Setting up 44g Cube After 3 Years in storage...

[baker_jeff]

Howdy folks!

Here we go! After 3 years in storage, setting up the tank in my office. I've also picked up a 180gallon tank but that is for another thread .

I hate the plumbing job I did on this tank, and I'm sure it's not the most efficient design. Open to suggestions on how I can fix it. I remember it being noisy. It was my first plumbing job.

The tank itself is 24x24x17.

[daplatapus]

Looks like a good start. With that drilling configuration I'd really think hard about a coast to coast overflow and beananimal set up. It would mean over the top return's or more drilling for the returns, which is easy enough.

[FishyFishy!]

I would re-plumb that in a heart beat. Your best bet would be to get 2 pieces of glass cut to size and make an internal coast-to-coast overflow, and utilize a beananimal 3 pipe design (loose the return hole and use it as the emergency drain).

If you didn't want to modify the tank at all, you can set it up like a herbie. Just put an intake strainer on one bulkhead for the main drain, and a 90 degree fitting facing upwards as your emergency. You would also need to add a couple ball or gate valves to adjust the flow. Not the greatest without an overflow, but it would work.

A better designed durso type setup would work as well (like you have now, just slightly modified). Just cap off the tops of those pipes at the back and drill a whole for an air vent so that you can control your flow and make it silent.

I would also do the pipes straight into the sump, with no 45's or 90's or whatever is going on in there now (at the very end)

What is the T off the return pump for?

[baker_jeff]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy!

What is the T off the return pump for?

I honestly can't remember. I have a ball valve on it (forgot where it went when I took the pic). I'm pretty sure it is to route some of the flow from the pump back to the sump so the tank drains can keep up.

[FishyFishy!]

Check out these ready-made overflow boxes from BRS - Just silicone it onto the glass and you got an overflow:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/catalo.../view/id/1996/

I would also flip that sump around and have the return section where the drain pipes are now. The drains should drain into the larger section, this way you could have a decent sized skimmer and some live rock in there.

[baker_jeff]

She holds water, no leaks! Yay!

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I've filled the tank and will run it as-is while the build progresses on the 180 gallon. This one will be for storing the liverock and frags to go into the big tank. Once the big tank is running, the improvements will be made on this one.

When they're both up, I may or may not keep this one. We'll see how much room is left in my office at that point. It would be nice to have a separate tank for a seahorse or other interesting creature that I may want to take on in the future. Or just two reef tanks in my office.

Not going to get any real work done around here for a while

Jeff

[baker_jeff]

Well, she's been running since May with no serious issues. Have a clown and two chromis living happily, and a few corals I received in trade for the bigger 180 gallon setup mentioned earlier.

The 180 was replaced with a 230 starfire tank . New thread coming soon for that bad boy.

All the dead rock placed in this tank with equal or more live rock has come along nicely, with lots of coraline growth and has pretty much blended in.

I did add a large chunk of rock that had some encrusting coral on it that came from a friend's tank that crashed. I believe it hit the rest of the system pretty hard but lots of water changes later everything else is doing alright, but I'm still not sure if that coral will survive. Here's hoping, as it is really unique and was extremely bright green.

[Proteus]

Tank looks awesome. Might want to sell it to me one day

[mrhasan]

[Misses.ReefWars]

Originally Posted by mrhasan

hahaha agreed