Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed

Cassette87 · 02-02-2007, 12:29 AM

Hey guys,

My tank has been up and runnning now for about 2 months. Currently, I have the following residing in the tank: 3 Blue or Green Chromis.. not quite sure which. 1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, 2 Scarlet Reef Hermits, 3 Blue Leg Hermits, 6 narcissus snails, 3 mushroom coral,(one of which apears to have spawned a frag so to speak

), and a branch with a colony of various zoa's and about 15 lbs of live rock, and another 8-10 making its way to "live rock" status. The tank is a standard 29 gallon (30x18x12) and is currently only using an eclipse 3 hood as it's only means of filtration (excluding the lr), which means floss and carbon filter, and a 6" or so biowheel. there is also a 280 GPH power head in the tank to move water about. At any rate, I'm looking to go a bit bigger with my new obsession, and this is what i have in mind as far as lighting 30" Coralife Lunar Aqualight What do you guys think of this? It translates to about 4 and a half is watts per gallon, as opposed to my current >1.5wpg. Also with the separate power cords and lunar lights, I'll be able to set up a nifty cycle of light.

My last question is this. Since I will be eliminating the hood... I need to learn about a new form of filtration... quickly. I was considering a 10 gallon sump beneath my tank, but i'm slightly confused... is another filter needed in addition to the sump? or is the sump in essence the entire filter? Also if anyone would be able to point me in a good direction for building a sump from a 10g glass aquarium, it would be appreciated! I do plan to add a uv sterilizer and protein skimmer at some point down the road.. when i begin to consider moving to a larger tank. I also plan to add a second powerhead to the aquarium soon and put both of them on timers to have a change of "tide" flow throughout the day. unless its smarter to just run them both all the time.... ? anyway... I'm sorry to make this so long.. and i hope that someone can help me or point me in the right direction. I guess the Main question is... i have my lighting picked out... but what do i do for filtration. I really appreciate your help guys! sorry to make you read all of this!

Ps, i'll take some updated photos of my aquarium tomorrow , and hopefully those of you who remeber what it looked like earlier can tell me if i'm making steps in the right direction!

lcstorc · 02-02-2007, 10:42 AM

Well, looking at the light I would say that would be fine for your tank with soft corals and lps. I wouldn't try and anemone or clam and probably not sps, but there are a lot of things that should be fine with that light.
Now I am not at all familiar with the Eclipse 3 hood that you are removing so I am not much help there. I can help you understand the concept of a sump a little better though I think. Just the presence of a sump does not provide filtration. It provides a place for you to put things for your filtration needs and provides extra water volume to your system. In a sump you will usually find a protein skimmer as your primary filtration, but you could also have filter socks, live rock, and depending on how much room you have even a DSB. That is where the filtration of a sump comes in. There are quite a few sump plans in the DIY section of RS and at melvsreef.com.
Hope that helps some. I am sure others will chime in as well.

Cougra · 02-02-2007, 11:48 AM

lol I see that it didn't take long to want to ditch the hood system! Just curious, what made you change your mind about it? Are you going to build yourself a canopy for the tank?

I think that in the long run you'll be happier with those lights then you would have been if you tried to stick it out with that canopy!

Like I said before, it's probably a good system for a nice freshwater community tank but it's completely useless for saltwater,especially if you want to go with any sort of corals!

I would also recommend that you invest in a good protein skimmer. Once you remove that canopy you'll notice a whole lot of room available to change things up!

Cassette87 · 02-02-2007, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cougra

lol I see that it didn't take long to want to ditch the hood system! Just curious, what made you change your mind about it? Are you going to build yourself a canopy for the tank?

I think that in the long run you'll be happier with those lights then you would have been if you tried to stick it out with that canopy!

Like I said before, it's probably a good system for a nice freshwater community tank but it's completely useless for saltwater,especially if you want to go with any sort of corals!

I would also recommend that you invest in a good protein skimmer. Once you remove that canopy you'll notice a whole lot of room available to change things up!

