220g Home Centerpiece

[realbrit70]

My family and I started building a new house about a year ago. At the time my wife and I designed the house we decided that while we wanted an open floor plan we needed a centerpiece item to split the foyer from the great room. After discussing various options we decided on a saltwater reef tank. Neither of us have kept a tank before, but the year it has taken to get to this point has given us plenty of time to read and research.

We decided on a 220g display that is viewable on all sides, so center overflows and a 150g sump located in the basement below. Over the past few months I've been refining the design and creating equipment and stocking wish lists. We worked with our LFS on the tank specifications. Finally after months of waiting for the house to be built the excitement built today as the tanks arrived today!!! :bounce2:

Here are the first pictures of the main tank:

 

[realbrit70]

Sump

Sump

Here are some of the sump:

 

[realbrit70]

Stand

Stand

and here are some of the stand. Just need the finish carpenter to finish levelling the base. Should be done tomorrow so better learn how to cut holes in acrylic.

 

[purza_00]

I like the concept. Good luck and i'm gonna follow along.

 

[WI reefer55]

cool so hows the progress?

 

[reef211]

tagging along too.

 

[strout]

Tagging along also, nice looking tank.

 

[adddo]

This has the potential to become a great piece of your house, looking forward to seeing the build progress further.

 

[Lightsluvr]

Tagging along for a very unique tank!

LL

 

[dcook]

Me tooooooooooo

 

[realbrit70]

Hi Everyone

Hi Everyone

Ok, thanks everyone for tagging along. Maybe you can give me some input and be part of the build as we go.

Here is the list of Protein Skimmers that I'm considering.

AquaC EV400 - 450 gallon capacity
Vertex Alpha Kone 250 - 350 gallon capacity
EuroReef VS350 - 350 gallon capacity (max to 800 gallons)
CoralVue Octopus Super Reef 5000 - 400 gallon capacity

The tank will be a mixed reef tank with a fair variety of fish and inverts. Corals will be mainly soft and mushroom types with a few hard to be added later in the upper reaches of the tank. I want the skimmer to be able to handle the bio-load which is why I'm looking at 350-450 gallon skimmers for my 220 display tank.

Of the options I'm looking at I've received a lot of good feedback on the AquaC, however it is the most expensive to run. The Vertex has also be highly recommended and while it's the least expensive to run it is the most expensive to buy. The Euroreef is the most cost effective but I haven't received much information on it's performance. The one I'm leaning toward is the Octopus Super Reef 5000 or 6000. While I know it's a new skimmer it is competive in terms of cost effectiveness and the initial reviews seem to be that it is a very good skimmer in terms of bubble production.

Given that space is not an issue which would you go with and why?

Also I'm looking for information on pumps to help me make that decision too. My LFS owner (through whom I purchased the tanks) and I were discussing them last night when he delivered the tanks. He was suggesting using an Iwaki for the return and then a Reeflo Dart for the closed loop, but I don't think that would give me enough flow.

I'm looking to generate around 7500GPH (about 30x tank volume) with about 1500-2000GPH flowing through the sump/return to give a good flow for the Gracilaria I intend to use for nutrient removal/tang feeding, and 5500-6000 through a closed loop.

I had intended to use a single closed loop pump taking water from 2 intakes and feeding an Ocean's Motion device to 4 returns. However it struck me that doing that I would need a big, loud pump to get the flow I require. So now I'm thinking that I should build 2 seperate loops each fed from 1 intake and running 2500-3000 GPH. That would allow me to run two Darts (which I hope would be quieter than one big pump). However I'm uncertain as to how I should return them to the tank. If I put an Oceans Motion 4 way on each of them then I have an extra 4 holes in my tank bottom for a total of about 14 holes. That's a little concerning. What would you do?

Then there's the sump return pump. I have about 18' of head to overcome and while the Iwaki will do that it won't do it at 2000GPH. The Reeflo Barracuda Gold or a Hammerhead would seem to do that as would the Dolphin Ampmaster. Are there any others I'm missing?

I appreciate any input you guys can give me.

 

[realbrit70]

Drilling Complete

Drilling Complete

So the tank is now drilled and in position on the stand. Here are some pics. I have decided on the CoralVue Octopus Super Reef 5000 skimmer and will be using an Iwaki 70 as the return pump (giving about 1000gph) and a Hammerhead Gold as the closed loop pump (giving about 5500gph).

 

[Marchingbandjs]

looks great

 

[stylolvr]

I am excited to see how this turns out. Could you give a bit more info on the rise from the basement return pump to the tank, and how this will affect return flow rate (or has it already been considered?)? Also, what lights, additional powerheads, heater/chiller, etc. will you be using? I would love to see your equipment wishlist!

Congrats on the new build!

 

[68sting]

tagging along

 

[gmigmi]

great!
love the idea.

 

[realbrit70]

Stylolvr:

I've calculated in 16' of head pressure for the basement rise. That puts the Iwaki 70 RT-2 at 1000gph through a 1" return according to the Head Pressure calculator. Based on a 10ft vertical lift and a 5ft horizontal run to get around some ductwork. That gives me a couple of 90 degree elbows on the way up plus 3 T's at the top to give me 4 exits. Add in a single union and a couple of ball valves and you get around 1000gph.

I am considering whether to expand the exits and use a manifold. With the center overflow I like the idea of creating flow from the edges of the tank towards the center. If I do go with the manifold I will probably have to up the return pump to an Iwaki 100 to keep the flow above 1000gph.

I'm not intending to use any other powerheads. The closed loop will run through an Oceans Motions 4 way to assist in creating a more pseudo-random flow pattern. In total I'm aiming for 6000gph turn over or better which is about 25-30 times the tank volume.

Lighting I'm still contemplating. I want to have a mixed reef tank with a range of zoanthids, mushrooms, soft and hard corals. I'd especially like a couple of clams in there. I have a concern that given it's a wide tank (32") whether a single MH lights would light the outer parts of the tank. I know I have to raise the MHs 12" or more above the tank to save the acrylic and that may help but I'm wondering if it wouldn't be better to make a custom fixture using T5's that covers the full width of the tank. That could be hung lower to the tank but I'm not sure if I'd get enough light penetration for hard corals and clams.

 

[jarrett shark]

i can't wait to see more pics

 

[MrineLfRlz]

i will tag along:wavehand:

 

[mseepman]

Looks great! This has a ton of potential to be an amazing tank. You didn't mention what your dimensions are...so it's hard to give suggestions on the lighting.