[Joefish]

Using a Reef ready tank with a sump would i be fighting what i am trying to do? i thought i read somewhere this is the case and it is best not to use a Reef Ready tank with a sump.

Your thought?

If this is the case ill just snag up a 75gal tank and do it that way and not waist my time with this 240

thanks in advance


Joe

 

[epicfish]

IMO, it'll be more work to setup than a regular non-drilled tank w/ canister filter.

 

[Joefish]

The tank is already setup and IMO setting up a Plumbed Reef ready tank is quite simple . but this still doesn't answer my question with using a reef ready tank with live plants. does it not have something to do with O2 exchange? :biggrin:

 

[epicfish]

You have to make sure everything is pretty well sealed with minor surface agitation or else you're going to outgas the CO2 you inject. That's why I said making it planted-tank-ready is more work.

Search the DIY forums. Many threads on sumps there.

 

[Joefish]

My tank and sump is completely sealed with no water evaporation. thus i can leave it go for weeks if i wanted to with no water level change in the sump. not that i do.

My reef boxes have lids as well as my sump it is all custom, i don't mind just getting a smaller tank and going with a canister. but i would rather see this big tank be one big planted setup. :biggrin:

perhaps just getting a 75gal and moving a FX5 over may be the best bet. and keep this RR setup for something else i suppose

Thanks for your replies!

joe

 

[Hop]

Joe. Making a RR tank into a planted tank is very doable. Many people have done it. There are obvious benefits and drawbacks. Will it outgas Co2 more rapidly than a tank w/o a sump? Sure to some degree, but I for one really like the fact that all the equipment can be moved out of the tank and placed in the sump.

Really after set up, you may have to work out a few quarks, but I've seen some pretty incredible RR tanks set up as planted tanks. I guess it's up to you if you want to balance the Co2 loss vs. set up options. Personally I feel that the pros outweigh the cons on a large scale. I have enough complexity in my reef tanks, that I like to keep my planted tanks simple, canister set-ups. But to each their own

Good Luck.

 

[Joefish]

Joe. Making a RR tank into a planted tank is very doable. Many people have done it. There are obvious benefits and drawbacks. Will it outgas Co2 more rapidly than a tank w/o a sump? Sure to some degree, but I for one really like the fact that all the equipment can be moved out of the tank and placed in the sump.

Really after set up, you may have to work out a few quarks, but I've seen some pretty incredible RR tanks set up as planted tanks. I guess it's up to you if you want to balance the Co2 loss vs. set up options. Personally I feel that the pros outweigh the cons on a large scale. I have enough complexity in my reef tanks, that I like to keep my planted tanks simple, canister set-ups. But to each their own

Good Luck.

Thanks for your reply, i have had it setup as a planted tank and i did somewhat well. besides the plant eating fish i had. :icon_lol:

I would really love to see this 240gal tank one monstrous tank setup all planted , man it would look sweet! the bigger the better i always say. but with that comes a price.

it was turn this 240 into a planted tank or a FOWLR or a Reef. i really don't want to go Reef or FOWLR with it right now as it is in my Living room. and the last thing i wanna hear is a big skimmer slapping water around next to my couch when trying to watch a moving. the tank is silent as it is now with FW, i have overflow silencers in the reef boxes and the reef boxes are also sealed as well as the sump. so you don't hear it at all. allot of people come over and ask if it is on lol

When i start this i want to do it right so i succeed with it and not have plants dieing off, but growing like weeds.

last time i had it planted i had over 2ft java ferns and blooming baby-lings left and right. and i didn't have much lighting and just a carbo block. i would like to hook up all of my equipment to my sump such as the Co2 equipment and then have it returned into the tank that way. the tank is also Acrylic so not a lot of space with it being sealed along the top for HOB's etc.

maybe ill get a couple of local guys to come over and help out with the project :icon_lol:

also as for the fish i plan to have in it, just some tetras and angels. maybe a ram or two. and a few other's

 

[Aqua Dave]

Several people, including myself, have made planted tanks out of reef ready tanks with built in overflows and sumps. There are advantages and disadvantages as with anything. Do a search on "sump" and you'll find lots of info. DiabloCanine has a very good pictorial on his setup, though it looks like his website bandwidth is used up till next month (shows how many people look at it).