Yea, I guess isn't as great as I hoped it would be. The lighting is poor, I'm already seeing salt deposits everywhere as you said, and the lens cover over the lights is already getting a nice layer on it, despite regular cleanings. And I'm obviously no pro on filtration, but, I don't need to be to assume that the Eclipse system is insufficent for a reef aquarium. It was mentioned that a sump alone is not a filter... What can I do in the meantime that will provide me with decent filtration, until i can get something good set up? Will a sump with say 10lbs live rock, and a protein skimmer, running initially through a sock be a rounded out filtration system? Or would I still want to pick up a canister filter or the like? I will do some research on the sump setups, and hopefully learn a thing or two, but any advice will help! Thanks Guys!

lcstorc · 02-02-2007, 02:39 PM

Personally, I would not use a cannister filter. They are notorious nitrate producers in most cases.
If you had a sump w/filter sock and skimmer you have the basics covered. You may want to at times run carbon or Phosban in a bag in your sump but that is usually easy to accomplish. Just put the media in a media bag and put in your sump so the water goes through it. If you have extra room in your sump it is a great place for LR as well though not necessary.

Cassette87 · 02-02-2007, 02:42 PM

It says that I don't have access to the DIY page :-(

lcstorc · 02-02-2007, 02:51 PM

Not sure which way you just tried (since there are several ways to get there.) I just went to forums then to the DIY forum (about 1/2 down the page under Specialty Forums.) It worked for me and as far as I know is open to anyone.
Try that method and see if it works. If it doesn't send a PM to Travis and he should be able to take care of it.

Cassette87 · 02-02-2007, 04:48 PM

alright, thanks! i got to it, guess i was trying to get into something esle. So to the both of you... If you were in my position and needed a filtration solution(assuming you have a 29 gallon tank as well) What would you consider to be the best solution? would you simply get a hang over the back filter? or actually set up a sump? will a sump operate relatively quietly? I am looking forward to the new lighting setup, but am drawing a total blank for filtration.

lcstorc · 02-02-2007, 05:00 PM

I would definitely get a protein skimmer. You can get a HOB protein skimmer for that size tank or you can add a sump to the system and use an in sump skimmer or even a HOB and hang it on the sump. The advantage to the sump is more water volume so things go wrong a little less quickly. Also you can put your heater and LR and all your other goodies in the sump. Probably the easiest thing for you to do is look at a HOB skimmer. I would look at the Aqua C Remoras as they have a very good reputation for HOB skimmers. Your skimmer, LR, and water changes are your primary filtration. You certainly can add a sump but that would depend on how good you are at making things or you can even buy them pre-made but there is always plumbing work involved which I am not good at. Fortunately my husband is and we have a friend who just came over and helped when we re-did our sump and added a fuge. That is another good addition to your tank, but it also can be found in HOB models or you can partition off part of your sump or my method is a separate tank for the fuge.
Actually I have a 29g sump then a 29g fuge, with a 125g reef and a 24g seahorse tank running through the system. So in reality I have about 180g of water to dilute anything bad that builds up in my tank instead of 125g in one tank and 24g in the other. It is all plumbed together so all one water system.
There are a million ways you can go with this. Give the thread a bit of time and I bet others will jump in with their opinion as well.
In short mine is get a skimmer. Either a good HOB or add a sump w/skimmmer. Preferrably the sump for the extra water volume but for simplicity you could go with the HOB.

Cassette87 · 02-02-2007, 07:17 PM

Well, I'm home from work and had an oppourtunity to snap some new nice photographs! Let me know what you guys think!

lcstorc · 02-03-2007, 10:16 PM

Looking good. Looks like a bit of cyano in the corner. Does that area have a low flow? You might want to check that. Mushrooms and polyps look happy though as does the shrimp.

Cassette87 · 02-06-2007, 12:40 AM

Well, I went ahead and ordered a aqua c remora protein skimmer! hopefully this will do the trick once i get my new lights set up! I also picked up another Powerhead to place on the opposite side of the tank.. it's a penguin 300GPH PH, does anyone feel this may be too much flow? the one shown in the photos is 170 GPH (i made a mistake in the first post of this thread) . I intened to run the 300 during the day from left to right, and the 170 at night from right to left, to mimic currents and eliminate dead spots. Keep in mind that the canopy flows at 250 gph, but i will soon be eliminating it. i would be interested in what your opinions are on this... I would think to run both simultaneously would be overkill for a 29g. Thanks Everyone!

