600gal (96x48x30)
- Thread starter asnatlas
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asnatlas
New member
I had a question about my Tunzes... Right now I am sitting on 4x6100s and 4x6200s as I was going to use 2x6200s in my 220gal when I started working on that as a FOWLR setup... I was planning on using 2x6200s and 4x6100s in the 600gal reef...
I have heard that the 6100s have a narrower yet farther flow pattern as the 6200s have a wider yet shorter flow pattern...
I was going to have 2x6100s facing out of the side holes and then 2x6100s and 2x6200s facing out to the front... Now I am thinking about swapping out two of the 6100s and replace them with 6200s so that way I would have 2x6100s and 4x6200s... I am not planning on running them at max power 24/7... I am going to have them setup to run from like 30-100% power with them kicking on at different times intermittently... What do you all think ??
I have heard that the 6100s have a narrower yet farther flow pattern as the 6200s have a wider yet shorter flow pattern...
I was going to have 2x6100s facing out of the side holes and then 2x6100s and 2x6200s facing out to the front... Now I am thinking about swapping out two of the 6100s and replace them with 6200s so that way I would have 2x6100s and 4x6200s... I am not planning on running them at max power 24/7... I am going to have them setup to run from like 30-100% power with them kicking on at different times intermittently... What do you all think ??
Travis
10 and over club
I also don't particularly care for the idea of the faux sandbed but don't want to discourage anyone from trying. The downfalls I see to it are:
1)the uneven surface will trap detritus, this may be minimal but the detritus won't be kicked up off the bottom as easily as if the bottom was smooth
2)even in an extremely nutrient tank such as a Zeo tank with 0 readings for NO3 and PO4, there will still be some nuisance algae. The uneven surface of the faux will make it harder to clean it if algae sets in. Also, algae will be able to take hold better because it has an aragonite substrate to attach to compared to the plastic of a BB tank.
3)It WILL eventually get covered in coralline anyways. It may take a year or 2 but it is inevitable. I know in my BB tank, the corallin really took off around the 1 year mark and my bottom (acrylic) is about 70-80% covered in coralline.
4)I'm not sure how safe an urchin would be on a faux sandbed. Urchins eat right into aragonite. I wonder if they would eat the sand right off the bottom or if the epoxy is harder than the sand and will keep it held down.
Not sure what to recommend with your Streams. I've only used the 6200. I can say that the 6200 is powerful and creates a very wide pattern but does not push it very far. If it is the only pump on, it can barely push water from one end of my 6 foot tank to the other. Factor in the flow from other pumps and the water only goes about 5 feet at the farthest. I would say the diameter of the flow is close to 2 feet around at 3 feet away from the pump but that is just a guess. My 6200 runs at full power 24/7 and I cannot place any corals in its direct path unless they are farther than 3 feet away from the pump or else it kills the tissue on their skeleton and algae starts to grow there.
1)the uneven surface will trap detritus, this may be minimal but the detritus won't be kicked up off the bottom as easily as if the bottom was smooth
2)even in an extremely nutrient tank such as a Zeo tank with 0 readings for NO3 and PO4, there will still be some nuisance algae. The uneven surface of the faux will make it harder to clean it if algae sets in. Also, algae will be able to take hold better because it has an aragonite substrate to attach to compared to the plastic of a BB tank.
3)It WILL eventually get covered in coralline anyways. It may take a year or 2 but it is inevitable. I know in my BB tank, the corallin really took off around the 1 year mark and my bottom (acrylic) is about 70-80% covered in coralline.
4)I'm not sure how safe an urchin would be on a faux sandbed. Urchins eat right into aragonite. I wonder if they would eat the sand right off the bottom or if the epoxy is harder than the sand and will keep it held down.