David

 

[BlueRam]

I know an 180 RR that has the holes plugged with a powerhead in the overflow boxes. Very simple. Very effective.

 

[Joefish]

I know an 180 RR that has the holes plugged with a powerhead in the overflow boxes. Very simple. Very effective.

And a waist IMO. i wont plug the holes on this tank, it will stay Reef ready. i like having a sump for my heater and other things. :biggrin:

 

[BlueRam]

And a waist IMO. i wont plug the holes on this tank, it will stay Reef ready. i like having a sump for my heater and other things. :biggrin:

By "plugged" I mean solid bulkheads like scolley used on his tank to semi-permanently block unused holes. Simply a way to use a RR tank without a sump. The idea can also be extended to a closed loop with an in line heater etc.

BTW "waste"

 

[Joefish]

By "plugged" I mean solid bulkheads like scolley used on his tank to semi-permanently block unused holes. Simply a way to use a RR tank without a sump. The idea can also be extended to a closed loop with an in line heater etc.

BTW "waste"

I knew what you meant i have has closed loop systems on my FOWLR before in the past. i just like using a sump. i like the flow rate you can get out of a sump as well.

but if i'm going to plug this tank i may as well buy a new tank that's not RR and just make it my planted tank. and use this RR setup for something else. i had this tank custom built for a reason and would like to get out of what i paid for it. know what i mean?

waist waste. you knew what i meant :icon_lol: :icon_wink

 

[Booger]

Personal preference. You already have it setup with a sump? No worries. Use that.

Do you have a refuge area? I've always wanted one for propagation purposes. You could reverse light it, as well.

 

[Joefish]

Personal preference. You already have it setup with a sump? No worries. Use that.

Do you have a refuge area? I've always wanted one for propagation purposes. You could reverse light it, as well.

yes it is up and running, no fuge with this sump, but i do have a 75gal that i was going to make into a sump/fuge for SW i can use. i wanted to bump up the size of my sump anyways :hihi:

reverse light it? on when main lights are off ?

 

[Booger]

yes it is up and running, no fuge with this sump, but i do have a 75gal that i was going to make into a sump/fuge for SW i can use. i wanted to bump up the size of my sump anyways :hihi:

reverse light it? on when main lights are off ?

Yep. In theory, this will stabilize the PH as one group of plants will be photosynthesizing while the other is respirating and vice versa. To what extent, I don't know, but it sounds like fun.

 

[aquarium boy]

haha a sump filter is great for any tank size and setup if you can afford it,
i would go with your reef ready tank. when people tell you that a sump filter for a planted tank isnt a good idea it means that they (1)havent been doing there researching OR (2) they dont know what there talking about but they post anyway for no reason.

 

[jt20194]

Sump

Using a Reef ready tank with a sump would i be fighting what i am trying to do? i thought i read somewhere this is the case and it is best not to use a Reef Ready tank with a sump.

Your thought?

If this is the case ill just snag up a 75gal tank and do it that way and not waist my time with this 240

thanks in advance


Joe

Joe, Reef ready is fine with a planted tank. I prefer the sump for the many things you can do with it. Take a look at my thread on page two and you’ll see how I use it in my Tenecor. I also explain why which I'll highlight here. My next tank is going to be much larger and I’ll use the same approach. In so far as CO2 loss, the biggest loss isn’t from the sump if you inject your CO2 as the final stage to your outflows, it is from the overflow. The fix in the overflow is easy… use a Durso standpipe or equivalent shown in the diagram below (5). Accordingly, the water does not cascade down the overflow causing additional loss. In truth, I would argue that by directing the outlets so the water flow circulates towards the bottom then flows up to overflow your plants will get a nice dosage of CO2 before it gets flushed by the sump. Finally, depending on the type of sump, if you can change the water level in the sump to minimize the surface agitation, this will further reduce CO2 loss. I have a two 10lb CO2 bottles to ensure I have an immediate replacement. If properly sealed, my CO2 bottles last about 5 months each before having to refill and that is with a 100gal tank. I find too often that more CO2 is lost because of poor seals than lost by water surface turbulence. Once I started using good seals my CO2 bottles lasted much longer.

JT