[crvz]

So, the first step, clearly, was buying a tank. I shopped around for about 2 months, determined to find a good local builder. I had success, finding a guy about 15 minutes away. I’d seen some of his work, and his price was great. So what happens when I’m ready to order? The company disappears. Long story short, I ended up ordering an Oceanic 156RR with a euro-brace. It should be here mid to late December of 2006.

So until then, I will plan out some of the design. I will not start cutting wood until I have the tank in hand, but I think I will begin building the sump if I have time during the holidays. I work at JSC, so the upcoming space shuttle flight on Dec. 7th may limit the time I have to be productive. Expect a slower build.

BUT, I have been playing in Microsoft Paint, and would love some thoughts on my current equipment plan.

Red lines in the picture represent the wood structure, black lines are the sump, and green lines are equipment.



DETAILS:

1 – Chiller, Arctica ¼ hp.
2 – CO2 bottle of calcium reactor (5 lb).
3 – Kalkwasser reactor. It’s an MRC model.
4 – Calcium reactor. It’s the dual chamber MRC CR-2.
5 – Return pump, Mag-18.
6 – Phosban reactor (for carbon).
7 – Simply a mounting place for probes.
8 – Pump to supply water to the CR and Phosban
9 – Skimmer. Euro-Reef CS250 with a gate-valve mod.
10 – RO/DI outlet and Ethernet port.
11 – Power locations.

The sump will be 39” long, 18” wide and tall. Skimmer section is 8” deep and 14” long, 2” spaces between the baffles, ~8” long return section, and ~12” long by 9.5” deep refuge. The refuge will be unlit (no macro-algae planned) and house live rock rubble for pod growth.

I would love comments or suggestions on this plan, and I had a few specific questions.

Question 1 – Where is the best place for dumping the effluent for the kalk, calcium reactor, and phosban reactor? I was planning on using the refugium to give it more chance to mix before getting to the display.
Question 2 –Is mounting the probes between the baffles a good plan?
Question 3 – Is the best source of water for the phosban and calcium reactor the skimmer section of the sump?
Question 4 – What is the best flow rate through the skimmer section? I imagine I’ll get about 900 gph through the Mag 18, but can adjust flow through that section as needed.

I guess the best place for the heater will be the return section. Agreed?

More after Thanksgiving. Looking forward to anyone’s comments!