Not sure what to recommend with your Streams. I've only used the 6200. I can say that the 6200 is powerful and creates a very wide pattern but does not push it very far. If it is the only pump on, it can barely push water from one end of my 6 foot tank to the other. Factor in the flow from other pumps and the water only goes about 5 feet at the farthest. I would say the diameter of the flow is close to 2 feet around at 3 feet away from the pump but that is just a guess. My 6200 runs at full power 24/7 and I cannot place any corals in its direct path unless they are farther than 3 feet away from the pump or else it kills the tissue on their skeleton and algae starts to grow there.
asnatlas
New member
With the way the Tunze will be setup in the tank they will only be pushing about 33"-41" as they will be in the middle of the back wall facing out... This is going to be a mixed reef but mostly stocked with LPS and softies as I do plan on having a few SPS up near the top of the tank...
I think I may stick to my original plan on using 4x6100s and 2x6200s... I can always change them out later if I feel the need; I just wanted to get others input...
Travis
10 and over club
Like I mentioned, I don't want to discourage you from trying the faux sandbed in any way. I know there are others who have tried it but I haven't followed that trend so I haven't seen or heard how they end up looking after a while. I just wanted to point out a few of the reasons why I personally wouldn't go with one.
jnarowe
New member
I hear ya about not moving the tank again. I saw all the info. on the faux bed but I just felt it was too much effort for not much benefit IMO. I think the ones I saw were really amazing looking and I just felt splatter spraying the foam would give me a decent temporary look until the coraline took over.
Doesn't matter to me really since I will use some crushed coral for aesthetic reasons anyway.
Doesn't matter to me really since I will use some crushed coral for aesthetic reasons anyway.
Mantis
Active member
I think you guys are missing the point.
I have 14000 GPH of flow in my tank, regular sand is just not an option.
Plus the Stream pumps are pretty close to the bottom.
Asnatlas's tank is pretty much the same concept as mine.
The faux bed looks 1000 percent better than the bare bottom.
With the slightly uneven surface of it I'm not getting the large regular circles of coraline.
My faux bed has a lot of the same color of my rock now, very evenly dispersed and very natural looking. It all blends together very well.
I have 14000 GPH of flow in my tank, regular sand is just not an option.
Plus the Stream pumps are pretty close to the bottom.
Asnatlas's tank is pretty much the same concept as mine.
The faux bed looks 1000 percent better than the bare bottom.
With the slightly uneven surface of it I'm not getting the large regular circles of coraline.
My faux bed has a lot of the same color of my rock now, very evenly dispersed and very natural looking. It all blends together very well.
asnatlas
New member
Here is a ruff pic of what I am planning to do with my lighting... I am also tossing around the idea of "spot" lighting depending on what I end up doing with my aquascaping... I would be placing the MHs were needed and then "filling in" the rest of the tank with T5s...
Let me know what you guys think...
Let me know what you guys think...
melev
Well-known member
I have a feeling you'll want to double up on the T5s to have enough light. I've got 250w - 400w - 250w over my 72 x 30 tank, and your tank is 48" wide.
I know if this was my tank I would probably put 6 MH bulbs over it on light movers, just to avoid having to put 8 MH bulbs over the tank.
Each MH covers 2' x 2', unless you have super reflectors perhaps.
I know if this was my tank I would probably put 6 MH bulbs over it on light movers, just to avoid having to put 8 MH bulbs over the tank.
Each MH covers 2' x 2', unless you have super reflectors perhaps.
asnatlas
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6671146#post6671146 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by melev
I have a feeling you'll want to double up on the T5s to have enough light. I've got 250w - 400w - 250w over my 72 x 30 tank, and your tank is 48" wide.
I know if this was my tank I would probably put 6 MH bulbs over it on light movers, just to avoid having to put 8 MH bulbs over the tank.
Each MH covers 2' x 2', unless you have super reflectors perhaps.
I forgot to mention that the MHs will be in L3 reflectors, so I should get a good 3'x3' coverage from the MHs... Also I am thinking about having the MHs a little closer to the front of the tank to make sure that area is well lit and the back a little darker to give the tank depth...
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