Sump size for a 46gal

[Malyon18]

So I recently bought a used 46 gal bowfront and plan on setting up a SW tank, Now in the stand below the tank I could fit a 15 gal sump/fuge, do you think that would be big enough and that I could make it work??? I would really like to be able to fit it in the bottom. If worse comes to worse I guess I could figure out another way. I was planning on having 50-60 lbs of LR in the tank so that may help or should I add more to compensate for the small sump??

[Vincenzo.]

how will you get all that rock in there with all other stuff like your skimmer... You need a 40g breeder then your set. Check out ikea maybe for a stand or check the as-is and you might get lucky

[Malyon18]

Sorry I meant it as there is gonna be 50-60 lbs of LR in the display tank not the sump, my bad.

[Vincenzo.]

ok no prob. Id still get a 40g breeder. Lot more play. More baffles. More filtration.

[Malyon18]

Well if I come to the conclusion that my 15 won't be sufficient I may have to sell the tank and go in a different direction due to the fact that I am a student and live in an apartment that already has a 55gal cichlid tank lol. I may be able to go for a 25 gal but I would have to remove the back centre brace on the stand and reinforce it to make up for the lose but I would still prefer the 15 if I could make it work, I am probably only gonna have LR and fish maybe a few soft coral but nothing major unless i win the lottery lol.

[Vincenzo.]

you could build a cheap one out of acrylic. Plus its easy to drill holes, glue baffles and you can make it the exact size you need.

[Malyon18]

That was my second plan if I can't find a 15 gal high tank 10x20x18, I have a long ways to go before I can add water lol.

[Hookup]

Your design is fine... you will simply be limited on the bio-load... but do not worry too much about that... you've got the basics nailed with your setup for sure... don't give in to "bigger is better" and quit... though I personally love bigger is better...... it's not the only way to do things...

46 gallons on its own is bigger than most nano-systems... so right from there, you can imagine that your sump will just have the skimmer and maybe a reactor (or bag of carbon or whatever) in it...

Seriously, you've got a great setup to start, imo...

Fish only eh... cool!  What's your "OMG" center piece fish going to be?  Any ideas?

[Malyon18]

Hey Hookup thanks for the advice, after a little redesign of the stand with the help of some plywood and 2x4 for bracing behind the scenes I should be able to squeeze a 20 gal in there without a problem. I plan on putting it in a corner on an angle so I can get in behind it if anything goes wrong. Now I only need to find somewhere to drill my tank, then a little plumbing work and I can start adding water for a test run lol. Starting out with 2 dual GLO t5 fixtures (156W total) hopefully it turns out to be enough light for some beginner coral if not I may have to upgrade later down the road maybe second semester after x-mas. I will post some pics under a new post once I get it looking more like a setup instead of a room scattered with aquarium supplies. Ummm as of now me and my girlfriend are more interested in the shrimp and crabs, looking to get more little fish then a few bigger ones. I had a 20 gal a while ago and had a dwarf angel of some kind and it was great. Anyways I will keep my long battle posted, thanks again everyone.

[Vincenzo.]

go for deeper sand bed and pistol/goby combo if you want to be interested.

[Malyon18]

Ya I was planning on going with a deep sand bed somewhere around 5 inches I think, deep enough???

[Hookup]

IMO Deep sand beds in smaller systems is not a good plan.  You'll need to keep the sand bed alive, with no dead-spots, and the critters that do that "best" require  more sand-space, then you can squeze in a smaller tank.   The issue isn't the first year, but down the road a few years (2-4 years) you are running a risk of a system crash due to dead-zones in the DSB.

Anything can be done, there are thousands of ways of sustaining and keeping tanks, so by  no means am i saying DO NOT DO IT.. just you might find that you have to vacu-suck out the sand every year and replace... which isn't a big deal, well it's not a HUGE deal anyhow...

somethign to consider.

[Malyon18]

Ummm alright that sounds like it may lead to a minor problem, so maybe I will cut it down to say 3", i'm still in the planning process so nothing is set in stone. Any suggestions are great since I am very new to this. thanks.

[Hookup]

Questions

1) What's your plan for Nutrient export?
   - Water chagnes
   - Amino Acids
   - Carbon Dosing
   - RDSB
   - Fuges
   - Skimming
   - etc, etc... the list really does go on and on...


2) What are your plans for lighting?  You mention you'll start with 2xDual Glow T5's for 156w of light.  Is this just temporary or is it more perm and only replace if it breaks kind of thing?

3) Most important, what do you plan on keeping?  You do say you want "easy corals"... any thing picked out for ideas?

[Malyon18]

Oh man hookup way to many questions lol I am still in the planning process. As for water changes I plan of 10% per week. Skimming I was looking around for skimmers and what to buy but have no real idea yet on what I am gonna go with, trying to find a good used one to cut down on cost. I am hoping to get 2 holes drilled for my overflow box which has to be built hopefully this weekend, and just running the return over the back of the tank. I was hoping on maybe getting some cheato for my sump and setup a little light for it down there (not sure how that works still have some reading on that topic). As for lighting as it is I only have one fixture right now I was planning on waiting to get another one in case I change my mind and go with another type of fixture. As for corals that.s still way off in the distance first I am gonna start with fish for probably the first year or so and then step up, maybe earlier depends how long the learning curve is.

[Hookup]

You've got a great start and a solid plan.  You seem to be doing a load of research, which is great to see. 

As you get rolling, make sure to keep us all posted!