# And So It Begins...Puff's 50 Gallon Reef Build



## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

I've decided to start a thread in which i can document the setup of my 50 gallon reef tank. Over the past few weeks I have bought a new skimmer and tank, and today I took the next step. This afternoon I went to my friend's house and I helped him build me a stand for my tank. Im a horrible wood worker, but I learned a lot from him today. The stand isnt exactly "fancy", but it does its job. I will be covering up the sides in the coming weeks and adding some cabinet doors to the front. My friend also drilled a hole in the tank for my overflow, which was a pretty cool thing to see IMO.

*Equipment so far:*

- AGA 50 Gallon breeder tank (36"x18"x18")
- Euro-reef RS100 protein skimmer
- 250W Visi-therm heater (might upgrade to a 250W Ebo-Jager)
- Mag 7 pump (will most likely sell and downgrade to Mag 5)

*Equipment on order:*

- Sunlight Supplies 6x39W Tek Light
- 2 ATI 39W Blue Plus T5 HO Fluorescent
- 1 ATI 39W True Actinic 03 T5 HO Fluorescent
- 1 UVL 39W 10000K AquaSun T5 HO Fluorescent
- 1 ATI 39W 12000K Aquablue Special T5 HO Fluorescent
- 1 ATI 39W Pro Color T5 HO Fluorescent
- SLS Tek Light Bracket/Legs Support System

*Equipment needed:*

- 20-30 gallon sump (will build from existing tank)
- plumbing supplies (pvc, valves, etc for overflow and return)
- 30-50lbs Carib Sea Arag-alive sand
- 50+lbs of live rock (not sure what type yet. i might order it from a place in the US)

As for livestock I have no major plans as of yet. I want it to be a reef tank, so obviously I will be focusing on reef safe fish. I might try a dwarf angelfish, maybe a pair of black percs. Other than that I have no real plans for stocking.

Now on to the pics!

Tank on top of stand









Tank









Euro-reef RS100 skimmer (really pumped about this skimmer)









Hole drilled for overflow









I will keep this thread updated as I modify both my plans and any equipment I feel needs modifying. I hope you will enjoy being along for the ride!


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## cueball (May 24, 2005)

wow the holes kind of low isnt it? i expected it to be higher than that


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## pirayaman (Nov 3, 2007)

hey man ok to cover up that hole and make a very nice over flow got to home depot and get 6inch round black pvc rip that suker at a little more than half creating a half circle shaped piece at the full height of the tank cut little notches in the top edge for water flow

then silicone it in will look very profesh if you do it right


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

dude im telling you go withmarco rock base rock then rind a nice pice of lr locally with good coraline and no aptasia and break it up seed teh base rock.

the marco rock cost half as much as live rock and you get the weight you pay for because its not wet plus you arent intorducing any pests, it does require a curing process that is better to do in a garbage can or something so you dont get crazy nitratesin the tank to start off but its well worh it..

i will try to find some prime examples of marco tanks later.

check out this thread on rc

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=1323889


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

thanks nismo. im still undecided. sometimes i can find beautiful live rock up here for 4$ per pound, covered in coraline. i also have some extra pieces lying around in my fuge that i can use to seed, as well as some other extra bits in my display. so what exactly are "Marco rocks"? someone in that thread said they swear two of the rocks are concrete! do you know how much this guy charges per pound?

im going to build my overflow box out of glass (acrylic and glass dont bond so well together), then use eggcrate at the top instead of cutting slits. less chance of blockage. my buddy does this on his 120G FOWLR and it works really well.

im off the LRS right now. going to check out the price on a Mag5, get a bulkhead, and buy a pompom crab for my nano!


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

i noticed those pic withtthe really crappy looking rock not sure where that rock came from. i bought mine from them at a frag swap and they had two pallets of rock that was all pretty good, they were selling it for 2 bucks a pound for that event.

check out the marco rocks site

www.marcorocks.com

they have differnt grades of rock and prices and packages but over all its cheaper then most liverock shipped wet plus they have the shelf rock which is not easy to find live.

if you can get 4 buck a lb local then thats hard to beat..

if and or when i set up a larger tank im definately going with this stuff and seeding with the rock i have.


