• Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.

My tank setup, need help!

M.V.

Blue Ring
Registered
Joined
Aug 20, 2005
Messages
33
Well ive done all my searching for my tank setup and manage to make a small list, although i still need the most important parts; Filter, skimmer, and powerhead. Oh and this is a tank for my first ceph, a Bimac.

Tank:
100 Gallon tank from GlassCages.com (6 feet long)

Im buying ROW water from my LFS as well as my Synthetic Salt from them.

Im buying fine sand and plan on putting about 1"-2" of it on the bottom.

I took a look at the skimmer shown on the Equipment selection from the Ceph Care tab and saw one of the skimmers shown the: Aqua Medic turboflotor 1000 multi. I like it but its a bit pricey if there isnt any other option for a cheaper one then I will got with it.

As for filter and powerhead i don't really know what to chose what do you guys use and would reccomend?
 
Hi MV,

What a nice big tank for a bimac!

Have a look at the two threads (stickies) at the top of this forum and you'll get an idea about what our other octo keepers are using in the way of equipment and protein skimmers.

Nancy
 
hmmm...all I get is a pic of a sad puppy on that link, so I can't offer any advice...
Since you are ordering your tank, is it possible to have holes drilled in it?? this would make hooking up a sump really, really simple...

greg
 
I fixed the link, I guess I can ask glass cages to do so, but is a sump nessaceray? Wait nvm filter is too small for a 100 gal tnak since it only does 90.

Edit again I found it, its the 2229.
 
well, the big thing is: if your tank is drilled, you don't have as much agony over trying to cover all of the inlets and outlets to make them octoproof, since the water just flows down into a nice big sump and is returned to the tank through an upright. It also serves as a good place to keep your feeder clams, etc, in between meals !
 
cthulhu77 said:
well, the big thing is: if your tank is drilled, you don't have as much agony over trying to cover all of the inlets and outlets to make them octoproof, since the water just flows down into a nice big sump and is returned to the tank through an upright. It also serves as a good place to keep your feeder clams, etc, in between meals !
Nice good idea, but how big would the sump need to be? I was reading their home page and it said: Overflows and holes are available for reef ready tanks in all sizes. Each hole is $20. Overflows cost between $20-$35.
 
I'd aim for a sump being about as big as you can squeeze into the cabinet underneath, bigger is better and adds volume to the tank above. Remember that the sump has to be able to accommodate all excess water from above if the power is turned off.

When I am drilling octo tanks I have two overflows, it means that they cant block both at once if they decide to crawl over it.
 
Im guessing a sump goes in the tank? Ive googled sumps and all ive seen is these smaller boxes inside the tank, im guessing thats a sump?
 
The sump goes underneath your tank, usually in the stand. The sump is essentially a second tank that you can put all your filtration and "ugly stuff" inside. A piece of hardware called an overflow circulates water from the aquarium down into the sump, and then a pump brings water from the sump back up to the main tank.

There are two general kinds of overflows, those with siphons and those without. Ones with siphons have a skimmer box inside the tank, another box outside the tank, and a siphon tube that goes between them. This arrangement regulates the flow of water into the sump because the flow stops if the water level in the tank gets too low. When this happens, the siphon overflow is designed so that the siphon doesn't lose its prime, and flow will begin again when the water level rises.

Overflows without siphons still have a skimmer box, but a pipe passes through the aquarium wall or base, requiring a hole to be drilled in the tank. If you have an acrylic tank this isn't a problem and is likely already done for you. If you have a glass tank you need a professional to drill the hole for you with a special diamond-studded hole-saw.

There are trade-offs both ways: Its possible for bubbles to get inside a siphon and stop water flow, and some people say that even a professionally drilled hole in load-bearing glass will weaken it substantially. Acrylic tanks really are the best way to go, it seems.

Dan
 
Have to agree there...if you can afford the higher maintenance, acrylic is the way to go. I drill tanks all the time, and have never had one crack, but it does stand to reason that the cut in the glass would make it weaker.

Sumps, IE: a 55 gallon tank would use a 20-30 gallon sump tank below it, gravity drained, and pump output return back to the main tank. I know it sounds like a real pain in the rear, but once you have one, you won't want a regular tank anymore.

greg
 
Well, you would probably be just fine with a 30 gallon as a sump...you might want to check with your local fish store, they often have older sumps for sale.
The filter looks "ok"...I have no experience with that model, but Eheim does have a good standing.

greg
 
Well, if your tank is not drilled, you will have to have a side mounted overflow to use a sump...if it is drilled, you have more options of overflow sets.
 

Shop Amazon

Shop Amazon
Shop Amazon; support TONMO!
Shop Amazon
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Back
Top