02-02-2007, 12:29 AM	#1 (permalink)
Cassette87 Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Palos Park, IL Posts: 1,421 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed Hey guys, My tank has been up and runnning now for about 2 months. Currently, I have the following residing in the tank: 3 Blue or Green Chromis.. not quite sure which. 1 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, 2 Scarlet Reef Hermits, 3 Blue Leg Hermits, 6 narcissus snails, 3 mushroom coral,(one of which apears to have spawned a frag so to speak ), and a branch with a colony of various zoa's and about 15 lbs of live rock, and another 8-10 making its way to "live rock" status. The tank is a standard 29 gallon (30x18x12) and is currently only using an eclipse 3 hood as it's only means of filtration (excluding the lr), which means floss and carbon filter, and a 6" or so biowheel. there is also a 280 GPH power head in the tank to move water about. At any rate, I'm looking to go a bit bigger with my new obsession, and this is what i have in mind as far as lighting 30" Coralife Lunar Aqualight What do you guys think of this? It translates to about 4 and a half is watts per gallon, as opposed to my current >1.5wpg. Also with the separate power cords and lunar lights, I'll be able to set up a nifty cycle of light. My last question is this. Since I will be eliminating the hood... I need to learn about a new form of filtration... quickly. I was considering a 10 gallon sump beneath my tank, but i'm slightly confused... is another filter needed in addition to the sump? or is the sump in essence the entire filter? Also if anyone would be able to point me in a good direction for building a sump from a 10g glass aquarium, it would be appreciated! I do plan to add a uv sterilizer and protein skimmer at some point down the road.. when i begin to consider moving to a larger tank. I also plan to add a second powerhead to the aquarium soon and put both of them on timers to have a change of "tide" flow throughout the day. unless its smarter to just run them both all the time.... ? anyway... I'm sorry to make this so long.. and i hope that someone can help me or point me in the right direction. I guess the Main question is... i have my lighting picked out... but what do i do for filtration. I really appreciate your help guys! sorry to make you read all of this! Ps, i'll take some updated photos of my aquarium tomorrow , and hopefully those of you who remeber what it looked like earlier can tell me if i'm making steps in the right direction!

02-02-2007, 10:42 AM	#2 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,940 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed Well, looking at the light I would say that would be fine for your tank with soft corals and lps. I wouldn't try and anemone or clam and probably not sps, but there are a lot of things that should be fine with that light. Now I am not at all familiar with the Eclipse 3 hood that you are removing so I am not much help there. I can help you understand the concept of a sump a little better though I think. Just the presence of a sump does not provide filtration. It provides a place for you to put things for your filtration needs and provides extra water volume to your system. In a sump you will usually find a protein skimmer as your primary filtration, but you could also have filter socks, live rock, and depending on how much room you have even a DSB. That is where the filtration of a sump comes in. There are quite a few sump plans in the DIY section of RS and at melvsreef.com. Hope that helps some. I am sure others will chime in as well. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

02-02-2007, 11:48 AM	#3 (permalink)
Cougra Dragon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 2,216 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed lol I see that it didn't take long to want to ditch the hood system! Just curious, what made you change your mind about it? Are you going to build yourself a canopy for the tank? I think that in the long run you'll be happier with those lights then you would have been if you tried to stick it out with that canopy! Like I said before, it's probably a good system for a nice freshwater community tank but it's completely useless for saltwater,especially if you want to go with any sort of corals! I would also recommend that you invest in a good protein skimmer. Once you remove that canopy you'll notice a whole lot of room available to change things up! __________________ Michelle Just because something CAN be done, it doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done!

