I was able to set up the sump and protein skimmer. I really like the design of the Marineland Tidepool II sump. It has a very simple design and gives you a large area in the sump area for the heater and protein skimmer. I connected the two powerheads in the tank to the wavemaker. It's pretty cool watching the turbulence caused by the powerheads. Presently, the Hagen 402 pump I'm using as the return from the sump is only pumping about 100 gph. I'm going to try to install a Hagen 802 pump today as a supplementary return pump.

I installed a 1.5 inch plenum by stacking two layers of Lee's undergravel filter plates and then placed about 75 pounds of Caribsea aragaonite substrate on top for a 4-inch layer of substrate over the plenum. I was stupid in adding the filter plates and aragonite before adding the water. I should have added the water first and then the plates in order to make sure there was no air underneath the plates. I'll still have quite a bit of live rock in the tank in case the plenum doesn't work as it's supposed to.

I'll add the 50-gallon bag of Instant Ocean tonight and then supplemental to get to 1.025 sg before I leave for Massachusetts on Thursday. Two items that look interesting are the Nurce and the Sea Swirl. The Nurce looks like a definite addition to help with maintaining the water level of the tank while the Sea Swirl may be a purchase later on.