calling all big tank owners need ure help and ideas

[beaglelax]

So my 10ft by 2 1/2 ft by 2 ft 410 gallon tank is almost done. Im going to have a closed loop and there are 2 3inch bulk heads and 2 2inch returns. I need direction for pumps i know nothing about whats good whats quite and whats junk. Im going to have a closed loop system 4 inlets and 4 returns but i dont know if i should do 2 pumps or will 1 be enough to move that much water?
the other question is what type of return pump should i get and should i do one single for each side of the tank or will one pump be enough. My plans for now are to have it fish only but i over time as i come into more money upgrade to a reef. I have a 250gallon sump and 5ft downdraft skimmer 75gallon refugium , UV, and my lights for now are 4 150 watt DE medal halides, supplemented by 12 T-5s... thank you for reading and please help me with this closed loop, and return pump ideas. O yea im not a cheapo but im not rich either and that goes for the electric side of it i dont mind paying a little more for performance but i dont need a power sucker either. So with that let the ideas fly
and any pump ideas or combination let me here it...

one more as for the closed loop i was think 2 holes every 30 inches (4 is 120inches) 8 totel 4in 4 out but should the inlet be at the top of the tank or the bottem i dont want to be sucking in any fish

thank you
beagle

 

[JetCat USA]

use ReeFlo pumps, pick the one/ones you want based on the GPH you want to move.

 

[beaglelax]

thats what i was think would three sound about right i was thinking 2 2500 gph one for the closed loop and one for the down daft then one 5600 gph for the return to the system does this sound like enough water movement ???

 

[JetCat USA]

I'd go with a Dart on the return and two Hammerheads on the CLs myself. you don't need that kind of flow through a sump and you want all you can get in the tank and if you think it's too much (believe me it won't be i run a Hammerhead on my 180 CL) you can always dial the ReeFlo pumps back.

can't say about your skimmer but look at the ReeFlo Orca Needle Wheel for it.

 

[beaglelax]

its a downdraft do i really need a needle wheel for it ?

 

[JetCat USA]

sorry wasn't paying attention no a downdraft doesn't need a NW BUT if it's a large enough skimmer to use the Orca you can eliminate the venturi from it and use the NW instead.

 

[beaglelax]

cool cool the only other question if u could help me was how many inlets vs outlets for the closed loop do i need i cant search the forums and i really want to make a simple closed loop. I can drill the tank and i like the idea of the hammerhead for the CL. Can i do two hole for water into the CL and 4 returns to the tank or vice versa how does the CL work. Im just wondering how to go about it... by the way ty so much for ure time with helping me

 

[JetCat USA]

my Hammerhead is fed via two 1.5" bulkheads and returns via two 1.5" bulkheads.

you can see them in the pics, the two on top are the intake, the bottom returns, they join up via 3 way Y's so it's less restrictive going to the pump, the capped off lines you see are optional add ons via the 3rd leg of the Y's. below the Y's i have a gate valve and unions.

 

[beaglelax]

nice nice thats what i was thinking, but now can i do that with 2 inlets and 4 returns or should i do the 2 hammer heads which means 2 CL... and what do u have in the tank a basic strainer so fish dont get sucked in ???

 

[beaglelax]

o yea how do u like ure reefflo and are they really that quite. this tank is getting it own fish room so there is a wall between me and the sound

 

[JetCat USA]

i wouldn't buy another name brand, every Sequence pump I've owned was head and shoulders above all other brands I've owned. the Hammerhead does have a hum, it's not silent like the Dart but it's less noise then most small external pumps, my Iwaki 40s are louder.

for 4 outlets just add another Y to each leg of the original Y. on the inside of the tank i have street elbows with screw in strainers.
forgive the pic, it's the only one i had handy, the damsel has spawned all over the strainer.

 

[beaglelax]

cool well ty in about a month or sooner im gonna start a build thread im sanding this sucker by hand not fun but ty you so much for ure help u have pretty much answered everything i need to know

 

[JetCat USA]

You're welcome and good luck with the build.

 

[jnarowe]

I use a Hammerhead for a return and cannot hear it in my tank room. The hum of my ballasts is louder.

One thing to think about is that if you plan on using eductors/Penductors, you should get pressure rated closed loop pumps.

 

[beaglelax]

whats that mean?

 

[jnarowe]

Sorry for the slang. Eductors or Penductors are a neat little add-on that utilizes pump flow to draw in tank water at the nozzle to multiply flow. So if you have a pressure rated Sequence pump running a closed loop at 3000gph with Penductors, you could see 3 - 4 times more flow in the tank. But it doesn't work well with non-pressure rated pumps.

Weatherson Penductor Thread

 

[beaglelax]

cool cool but whats the difference in a pressure rated and a non pressure rated how do i tell which is which.

 

[jnarowe]

Check out the Sequence Site. They have listed in the bottom navigation pane the various types of pumps, including Pressure Biased Pumps.

 

[tattooreef]

pressure pumps are great if you are moving water a ton of distance t the tank but bad if you arent, and are planning on having sps in your tank as they require alot of flow without the high pressure , this will cause their" flesh" to peel away from the skeleton thus causing damage to the coral usualy ending in the death of that specimen. i personally have an 11ft reef and use the high volume low pressure pumps such as the hammerhead and barracuda. good luck

 

[beaglelax]

cool cool ty, the the max distance the pump will have to push water is maybe 4ft its a in wall tank and will have a tank room behind it.