Setting Up A Frag Tank! -Need Some Input

[wt*jayjay]

Ive got two 20g longs that im not using so im making them into a frag tank. One would be used for the main tank and the other the sump. I plan on using a small rio pump that im not using for the return. It pushes close to 300gph at 3 feet. (which is how high the frag tank would be) I'm assuming that would be enough flow for a 20g? I also have two K-nanos that I could throw in for more flow. And for lighting im getting a 30'' 4bulb t5 HO fixture. I plan on only growing zoas and other softies for a good while so that should be more than enough!

So ive got a few question;

-what do you think i should do for the overflow?.. get a nano sized over flow box? or just drill it and throw on a bulk head and 90* elbow? also what size hose/pipe wont exceed the 300gph pump?

-i plan on adding a small fuge to have a little live rock and cheato to keep the corals happy. so should i use a sand band in the fuge, as well as in the tank? or both bare bottom? would like to hear what you would do.

-and for a small clean up crew/fish what would you sagest? ive herd six lines are good?

-another thought is that this tank could be used for quarantine tank. Would this be putting the corals as risk in anyway if a fish were to have something?? I'm still new to the hobby so what im asking is if i get a new fish and introduced it to the frag tank before putting him in a main display for a few weeks or so. If he were to have something can it affect corals the same as it would fish?

 

[budsreef]

I would definitely drill the tank and use a 1" or 1.25" bulkhead for the overflow. I'd also put a ball valve or gate valve on the return so you can adjust it. Overflow boxes require a syphon at all times and there are ways to minimize the chance of having an overflow if you have a power failure but it's not worth the risk, in my opinion. I wouldn't put sand in the display or the sump but others might think it a good idea to at least put it in the sump. I would divide the sump into a skimmer section, then a live rock/chaeto section and then the return section. You want the water going relatively slow through the sump so your display will need additional flow from whatever powerheads you prefer. I like having a six-line wrasse and a lawnmower blenny in the frag tank. I wouldn't recommend using the frag system as a QT. For clean up crew you could add some hermits, emerald crabs, and snails.

 

[wt*jayjay]

So would a 300gph pump keep up with a 1'' drain though? and yeah im goin to make some baffles and different sections in sump for sure, will probably just put sand in the sump as well. Thanks for all the other advice as well!

 

[johnr2604]

A 1" drain will handle 300gph easy.

 

[wt*jayjay]

im talking about the other way around. ive got a 1'' drain hooked up on my 75 with a pump doing close to 900gph.. would it be possible for the drain to run faster than the 300gph return pump i have?

 

[cr500_af]

The drain can be as large as you want, it doesn't matter. The overflow/drain cannot flow any more water then the return pump puts back into the tank. You can run any size pump from the smallest up to the maximum gph that the overflow will pass.