02-02-2007, 02:39 PM	#5 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,940 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed Personally, I would not use a cannister filter. They are notorious nitrate producers in most cases. If you had a sump w/filter sock and skimmer you have the basics covered. You may want to at times run carbon or Phosban in a bag in your sump but that is usually easy to accomplish. Just put the media in a media bag and put in your sump so the water goes through it. If you have extra room in your sump it is a great place for LR as well though not necessary. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

02-02-2007, 02:42 PM	#6 (permalink)
Cassette87 Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Palos Park, IL Posts: 1,421 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed It says that I don't have access to the DIY page :-(

02-02-2007, 02:51 PM	#7 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,940 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed Not sure which way you just tried (since there are several ways to get there.) I just went to forums then to the DIY forum (about 1/2 down the page under Specialty Forums.) It worked for me and as far as I know is open to anyone. Try that method and see if it works. If it doesn't send a PM to Travis and he should be able to take care of it. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

02-02-2007, 04:48 PM	#8 (permalink)
Cassette87 Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Palos Park, IL Posts: 1,421 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed alright, thanks! i got to it, guess i was trying to get into something esle. So to the both of you... If you were in my position and needed a filtration solution(assuming you have a 29 gallon tank as well) What would you consider to be the best solution? would you simply get a hang over the back filter? or actually set up a sump? will a sump operate relatively quietly? I am looking forward to the new lighting setup, but am drawing a total blank for filtration.

02-02-2007, 05:00 PM	#9 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,940 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed I would definitely get a protein skimmer. You can get a HOB protein skimmer for that size tank or you can add a sump to the system and use an in sump skimmer or even a HOB and hang it on the sump. The advantage to the sump is more water volume so things go wrong a little less quickly. Also you can put your heater and LR and all your other goodies in the sump. Probably the easiest thing for you to do is look at a HOB skimmer. I would look at the Aqua C Remoras as they have a very good reputation for HOB skimmers. Your skimmer, LR, and water changes are your primary filtration. You certainly can add a sump but that would depend on how good you are at making things or you can even buy them pre-made but there is always plumbing work involved which I am not good at. Fortunately my husband is and we have a friend who just came over and helped when we re-did our sump and added a fuge. That is another good addition to your tank, but it also can be found in HOB models or you can partition off part of your sump or my method is a separate tank for the fuge. Actually I have a 29g sump then a 29g fuge, with a 125g reef and a 24g seahorse tank running through the system. So in reality I have about 180g of water to dilute anything bad that builds up in my tank instead of 125g in one tank and 24g in the other. It is all plumbed together so all one water system. There are a million ways you can go with this. Give the thread a bit of time and I bet others will jump in with their opinion as well. In short mine is get a skimmer. Either a good HOB or add a sump w/skimmmer. Preferrably the sump for the extra water volume but for simplicity you could go with the HOB. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

02-02-2007, 07:17 PM	#10 (permalink)
Cassette87 Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Palos Park, IL Posts: 1,421 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed Well, I'm home from work and had an oppourtunity to snap some new nice photographs! Let me know what you guys think!

02-03-2007, 10:16 PM	#11 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,940 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed Looking good. Looks like a bit of cyano in the corner. Does that area have a low flow? You might want to check that. Mushrooms and polyps look happy though as does the shrimp. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

02-06-2007, 12:40 AM	#12 (permalink)
Cassette87 Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Palos Park, IL Posts: 1,421 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Ditching The Eclipse 3 Hood for Upgrades.. Advice and Opinions needed Well, I went ahead and ordered a aqua c remora protein skimmer! hopefully this will do the trick once i get my new lights set up! I also picked up another Powerhead to place on the opposite side of the tank.. it's a penguin 300GPH PH, does anyone feel this may be too much flow? the one shown in the photos is 170 GPH (i made a mistake in the first post of this thread) . I intened to run the 300 during the day from left to right, and the 170 at night from right to left, to mimic currents and eliminate dead spots. Keep in mind that the canopy flows at 250 gph, but i will soon be eliminating it. i would be interested in what your opinions are on this... I would think to run both simultaneously would be overkill for a 29g. Thanks Everyone!

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