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

hmmm...i will definitely be looking in to this stuff!

i think i paid about 6$/lbs for my other liverock, and that stuff was caked with coraline. my main LRS also carries lots of uncured fiji, which i might go with this time. im interested to see what kind of crazy life i could find on uncured rock, as i went with cured in my first tank.

im also looking at premium aquatics. ive been very impressed by the rock i have seen from them.

is 450-475GPH going to be too much for a return? the tank is roughly 4.5 feet high, so by looking at the flowchart i deduced that the flow would be between 430-475GPH at that head height.


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## wally43 (Feb 23, 2007)

yeah i'd say going with the cheaper rock would be nice since any rock u get is gunna have some kind of curing process in your tank anyways right, about the flow i have a mag 7 for a return with a 4foot head in a 3/4 hose so thats ruffly 400 480 gph and my tank is a 65g 48"x18"17" and i have two maxi-jet 1200s, i tried one with the mod and wow thats way too much flow for my tank it blows everything around, so i just keep them stock. i know this is totaly off the subject but i build a frag rack yesterday out of eggcrate and a couple of suction cups super glued to it and it works great, first i was gunna try magnets but could find any so suction cups worked too. well hope all that helps haha good luck with ur bigger tank can't wait to see it set up man
wally


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

Puff said:


> hmmm...i will definitely be looking in to this stuff!
> 
> i think i paid about 6$/lbs for my other liverock, and that stuff was caked with coraline. my main LRS also carries lots of uncured fiji, which i might go with this time. im interested to see what kind of crazy life i could find on uncured rock, as i went with cured in my first tank.
> 
> ...


with the mag 5?

try this calculator

http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/hlc2.php

then try this one

http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/drain.php

between the two you should be able to work out optimal flow and overflow box dimensions.

i would go with a mag 7 and two return lines maybe even a SCWD, i think the mag 5 might not be enough, im sure you will have atleast two koralia 2's or 3's in there to.

a 20 long for a sump would have no problem handeling that kind of overflow but the breeder has a large foot print so drain off from the overflow in a power stop situation might amount to a decent number of gallons. i would also work out this calc to get an idea of what kind of minimum capacity you will need for the sump

http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/sump.php


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

thanks again nismo

i was chatting with one of the EXTREMELY knowledgeable girls at the LRS. i asked her about the return pump. she said a mag 5 wouldnt be enough, and that if im worried about the mag7 i should just dial it back a bit with a valve. she said she's been running a mag 7 on her 60 gallon with a valve on it for 3 years with zero problems. saves me a bit more money!

what i might do is have one return, but have it split at the end. then a couple of koralias as you said. time to find the best deal on koralias!lol


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

Puff said:


> thanks again nismo
> 
> i was chatting with one of the EXTREMELY knowledgeable girls at the LRS. i asked her about the return pump. she said a mag 5 wouldnt be enough, and that if im worried about the mag7 i should just dial it back a bit with a valve. she said she's been running a mag 7 on her 60 gallon with a valve on it for 3 years with zero problems. saves me a bit more money!
> 
> what i might do is have one return, but have it split at the end. then a couple of koralias as you said. time to find the best deal on koralias!lol


i would definately agree that the mag7 is the way to go, im running one on my tech 45 that has like 5 1/2 feet of head and its pretty good, i could use a bit more but the mag7 provides good flow through the fuge and sump.

if you hold out a few weeks or more on the koralias they are releasing a new version that will be compatable with a new controller they are selling, the controller might be too much to swallow but if the new powerheads are can be used with out the controller it would be a good choice, or the new model might push the price of the old model down further.


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

should i go for koralia 2s or 3s? the 2s put out 600GPH, while the 3s put out 850GPH.


