300 gal starphire started

[maro1]

*BUMP*


Mar:rollface:

 

[maro1]

I will be working On the plumbing this weekend and hope to fill it in a couple of weeks.

A couple questions.

1. the tank is 1/4" lower on the rightside than the left side. do I need to worry about this differance? If so How should I adjust it?

2. Thinking about a lighting system. should I build a canopy for this tank or go with a light hood/strip on the open tank?

I was looking at 3 MH with spider reflectors.

3. Still undecided ssb or barebottom?

thanks for your input.

Mar:rollface:

 

[pennyguy23]

Yes fix the 1/4 in difference. I would shim it with something metal under the stand. That big of tank on carpet is hard.

 

[jjackson]

Hey instead of a barracuda I recommend a sequence 1000 series they are commercial series... they are a bit more expensive to start but they use a lot less energy and are rated better compared to barracuda

http://www.customaquatic.com/customaquatic/itemdetail.asp?itemid=WP-MT4300SEQ22XSX-SW

and a series 4300 for your closed loop... it is what a buddy of mine switched to because his dart wasn't powerful enough for him...

 

[maro1]

Well I am going to find something to shim the rightside of the tank this morning 1/4"

Jjackson

a series 4300 for your closed loop...

The guy that originally had this tank said he had a 4200 on the closed loop and he could only run it about half way open. So I am unsure about going to that bigger pump.

Mar

 

[maro1]

Well here it is, cleaned up and all the upstairs plumbing connections made. Just trying to get the order for the pumps, as soon as I make up my mind on which to settle on.

Mar:rollface:

 

[maro1]

Do you think it is possible to use the return pump to also power my MR2?

Such as a hammerhead?

Mar

 

[master_wise]

What thickness glass and what dimension do you have on this tanks?

And could you give a closure picture or the holes you drilled for the closed loop...

And the Starphire glass... is it basicly just glass that is really clear or does it being starphire make it stronger then other glasses out there... I am asking because I am in India and products are limited and just wanted to know what the reefing community thought about it...

Thanks,
Sagar

 

[maro1]

master_wise

The tank is 6' x 24 x 36 the glass is 1/2" starphire.
I am not sure about the strength issue with starphire, but it is much clearer than regular glass.

Mar:rollface:

 

[maro1]

Well finally ready to proceed with setting the tank up.
I should be hooking up the pumps soon and am working on the canopy now

Mar

 

[maro1]

I have a Sequence Barracuda for the return and am planning on trying to split it off to run my MR2 skimmer.

Still have not decide on what pump to use for the Closed loop. My closed loop consists of two drains and two returns 1 1/2". Do you think a Dart would be bid enough to give me good flow?


Mar:rollface:

 

[murfman]

What about gravity feeding your MR2?

 

[rpeeples]

Mar, I am also in the process of building a 240g (being built now)with a closed loop system. I was thinking about going with the Dart however I leaning toward the barracuda given my set up....

I going to use an OceansMotions 4way with my closed loop system....you may want to look into this as well as to maximize your water turbulence.

I would suggest figuring how many feet your water will need to travel from your pump the CL Returns. If the CL is being set-up just under the tank then a DART should do fine given the 2 CL returns. My CL system will have 8 returns holes and one drain.

If the pump is located in the room below, I may want to go with the Barracuda...(3780 @ 4ft of head)....and you could always reduce the flow with a ball valve.

Just my 1/2 cent worth.

Good luck...I will be following your thread...

 

[Jon]

Just a point about the CL head pressure. If it is truely a CL and both the intakes and outputs are fully submerged, then vertical distance to and from the pump does not matter. Head pressure due to rise will always be zero. Your only resistance will come via frictional losses. Meaning how fast the water is flowing through whatever size pipe and any elbows or valves. If you minmize them then loss should and can be very small, ~2-4 feet if you do it right. Irrespective of wether it's placed under the tank or in the basement. Look at your pumps flow charts and power consumption in order to compare. HTH,

Jon..........

 

[Biggie]

Starfire is a brand of low iron glass. Iron causes the water to view with a greenish tint so removing the iron form the glass produces a crystal clear image when viewed strength is not compromised.
My .02 nice project!

 

[maro1]

Thanks Everyone,

The Barracuda I am using is in the basement 1/2 floor below.
I ahve had to throttle it back because it has a lot of power for a return.

The closed loop pump will be just below the tank and even though the Dart may be big enough ( I am sure it would be) I think I will go with another Barracuda so that I could remove it in the event my other one failed and still have a back up with the power needed.

I have the tank filled and all the livestock in it. I will try to take some pics today of it.

My next step is to build a hood and make sure I have enough flow in the tank.

Mar:rollface:

 

[Tigger240]

a barracuda uses close to 325 watts where a dart uses 165 watts. i did the calcs on .12 kilo hours and its something like $34 vs $14. its something to consider because you could run 4 darts with the electric to run 2 barracudas. i know you have head height issues and darts are lp compared to the cudas, but something to keep in mind.

low iron glass is softer than normal, iron adds to the strength of the glass.

just my $.02

 

[maro1]

good point Tigger. It may be part of my Obsessiveness worrying about a future Pump failure to want to be redundant with the Barracuda:lol: :mixed: :lol:

a barracuda uses close to 325 watts where a dart uses 165 watts. i did the calcs on .12 kilo hours and its something like $34 vs $14. its something to consider because you could run 4 darts with the electric to run 2 barracudas. i know you have head height issues and darts are lp compared to the cudas, but something to keep in mind.

 

[maro1]

Long time coming. I have water and fish in it and while I fight a little diatom/cyano explosion. I need to work on building the canopy.

Marlan

 

[maro1]

Tigger.

a barracuda uses close to 325 watts where a dart uses 165 watts

I put a killowatt meter on that Barracuda I have pumping from the basement and since it is throttled back it runs at 230 Watts.

Mar:rollface: