The Puffer Forum

Ok guys and gals...

I am in a little quandary as to how to set up a 3 tier tank system. Yes, I know... it should be simple but I have searched for it on Google and there is nothing like it in the images so I had to draw my own. I don't know how I get myself into these situations but it is not a basic set up (again).

For Starters:
Top tank: Display FOWLR 4" sand bed @ 65 gallons
Middle tank: Filtration (primarily) Live Rock with 6" sand bed @ 65 gallons <== don't know if I should / can go reef or not. The lower water volume may mean I need less light requirement (see I learned something from planted tanks )

Bottom tank: Sump possibly algae filter or something similar.

The picture below is flawed. I noticed the mistake after sorry. The sump shows the outlet on the inside of the baffles which is the case, but the inlet would have to be on the opposite side of the baffles.

Any suggestions or recommendations? This is going to be another long thread and I have a million Q's

Go reef with one of them, and marine planted tank in another, with a bunch of chaeto in the sump (basically just section a part of it off and throw the macro in) to keep up a pod population for the many critters that survive on them.
Just what I would do. C:

Brent you are too smart for some of us

You'll have to break that down into plain English with link examples to us novices

Definately cheato or whatever that redish algae that sucks up nitrates in the sump, and a reef on top, bottom one plant it (FW), are they that skinny in real life? It was a bit taller you should try a riparium.

How do I say it plainer? haha

The top tank would be best for a reef I think. Not much else to say there...

The middle tank would be well suited to a macro tank if you want filtration as its focus. Algae are great nutrient sponges and would do well here. You could really make it look nice and it would help with water quality so long as you are able to control the sexual activity of said algae. Algae release spores into the water in an attempt to reproduce. <--- for details of the action you're going to have to search yourself.

I think the sump was pretty straightforward. Section off a part of it (maybe in the middle) with eggcrate or some other like material. Place the chaeto (I've been assuming you know this is a type of macro- chaetomorpha) in this section. Water will flow through here and be filtered by the chaeto. Pods will grow and breed in this area (free of predators). These pods will then feed your main tanks.

Hope that was understandable.

Swimz- if they're connected you can't very well have one a reef and one a freshwater planted tank.

What ever you do stay away from caulerpa, its terribly invasive.

Stick with growing gracilaria, fish love to eat it. Halimeda is a really cool looking algae that is worthy of a display tank, same with botryocladia.

Are you planning on no skimmer in the sump?

Mek0ng wrote:What ever you do stay away from caulerpa, its terribly invasive.

Stick with growing gracilaria, fish love to eat it. Halimeda is a really cool looking algae that is worthy of a display tank, same with botryocladia.

Are you planning on no skimmer in the sump?

+1

Although caulerpa prolifera is manageable.

Isn't gracilaria hard to keep alive?

I'd like to add ochtodes to the list of cool macros. (:

Yes Of corse, I meant if not connected, but they probably are so... nevermind...

Mekong: With skimmer

Brent: I had to ask because I had no idea "chaeto" and some other terms you used were. You'd have to assume that you are talking to someone that has NO IDEA what they are doing in regards to SW set ups.

Why would one put the reef section on the top when the middle would receive more light (substrate to surface distance)?

I didn't really consider that. My reasoning was that you wanted the middle section to be primarily filtration.

[edit]

And sorry about my marine slang and terms.

I would go with reef on top, and planted in middle. (how tall is the top tank going to sit?)

Here is a good example of how nice a saltwater planted tank can look. (and these pics are nanos so imagine what a nice long tank could look like)


http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/lofiver ... 58176.html

that seems to be the Q on everyone's mind. The top tank should sit at aprox 5' (to the center of the tank). That is just a guess and be about eye level.

I thought the middle would be the reef because of ease of sight, care and the deep sand bed. Having to work the top tank too much at that hight could be a chore.

OR as illustrated in this link: http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/f267/ ... 48607.html The sump could go at the top.... either or.

The tank in that thread is a plumbing beast! I hope mine is a little more stream lined

My thoughts on the reef on top suggestion

1. With the shallower sandbed it gives you more coral placement since some corals like it deeper and without that much light.
2. I would imagine pruneing the macro would be more of a chore then takeing care of a reef since your CUC will do more of that for you.
3. With the shallower sandbed it also gives you more room for stacking live rock for corals to grow on.

The only downfall I would think would be with the reef being so high it would be hard to actually sit back and enjoy it. IMO FWIW the reef might enjoy the cleaner water comeing from the sump and let your 1st stage filter be your macro garden/DSB and final stage being the sump then return to your reef.

Having just taken down my reef after 5years of setup in its current tank, there was TONS of mud (waste) in the shallow sand bed. I would vacuum 1/2 of the bed with each water change, so I am rather amazed at how much waste was still in there. My deep sand bed 55g fuge wasnt so bad, it had been set up for almost 8 years when I broke it down. There were no fish in it so low particular waste.

My point is that going barebottom in the display, and having a remote deep sand bed is an ideal method.

Bcummings8521 wrote:IMO FWIW the reef might enjoy the cleaner water comeing from the sump and let your 1st stage filter be your macro garden/DSB and final stage being the sump then return to your reef.

The fuge/macro/DSB would in some ways be ideal as the 1st stage (top tank) and flow into the coral display. Pods, phyto, and other beneficial micro life will flow into the display feeding fish and corals with out having to first pass through the pump. Either way having the tank you do the most maintenance on at the easiest level to reach will make it all much less of a chore.