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

Puff said:


> should i go for koralia 2s or 3s? the 2s put out 600GPH, while the 3s put out 850GPH.


i would say 3's the breeder is going to require that extra bit to get movement through out the tank out might have to mess around with it to find the right place and direction to get it right but you will be good with that set up


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

should i go for two 3's, or one 3 and one 2?


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

Puff said:


> should i go for two 3's, or one 3 and one 2?


i think alot would depend on how you do the rock work and what you want to look at, if you had them ont eh back wall facing forward then a two would work well for that but if you have it on a side wall facing across thena 3would be better and the rock work would effect the positioning and effectiveness of what ever you go with


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

very true

im thinking of keeping the back corners open (hopefully for powerhead placement). i know that by putting them in the corners facing forward you can get very good surface agitation. im thinking of having the return come over the top (less chance of a huge f*ck up in the case of a power outage (one less hole to drill)) and maybe down behind the rockwork, but im not 100% sure yet.

drsfostersmith have a sale on koralias right now, so im debating whether to order them now or not.

hmmm...what would you think would be the optimum placements? two 2s in the corners? or one 3 accross the front?

i also have a koralia 1 lying around that i could use to get water across the length of the tank. but then again, having two 2s in the corners would allow an unobstructed view of the whole tank. i will have an overflow in one corner though.


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

Puff said:


> very true
> 
> im thinking of keeping the back corners open (hopefully for powerhead placement). i know that by putting them in the corners facing forward you can get very good surface agitation. *im thinking of having the return come over the top (less chance of a huge f*ck up in the case of a power outage (one less hole to drill)) and maybe down behind the rockwork, but im not 100% sure yet.*
> 
> ...


if you run the return well below the water level of the overflow then you will need to drill a anit syphon hole up near the water level or you will drain teh tank and flood the sump.

how about starting with 1 of the 3's the extra 1 you have and the return and see how that works


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

so i drove down the the US last night and picked up my new light!! Last night i chucked all the bulbs in to see what it looked like...and im still seeing light spots from when i turned it on while looking in the direction of the fixture...OUCH!

here it is!


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

that is fancy. i cant wait to see what zoo's look like under that, the color is going to be crazy.


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

im debating whether or not to bring it downstairs and hold it over my nano to see what it looks like...

f*ck it...im doin it!!!
ill take a pic as well.


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## Sheppard (Jul 8, 2004)

Puff said:


> im debating whether or not to bring it downstairs and hold it over my nano to see what it looks like...
> 
> f*ck it...im doin it!!!
> ill take a pic as well.


Ok good! I was going to bug you to do it if you didn't haha. Man that is one sexy fixture. I really wish I bought the Tek 6lamp fixture over my Nova Pro.


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

Pic of same tank under MH









see all the pics in this thread:
T5s over 24 Gallon


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

ive been slowly working on my tank stand. it was really wobbly so i had to sand down two of the legs. it was still a bit wobbly so i put some plywood on both the top and bottom. on the bottom i also filled in the "wobbly side" with some cardboard/acrylic type stuff to make it level. worked like a charm. now the stand is nice and sturdy









i also lined the bottom with polyethylene just in case of a sump overflow. for that i used a hot glue gun, a box cutter, and a some patience.

Here's the pics:

pic with the plywood top on (excuse the tools.lol)









these two of are the plastic "waterproofing" that i did with the polyethylene

















i took a couple of pictures of the l-brackets that i put in place to help support the stand. i put in a bunch of them.lol


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

hmmm.

going back to my old school days of working at a hardware store me thinks those flimsy l bracets offer very little comfort in supporting a tank thats going to Weigh in at well close to 1000 lbs. you wuold be better off with wood triangles in the corners bot glued and screwed. cant think of a better way to explain it. other good idea would be to double up the legs run them up the inside of the frame glued and screwed.. wood glue when used properly can create a stronger bond then screws. even stronger is gorilla glue but clamp it all up for that


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

i was thinking about that today. the tank wont weigh 1000lbs though. closer to 550lbs. plus the sump down below. but that weight wont be resting on the legs.

i dont have anything to cut wood triangles, or clamps at that. can you buy those wood triangles at the hardware store?

