go out through the top since you do not wish to drill it.

 

 

hope that helps.

[NanoReefNovice]

you can always use a pump from the display to the fuge and a pump in the fuge back to the display.

 

Dont use two pumps, its impossible to get them to flow the exact same rate. Drilling a tank is really easy but if you dont want to do that you can buy an overflow box. Either way one tanks water level must be above the other. It doesnt need to be much higher, a taller tank next to a short tank will do that.

[NotTheFace]

Dont use two pumps, its impossible to get them to flow the exact same rate. Drilling a tank is really easy but if you dont want to do that you can buy an overflow box. Either way one tanks water level must be above the other. It doesnt need to be much higher, a taller tank next to a short tank will do that.

I agree with don't use two pumps, and the worst is if one pump fails, you have water everywhere.

[Chyendra]

Ok, so I have an overflow box in my tank already (well it's the prefilter box for the aqua c remora) and I could put the fuge on a stand thats shorter than my main tank.

 

Would you then just make a "U" shaped tube draining to the fuge and a pump in the fuge to bring the water back?

 

how do you make sure the too much water doesn't drain into the tank if the pump in the fuge stops?

[D3monic]

perfect question...thats why its my opinion that it should be pumped up to the fuge and overflow down to the display that way if the pump dies...theres no harm no foul.

[NotTheFace]

Ok, so I have an overflow box in my tank already (well it's the prefilter box for the aqua c remora) and I could put the fuge on a stand thats shorter than my main tank.

 

Would you then just make a "U" shaped tube draining to the fuge and a pump in the fuge to bring the water back?

 

how do you make sure the too much water doesn't drain into the tank if the pump in the fuge stops?

 

I am not certain how the overflow box works, or how it would drain into the fuge, which confuses me about the "U" shaped tube question. Normally you don't want any 90 degree angles in your plumbing so that nothing gets backed up.

 

 

There should be no problem with water draining back into the fuge, if the pump in the fuge stops working, because there shouldn't be any more water being added to the main tank.

 

I will try and get pictures of my tank set-up by this weekend, I'm still setting it up, im not happy with my plumbing yet.

[D3monic]

lets put it like this...Ill use cleaning your tank as a example. the over flow is your syphon once you get it primed it keeps sucking out water until you break the vacuum right? Now lets compare your fuge to that as being your bucket (that by this discussion is lower) just because your bucket gets full your vacuum wouldnt break would it? No it would just start overflowing onto the carpet. Now lets say you put a pump in the bucket and pump water from the bucket back to the display...ok now they are keeping up with eachother. Then lets say the pump dies, guess what ...water all over the carpet. Now lets say you use a overflow box. You have addiquate room in the fuge to handle the fuge volume plus the amount of water that it would take to drain the display down to the overflow box level thus breaking the vacuum. If this makes any sense at all.

[NotTheFace]

lets put it like this...Ill use cleaning your tank as a example. the over flow is your syphon once you get it primed it keeps sucking out water until you break the vacuum right? Now lets compare your fuge to that as being your bucket (that by this discussion is lower) just because your bucket gets full your vacuum wouldnt break would it? No it would just start overflowing onto the carpet. Now lets say you put a pump in the bucket and pump water from the bucket back to the display...ok now they are keeping up with eachother. Then lets say the pump dies, guess what ...water all over the carpet. Now lets say you use a overflow box. You have addiquate room in the fuge to handle the fuge volume plus the amount of water that it would take to drain the display down to the overflow box level thus breaking the vacuum. If this makes any sense at all.

That makes sense, it took me awhile, so I googled for an image of how it works , yea Chyendra you would just need to make sure that you have enough space to break that seal.

 

whew, glad I have a drilled tank, makes this much easier. if my pump breaks the fuge gets no new water, so it will stop draining back into the display.

[Chyendra]

Ok I knew it was doable (albeit complecated).

 

So... I'm thinking outloud here..

 

I am getting a tank of similar shape to my display. I already have a small overflowbox from my remora that I could use, but then I'm pretty sure I would need to put my remora somewhere else. SO if I put it in the display fuge, would it still do as decent of a job skimming?

 

Ok here's a drawing I've done, try to ignore all the stolen images

 

 

[NotTheFace]

Ok I knew it was doable (albeit complecated).

 

So... I'm thinking outloud here..

 

I am getting a tank of similar shape to my display. I already have a small overflowbox from my remora that I could use, but then I'm pretty sure I would need to put my remora somewhere else. SO if I put it in the display fuge, would it still do as decent of a job skimming?

 

Ok here's a drawing I've done, try to ignore all the stolen images

 

 

 

It should do fine there, you are making your display fuge act as a sump/fuge

[Chyendra]

So, I have a pump already that is 265gph. I would prefer to use this, but would it be strong enough or should I get a stronger pump? I know it probably depends alot on the height and distance the water is going to have to travel through the tubeing but I won't know that precisely yet.

[QbnSuperman]

just finished my display fuge. expect a write up soon.