My 175g Reef Tank

[bturner]

I am upgrading big time, but am definitely a newbie. I currently have a 29g reef tank that I have discussed here previously but am looking to go bigger. The plan is to have a reef tank in the living room and have the plumping go through the floor to the unfinished basement below. In the basement I will have a sump and other equipment. I will have access to a drain and sink down there. I plan on going the refugium route.

So far I have purchased a 175 gallon Oceanic bow front tank a black pine Aqueon stand, and a 72" T-5 Fluorescent light with 12 bulbs.

I still need to decide on a sump. Specifically, do I build my own out of a glass aquarium, use a plastic tub or buy a prefabricated acrylic sump.

Questions:
1. Can I drain saltwater into a standard basement sump pump, or will this cause issues with the pump?
2. Will saltwater affect my septic system?
3. I would like to incorporate some type of water storage, i.e., maybe two garbage cans, one with FW and one with SW. Ideally, the SW container will be connected to the system to provide additional water volume but also the idea in my brain is to aid in quick easy water changed by shutting off flow to that container, drain it, add new mixed saltwater, turn flow back on. I am sort of struggling to figure out how to plumb this and a sump at the same time. If I attach in line to the sump, when power goes out it will continue to flow to the sump and overflow the sump. Can I plump it seperately from the sump using one of the two drains from the DT? Does anyone have any ideas for me on how to achieve this and if this is something that I should even bother with?

 

[mnat]

While my experience with going down to the basement is none since I have not done it yet, I have read and seen enough tanks to offer some advice.

1. See if you can go through your wall and then down, it is easier to cut sheetrock and then replace it later on if it does not work out then going right through your floor.
2. Sump Pump: It may make the pump work harder depending on how much and how often you are draining. IE: If it is just a little at a time the pump will kick on more often which might shorten the life. But if it is large amounts at once, then yes it could probably work out. I would just be worried as to where it was draining too, too much saltwater outside and I am sure it will kill and grass or whatever outside.
3. Septic: I have no idea on this, never had a septic
4. Yes you can incorporate a water change tank/container into your system. A lot of people have this and it makes like a lot easier. The plan you have sounds like it would work, I will let others weight in on the details.
5. When you lose power, the water in the display will drop to where you have your siphon break. You want to have a sump that can take that extra volume without overflowing. You can adjust the height of the siphon breaks (usually your returns) to make sure not too much water drops out of the overflow.

 

[bturner]

The way I was visualizing the water change tank was that the water would flow from the DT to the WC tank then through the sump. Thus if the WC tank was a bit higher, with more head, that would also flow to the sump.

My problem with going through the wall is that there would be insulation, plus I would have to drill through the horizontal 2x4s that support the wall. I figured going through the floor would be easier. Maybe not?

 

[downbeach]

If it's an interior wall, I doubt there would be any insulation. I think what he's trying to say is, if you go through one side of the wall, and then go down, you won't be leaving any holes in the floor where you can see them, and patching up a hole in the drywall if/when needed, is much easier.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Questions:
1. Can I drain saltwater into a standard basement sump pump, or will this cause issues with the pump?

I’m not so concerned about the pump….more concerned about where that water is sent. Where does your sump pump eject that water? Most that I’ve seen, it’s just outside the basement wall on either foundation plants or turf. In either case, the salt will poison the soil and kill those plants.

With DEP and HAZMAT turning a blind eye, if I were on septic, I’d be dumping my waste saltwater at the curb. This eventually ends up in the storm sewers….with massive dilution…eventually ending up in rivers or the ocean. It’s a fraction of the salt local towns dump on the roads during inclement weather.

Questions:
2. Will saltwater affect my septic system?

Probably. Your septic system relys on bacterial digestion. If the salt concentration is high enough, it could kill that bacteria. But more importantly, the drain field will also be “poisoned” with the salt and impact the plants growing in that drainage field.

 

[bturner]

The sump pumps out into the woods. No issue with vegetation, no sewers in my neck of the woods in Sussex County. I am just concerned about corrosion in the pump itself.

It is an exterior wall that I would have to cut into. The floor is hardwood, so I was thinking I would take out a plank if possible and then replace later on if necessary.

My main concern is logistically how to plumb the garbage can tanks in with the DT and the refugium.

 

[downbeach]

You should consider "woods" as vegetation, the sw will kill it. As far as the pump is concerned, you could run fresh water through it after the saltwater, to flush it out.

 

[Jcurry@wesketch]

You could always use a reef ready tank for your water change tank. Just set it higher than your sump and put a bypass leg with a valve to be able to take it off line when you do a water change. There are plenty of 75s and even 125s kicking around the forums for sale.

 

[bturner]

For the sump, I am planning on a diy from a 40 gal breeder. Any suggestions on the type of place I should be looking at to get glass cut to size for dividers? I am assuming that glass would be easier to work with than acrylic dividers b/c the silicon will work with glass.