i might go buy some gorilla glue. heard good stuff about that.

how the f*ck would you clamp down a wood triangle? wouldnt it be too wide for a clamp? and also the wrong shape?

the l-brackets arent too flimsy. i got pretty sturdy ones. but i loaded up on the to make it as stable as i could.

should the wood triangles be made from 2x4s as well? i have some plywood scraps that i could use. i guess i could glue them together to make a thicker triangle


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

Puff said:


> i was thinking about that today. the tank wont weigh 1000lbs though. closer to 550lbs. plus the sump down below. but that weight wont be resting on the legs.
> 
> i dont have anything to cut wood triangles, or clamps at that. can you buy those wood triangles at the hardware store?
> 
> ...


i was just thinking about this and screwing sheets of plywood the enclose atleast three sides of teh stand would make it much more stable


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

nismo driver said:


> i was thinking about that today. the tank wont weigh 1000lbs though. closer to 550lbs. plus the sump down below. but that weight wont be resting on the legs.
> 
> i dont have anything to cut wood triangles, or clamps at that. can you buy those wood triangles at the hardware store?
> 
> ...


i was just thinking about this and screwing sheets of plywood the enclose atleast three sides of teh stand would make it much more stable
[/quote]

that was the plan. i have cabinet doors for the front. then once i get the sump inside im going to use plywood on the two sides and the back (but cut holes for the plumbing). i was also thinking of cutting some 2x4s to fit (snuggly) into the sides and back. not screw them in, but just have them wedged in for support.

the thing im most concerned about is the stand taking the weight. i know it's stable now, but im more concerned about structural integrity.

with screwing plywood into 3 sides, do you mean within the frame? or on the outside?


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## nismo driver (Jan 27, 2004)

Puff said:


> i was thinking about that today. the tank wont weigh 1000lbs though. closer to 550lbs. plus the sump down below. but that weight wont be resting on the legs.
> 
> i dont have anything to cut wood triangles, or clamps at that. can you buy those wood triangles at the hardware store?
> 
> ...


i was just thinking about this and screwing sheets of plywood the enclose atleast three sides of teh stand would make it much more stable
[/quote]

that was the plan. i have cabinet doors for the front. then once i get the sump inside im going to use plywood on the two sides and the back (but cut holes for the plumbing). i was also thinking of cutting some 2x4s to fit (snuggly) into the sides and back. not screw them in, but just have them wedged in for support.

the thing im most concerned about is the stand taking the weight. i know it's stable now, but im more concerned about structural integrity.

with screwing plywood into 3 sides, do you mean within the frame? or on the outside?
[/quote]

outside

i would be shocked if it was not able to support teh weight, the typical pine aga stands are such crap, the stand for my 72 bow front was about as sturdy as a balsa airplane but it took the weight no problem the stand you put together is more solid then the 2x2 pine they use


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

yeah. i was going to say that the pine i used was pretty good stuff. not to mention it is majorly secured. every joint has at least two screws in it. the more support the better though (imo).lol


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

i finally found a used 33 gallon today! 25$!

im going to reseal it then begin on turning it into a sump. here are my (very basic) plans for it. ill need some input from you guys, but im going to start a thread in the equipment section for that


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

alright. so this project is officially on hold.

i just started some classes for university next year and they are taking up a lot more time than i thought they would. ive decided to put off setting up the tank untili have more time to devote to it. i dont see the reason in setting up the tank and not having the proper amount of time to do it right and maintain it properly.

im hoping to be able to set it up by august, but if not it might be much later. i might even just wait until i buy a place come next spring. not much point in having a tank running for 6-8 months then having to move it.

if anything i might set it up just to cycle the liverock, but im not even wanting to think about that right now.

on the other hand, this postponing of the new tank gives me a lot more time to buy the best possible equipment and build a hell of a sump for it. i still want to work on building the stuff i need, but i just wont have time to set it up.

this is unfortunate, but at the same time i think it will definitely be a positive in the long run!


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## pcrose (Mar 9, 2003)

marvelous work my friend


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