50g FOWLR Setup

[CMG]

My filtration only exists within my live sand, live rock, clean up crew and HOB skimmer. I started with a fish only tank so I never set up a sump/fuge. All I have in the way of reefing is 3 mushrooms on one rock and some polyps.

[JoJo]

ok, that how i started out with my 20g. so have you started prices the HOB skimmer boxes yet, i think the cheapest is the 300gph & that should be enough for your set up

[CMG]

Yes, my research has provided me with the following info:

Do not get the CPR overflow because it doesnt use a U tube. U tubes suck in less micro bubbles and are less likely to lose a syphon.

The eshopps have been recomended by several people on some forums online but so have the lifereef ones. However the eshopps one is about $42 and the lifereef is $120.

I have been told the lifereef has much much better/faster flow than the eshopps and that the eshopps flow is not really even close to 300gph. But I am more concerned about price than flow. My refugium doesnt need extremely fast flow anyway so I think I will go with the eshopps.

I tried to calculate which pump to buy using the head loss calculator thingy. The distance from bottom to top is 3' 10" so I think I can purchase a rio +1700 or a mag 5. Mag 5 reviews here on the forum indicate a rise in water temp. Plus the rio is less than $30 and the mag 5 is over $50.

[tbittner]

I've read where the Rio won't restart after a power failure. If that happens, it won't be a catastrophe, just an inconvenience. I have quite a few Rios but they're all HF (hyperflow) models and I haven't had any problems with them. I had a Mag 3 on my Remore Pro skimmer that stopped working though.

[JoJo]

yea, i've heard the same thing. if you're going to use Rios the should be HF

[CMG]

Oh crap, I just got off the phone ordering the rio +1700 from amrinedepot. Is the + the same as hyperflow? I am guessing not! Do you know where I can get a hyperflow one? Maybe a sponser on this forum has them. [edit] marinedepot sells both but the hyper ones are way too much gph flow for what I need.....any recomendations for pumps with around 300gph flow??

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful: (for rio +1700)
Excellent!
Efficiant runner by Sherry



Comments: I have been using this pump as a powerhead in my 130 gallon FOWLR tank. It always starts after power outages and is very quiet and reliable. Will not inflate the electricity bill.
Yes, I would recommend this product to my friends.


Also, I am a bit concerned about my tank bowing. It is a 40g so there is no center brace and the glass lid ( I dont use it anymore sine I switched to SW) does not fit perfectly like it used to. The middle section is not covered by the glass anymore because of the bowing. Is this something to be concerned about or is it just normal?

Alos: this morning while feeding I noticed two strange objects on my mushroom rock. I thought I was getting more nasty algae at first but I am 99.9% sure my mushroom "layed eggs". So now I have two half mushrooms. Little pale guys. Sorry no pics yet I was running out the door to class and work.

[JoJo]

i'm not sure about the bowing, did it come with a center brace from the manufactuer?

as far as the shrooms, i dont know anything about corals yet but i'm sure someone else will chime in who can give better answers to both questions

[tbittner]

For the Rio, I have a feeling that you'll be very happy with it.

For the bowing, how do you know? Do you have a level that you can put up against the tank to see if the glass isn't straight?

[CMG]

Originally Posted by tbittner

For the Rio, I have a feeling that you'll be very happy with it.

For the bowing, how do you know? Do you have a level that you can put up against the tank to see if the glass isn't straight?

Well I have a glass lid for the tank that fit the tank perfectly when I first got the tank and it was a FW setup. Then one day some time ago I noticed that when I went to open the front part of the glass lid to feed the fish the front of the glass lid was no longer touching the aquarium. So I walked to the end of the tank and stared straight down in and you could see the lid touching the front of the tank for about 6" and then the front of the tank starts to move away from the lid which to me means its bowed out....

[djbacon]

Hey CMG, thanks for popping by my thread - The sump project looks like fun !! Im not there just yet but next tank.....

[CMG]

Originally Posted by djbacon

Hey CMG, thanks for popping by my thread - The sump project looks like fun !! Im not there just yet but next tank.....

Next tank? As nice as yours is looking you won't need to upgrade!

[CMG]

Ok here are some pics of the bowing in my tank, some of the new little mushrooms and a tank shot for fun:

From the top to bottom you can see how close it is and how it moves away from the glass lid. Which technically is left to right not top to bottom.

Close up of the gap..

Baby mushroom inbetween the big shroom and polyps..there are actually three that I can see but the rock is far from the glass so its hard to use macro on it

Here is a for fun shot of my green polyp frag and a full tank shot in which you can see my algae nastyness...




My sump is "done" so I did the water test today on it and it had one small leak that I will silicone once it dries out on the patio. I noticed it would have been better if I could have made slots or teeth in the sections where water goes up and over but that seems nearly impossible using the acrylic knife, I would deffinetly need an electric tool of some sort like a router..

[JoJo]

the gap seems minor from what i can see but pics hardly ever do justice. is that hair algea in your tank, if so whats your water parameters? also, i did glass baffles in my glass tank but didnt cut teeth into because not many i see have teeth in theirs. it would be nice to catch the macro from going into the return but there's other ways around that.

[CMG]

Well the algae is tricky to me:

The algae on the rock with all the mushrooms I think is hair algae. But the other bright green algae all over the rocks and the sand is like a mix between bubble algae and mutant neon green wierdness algae. hahahah. I have no idea. I do 20% water changes and vacuming with a toothbrush every weekend but I should be doing it daily. I jsut dont have time between going to school full time, working 30 hrs a week and being in the marine corps reserves still plus I have the kitty cat and the finace bla bla bla bla bla. Once the semester ends its on like donkey kong though. I am giving my tank 100% attention after work until sleeping time comes around.

I only test for amonia, nitrite, nitrate. Oh and salinity. duh. But I dont test PH or Ca or any of that other stuff, mostly because I was doing a FO tank at first. I think it has to do with the lack of sump/fuge and maybe too much feeding (twice a day, now cut back to once a day or once every other day) and maybe high nutrient levels in the water even though I use ro/di I have never tested it with a tester thingy. Or maybe also my crappy lighting helps the bad algae, I only hav PC's on there and they are kinda old bulbs. I ordered a new T5 current usa nova pro but its on back order for 4 weeks. Tax refund came in handy, thank you mr. bush. I deffenetly need some good macro algae to compete for nutrients in my water and then maybe my coraline would florish, right now it only on my mushroom rock and here and there on the bigger pieces.

[tbittner]