Decisions, Decisions

[andywg]

Ok, the new reef tank is on order. It will be a 60x24x18 (lxdxh) tank.

Light will be a 250 and a 150W MH (10000 and 12000K respectively) complemented by 4 54W T5s (2 actinics, and 2 at around 12/14,000K) and water movement will be provided by a Tunze Wavebox and Tunze Nano stream 4500. Skimmer will be a Tunze 9015. I will be heading towards SPS and some LPS corals with the possibility of the odd softy (though most of those will go into a smaller set up just for softies).

I currently can't decide how to set up the sump. It will be an old tank I have (48x12x18 - lxdxh) and most likely split into three parts. The skimmer will be in the first section and the return pump in the last. I can't decide what to do with the middle. I am quite a fan of DSBs, though am also intrigued by the prospects of a cryptic zone. Within a few months of installing the system I shall be using the current reef tank (21x21x18) as an algae fuge, so don't really want to put something like that in the sump. I should probably add that the sump will run quite slow with probably around 5x turnover through the sump.

I am an avid DIYer and enjoy playing with the more interesting aspects of the hobby, so any ideas for an amazing sump system?

 

[Mr Miagi]

I have been very keen on the idea of Cryptic zones. They sound all right in theory, and I have heard they work. Id love to try one. You'll have to black out your middle section, and source non-photosynthetic sponges and ascidians (this being the hardest part for me). They will come on your LR, but it will take a while for them to colonize. Other than that, I cant offer any more advice on the system, there arnt too many examples out there.

Steve Tyree runs the idea on massive tanks. Google his name, should come up with his name/web address. He also has books and CD's. RC also has a couple of threads on the idea, but none which provides much info.

 

[SkiFletch]

I'd love to see someone here guinea pig the Cryptic/Benthic zone idea . Other than a DSB I cant think of anything else for it.

 

[pipatic]

how you gonna have your weir(s)box
depending how there done could be use a Cryptic zones

sump wise, dsb i'ed recommmend,if you dont need it for macro algae's then dont have lights on most will turn into Cryptic zones


for those that want to try it ,how about an old jewl/fluval filter box or make one
layed flat on the dsb or something,would be Cryptic zone

 

[andywg]

I could certainly throw a jewel box over the DSB. I was thinking of inserting black acrylic into the areas and covering to make the main DSB a cryptic zone.

Actually, as the tank is 18" tall and 48" long I could do quite well here. I am using the Tunze 9015 which will not need a great deal of width to sit in the first part (6" will be plenty), and the slow sump turnover will mean the last chamber can be a foot or less.

This should give me about 2.5 feet minimum in width with about 15" of height to play with, so I could do a 9"DSB and then have live rock on top (always useful to prevent the flow through the sump isturbing the top layer of sand in a DSB). Black the whole thing out and it should do nicely.

This could be an interesting project.

 

[pipatic]

Depends on what return pump your gonna use, example on one of my sumps,
the first section 8inch, contains 2x 40mm downpipes, which go into a home made bubble trap (pop bottle )the skimmer pump or3500 there too,
then have the first baffle which is a two pices jobbie with an inch gap inbetween so the flow goes straight over the sand bed,28in aprox
this then flows straight to the next baffle where it overflows to next baffle,goes under that last one to the return pump ,which is an or3500
this creates a gentle flow across the dsb , can be slowed down futher by adding filter wool
so how are you planing your weirs?

 

[andywg]

Depends on what return pump your gonna use, example on one of my sumps,
the first section 8inch, contains 2x 40mm downpipes, which go into a home made bubble trap (pop bottle )the skimmer pump or3500 there too,
then have the first baffle which is a two pices jobbie with an inch gap inbetween so the flow goes straight over the sand bed,28in aprox
this then flows straight to the next baffle where it overflows to next baffle,goes under that last one to the return pump ,which is an or3500
this creates a gentle flow across the dsb , can be slowed down futher by adding filter wool
so how are you planing your weirs?

I assume by weirs you mean baffles.

The baffles will be under then over between the first chamber and the DSB to get rid of bubbles, and then over a final to the return pump. I certainly won't be using anything as powerful as 3,500 LPH, and may well go for a very slow moving sump (1000-2000LPH). All my necessary movement will be created in the tank by the wavebox and nanostream.

 

[l337dave]

Hi,

I may have this wrong but my understanding of blacking out the benethic zone isn't that the creatures we want to encorage can't live when light is present, it's that they wont be out-competed by the likes of algaes and such when it's dark. It was on this understanding that I set up mine - this week actually so I don't have any evidence of how it's working.

What would be interesting for me would be to see how the two type of set ups would compare to each other - eg low light vs no light.

There are of course too many variables to make this a 'fair' comparison but it would be very interesting if we could compare diversity and volume of inhabitants in a given area over a period of time. Something like this would give others a starting point in the future or at least laydown some basic guidelines for anyone who is interested in setting one up.

MY INFO
---------

My sump is a 2x1x1.5 tank in the cabinet under a 180L tank the cryptic zone takes up less than half of this.

The sump goes
entry (inc smallish skimmer and heater) -->
low (4") baffle into cryptic which is:

shallow sand bed (less than 1cm)
very small rock rubble - bits that came off when I hit a lump with a hammer...
3 egg crate legs about 2inch high
egg crate shelf
rock rubble

out through a bubble trap and into a small return with pump and rowaphos and carbon filter



One thing to note is that the rock I used was ocean rock not LR as that's what I had sat in a spare tank. I have never seen any life on this rock.

If you're not interested in doing a comparison I'll seed the sump. Otherwise when you set up yours I can seed it with some LR and LS so they both have a similar starting time.

sound interesting?


dave.

 

[andywg]

I think it will be very hard to do a comparisson as your tank and sump are both much smaller than mine, and as such the bio-loads are likely to be very different.

Furthermore, while you will have some control over the amount seeded, I will just use LR and take what I am given.

Finally, this may be a little while off yet. I am expecting the tank in 2 and a half weeks, but I then have to drill it and prepare all the plumbing as well as make a stand and hood for it and make the more powerful MH lighting system.

Would be interesting to see how yours gets on though.

 

[pipatic]

I assume by weirs you mean baffles.

er nope
weir box where the holes in the main tank


baffles are gen in the sump
here a pic of my 68 gal tank has a black weir ,cos its dark in there , cryptic zone is started

 

[pipatic]

I may have this wrong but my understanding of blacking out the benethic zone isn't that the creatures we want to encorage can't live when light is present, it's that they wont be out-competed by the likes of algaes and such when it's dark. It was on this understanding that I set up mine - this week actually so I don't have any evidence of how it's working.

nope your quete right,
hence the black box/jewl or even an fluval internal filter box could be added to sump or indeed main tank

 

[andywg]

Aaah. My weir will be in the rear left corner and will be made of either glass or black acrylic. I am more a fan of acrylic as I can cut teeth into it. I am not sure how much of a cryptic zone would be in the weir as you still have one or two sides of clear glass and will have ambient and tank light spill in through them, unless you pain that area black as well.

 

[pipatic]

well in my case the weir side is almost againist the wall,
and have the 250 m/h beaming down just of the weir, so not much light get down to it ,it dark but not as dark as it could be ,if you know what i mean
but on the two stand pipe there's all sorts growing on them,
this tank runs dead quete