[Daniel Keith]

Well, for those of you who don't believe that there are no stupid questions, don't reply <grin>. For those of you who don't mind stupid questions, I could really use your help.

I have talked my lovely wife into replacing our freshwater aquarium with a marine aquarium. Instead of simply buying a new one, I am going to tear out a wall and build one in. The dimensions are 44.5x23.5x32.5. Most of you immediately notice that the reason that this is important is because this is an exceptionally tall tank (nearly 33"). Anyway, I'll tell you what I intend so far (and please feel free to tell me if there is a superior alternative: I have not yet bought any supplies, so I'm happy to change my mind). Then, I'll mention the questions that I have.

The tank can be seen from two different rooms, which means that you can look at it from the front and back, but not the sides. I plan to use 36" Outer Orbit Model 1076 (2-250MH, 2-460nm, 2-420nm, and some lunar lights). This will hang 4" above the tank. The tank will have a an acrylic lid spanning the entire top. It will be 3/4" acrylic on the front and back. There will also be a 3/4" thick acrylic lip along the top edge (this will serve as a reinforcement, and as a track for the lid to sit on). The sides and bottom will be made up of 1/8" or 1/16" solid blue acrylic epoxied to 3/4" plywood. I plan to have three 250W heaters. I also plan to have a protein skimmer, but have no idea which one. I also plan to have a canister filter or a modular filter system that does mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration. I don't really care about mechanical filtration, because I know that a good biological filtration system will address all unwanted particulate matter, but I figure it can't hurt. I want the the chemical filtration system because I like to polish the water every other week or so. The bio filter will supplement the protein skimmer and plenum. I do NOT plan to have a refugium, wet/dry filter (that's the same as a sump, right?), or uv sterilizer. As I mentioned, I do plan to have a plenum, which will be my primary bio filter. I plan to use about 7 Maxi-Jet power heads. I also know that I need a pump, but have no idea which one. Oh, I know that having a lid spanning the entire top causes oxygen intake issues. I plan to offset that using air strips on both sides of the tank, and possibly through running a venturi system on my power heads.

First, how does all of that sound? I can take constructive criticism, so if you have a better idea, let me have it...kindly <grin>.

I might add the Eheim Wet/Dry filter if I go for the Eheim modular system.

The part where I'm really stumped is plumbing. My freshwater systems have always used over-the-tank gizmos. On this tank, aesthetics is VERY important...FREAKISHLY important...just ask my wife. So, nothing is hanging off of anything. If it doesn't look natural, I have a problem. So, I have to send the plumbing through the bottom. I'm a skilled craftsman, so I don't a problem cutting the holes or putting the tank together or anything like that. But, frankly, when it comes to how to set up the plumbing, I just can't wrap my head around it...and plumbing is kind of important. So, here are my questions concerning plumbing:

What's with the "overflow"? Can't I just stick a pipe a couple inches above the gravel with a strainer on top to intake the water that is going to the skimmer and filters? The reason that this is important is because I can SEE the overflow, but I could hide a shorter "strainer" within the coral.

Does the return pipe from the filters have to be a certain way (tall, gooseneck, etc.)? Or, can I connect it to a bunch of buried PVC and have undergravel jets (similar to http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/ug_jets.php)?

How does the protein skimmer, filters, and pump all connect together? Okay, that seems like a silly question, so let me ask it another way. Since both my filters and skimmer will be under the tank (in the cabinet), do I have to have one intake for the skimmer, and one for the filters? Or, do I chain them together? The protein skimmers that I have reviewed all have their own pump. So, how does that jive with the water pump that is driving the filters?

Do I need a wave creator?

Is the Eheim module system a good choice, or would you recommend a different brand? Would you recommend a single canister instead? Would you recommend an entirely different filtration system <hmmm>?

Is there a way to have the power heads without it looking unsightly. Is there a way to run the air tubing for the air strips from the bottom (instead of over the side and all the way down to the bottom)? Again, anything that doesn't look natural is an issue, so if you can tell me any clever (or obvious) ways to hide things, that would be a huge help.

Okay, my book is complete. Any help your provide is greatly appreciated, and thanks very much!

-Daniel Keith

[glampka]

Hi Dan,
The only stupid question is the one that isn't asked!! Smart move - keep giving the wife some credit for allowing you to do this.
I'll start here & will no doubt PM you as you've asked a ton of questions that will take some time to answer.
Acrylic lid - do away with it if at all possible. You already mention the gas exchange issue. A more important one is the tank temperature issue especially with the MH lights. The lid will hold in the heat. You also don't want to put a venturi on 1 of the ph since you'll have all sorts of salt creep problems to deal with.
Sump - IMO you woould be better off putting in a sump with a good size return pump. Trust me - your wife is not going to like the looks of 7 powerheads in the tank nor will you! You can build a manifold to supply current to the tank from the return pump. 7 phs will also add heat to the tank. You can put carbon in the sump if you like. Canisters become a big nitrate problem because people generally don't clean them enough.
With the acrylic tank you can have an internal overflow built right into one of the ends. The overflow takes water from the surface of the tank removing the oily film that tends to build up there to the sump where you would have your protein skimmer. The skimmer then removes these proteins from the water. You want to get a skimmer that is rated for doulbe the size tank you have, in your case 300 gallons. Take a look at ASM & AquaC. Both are highly rated. Don't skimp on your skimmer. It's one of the most important things in your tank.

[Daniel Keith]

Hi Glampka,

You don't know how much I appreciate your advice!

I definitely cannot get rid of the lid. So, I have two questions in that regard: First, the MH lights that I am using have two fans built-in. Won't that resolve the heat issue? Second, if I add a chiller to my list of equipment to buy <grrrr>, will that resolve any heat concerns?

I guess I just don't have my head wrapped around exactly what a sump is. I have looked it up in online stores, but they just tell me its features, with leave me wondering what it is exactly. I really hate that I'm asking a question that seems to have an obvious answer, but what is a sump? You seem to be saying that if I use a sump, I won't need the powerheads. That would be AWESOME considering the aesthetics. But, how does a sump resolve that issue. From what I am reading, water circulation is of paramount importance, and I just don't understand how a sump that sits in the cabinet beneath the aquarium circulates the water.

I actually looked at the exact overflows that you directed me to. The problem is aesthetics: while the overflow hides the pipes, it creates a visual "imbalance" in that it breaks the line of the otherwise-smooth wall. That's why I thought that a strainer pipe that I could hide within the coral would be - visually - superior. I do understand what you are saying about the film on the top of the water and the fact that an overflow extracts that. In my original plan, the powerheads were supposed to generate enough turbulence to force those minerals into the water where they could be extracted through the strainer pipe and into the venturi skimmer.

Again, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your help. Thanks!

-Daniel Keith

[glampka]

Fans would help. Another trick is to raise the lights from the tank. Chiller will also help with the heat but they'e not cheap.
A sump will help you in a number of ways. It'll give you additional water volume so that it takes longer to have any problems with your water, great place to hide equipment like heaters & protein skimmer & if you have a refugium, gives you some place for added filtration & can grow macroalgae to help manage nitrates & also grow pods for food. Check out this site for a very good explanation of sumps. Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums
You can take your return pump & feed various lines going back to the tank. They sell things that will automatically change the flow to different areas of the tank. You can also set up a manifold & run the return water to multiple return spots giving you considerable flow in the tank. There's a thread somewhere on the site explaining it but I can't for the life of me find it right now.
Any more questions, just shout or drop me a PM.