Closed Loop vs. Tunze (500 gallon Display)

invincible569: to be fair you should also calculate the amount of flow lost to slime, algae and other deposits on the Tunze impeller. if it's not cleaned regularly that could be significant, and that's the part I don't like, cleaning! with a cl and eductors it's set and forget. also, you have the ability to run them from the bottom of the tank under the rocks pointing up as I did, doing that with a Tunze would be a maintenance nightmare.
 
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I would never drill the bottom of my Acrylic tank. I know alot of people do that but I just dont feel comfortable doing it. The dart will be sitting at the same height of the tank and will only have one elbow from the OM 4way outlets.All of my outlets will be at the top of the tank.Im going to buy some of the 1" OM Revolutions and see how well they work.

The cords on the Tunze are what I dont like.The flow would be better I agree but this is not a SPS tank and I cant get over how big they are in the tank.As long as I have enough flow to keep the detritus suspended to where my overflows can pick it up then I will be happy.
 
I would go the powerhead route mainly due to the flexibility and almost limitless flow options that can be created especially with the Tunze's and Vortechs.
If you go with a CL it basically is what it is once it is setup. The plumbing is setup around your intial aquascaping so if you ever decide to change the rockwork around you are basically stuck unless you want to redo the plumbing. I also hate the idea of having holes drilled in the bottom of a tank weather it is glass or acrylic. Add on the electrical costs and heat brought on from having to run a large circulation pump make it a no brainer for me.
I run several waveboxes, a few streams and am very happy with the flow.
Here are a few vids of the flow I currently have in the tank. It would be very hard to get duplicate this with a CL.







 
triggerfish1976: I have little or no heat associated with my cl, the pumps are in the garage and do not transfer any significant heat to the water. I have eductors on the outflows which pull in a mass water movement around them, when using multiple eductors they cause all kinds of chaotic flow throughout the entire tank, it's very impressive. I can move the 4 eductors from the sump return very easily, especially when connected to locline, and if I want even more flow I can open the outflow valve of the pump or even increase the size of the pump if needed. there is a lot of flexibility. I agree it's a little nerve racking to drill holes in the bottom of the tank, but if done correctly with sch 80 bulkheads it should be fine. I drilled 4 holes in mine, was easy looking back but I wouldn't call it fun! :)
 
Elliot,
Good points but it should be noted that most hobbyists do not have the luxury of keeping their pumps in a garage. Heat can become a major issue on larger tanks since multiple pumps are needed to get the desired flow so if the pumps are under a tank or in a fish room it can be become a real problem when it comes to temperature management.
 
Most can't afford several waveboxes and a few streams either :) Namely myself but thanks for the videos.

The Tunze are very appealing in many ways especially with the multi controller and the waveboxes.If price was no object then I think it is the way I would go no doubt.But once you add them all together you end up with $2500-3000. Unfortunately I just cant afford them. If I ever run into a set of used Vortech's or Tunze I may jump on a couple but until then I guess I will just have to be happy with my CL.

Heres a pic of my tank can anyone suggest the best place to put my return outlets from my OM 4 way? Basically my plan is to install the Dart/Barricuda pump in the center of the tank where the drain(Im taking it out and plugging it) is. Then run pvc up from there and hitting the OM 4way. Now I cant decide where to put the outlets,either on the back wall or go up to the top and drop down some outlets about 2/3 of the way towards the front in the top of the tank,then use some OM Revolutions. Any thoughts?(The tank is obviously not going to be set up on the ground,it is just sitting there until I get my fish room done :))

DSC04905.jpg
 
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I would plan how you want your flow pattern and build it to suit that plan, you can give yourself a lot of flexibility if you use lockline on the outlets to direct flow. I would plan to have the ability to point the flow to anywhere in the tank, so maybe half way towards the front wall. You can also plumb in T's that can later be used for more branches to the outflow if needed,.
 
And Im thinking about putting one 1.5" bulkhead in the top left corner of the tank on the side and just having the one outlet from my return pump.Using one of those 1.5" omniflex nozzles to adjust the flow across the tank. That should give me alot of flow across the tank. Has anyone done that instead of using multiple returns? My original plan was to run the return into the two front corners on each side of the tank but I was afraid that only the one side on the left would get the flow(since thats the side my return will be going up from the sump) and the right side would be minimal.
 
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I'd install ball valves just before the ends of the outflows so you can adjust flow if one is stronger than the other, etc. The OM Revolutions seems like a great product, don't have any experience with it. I don't think one return will do the job, better to split it to multiple spots and adjust flow with the ball valves, I'd really consider using Eductors to increase flow in the display and slowing flow in your sump at the same time
 
Can Eductors be used on a Dart pump? I thought about the ball valve but was unsure if having the two would really make that bit of a difference then just having the one flow across the tank along the front.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11255443#post11255443 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hahnmeister
Not to pick on you, but this assumption is not always true. Can you see the 3 tunzes in the tank below?
DSC04222.JPG

DSC04242.JPG

No, because they have all been cleverly hidden like the one below. Even the overflow is hidden from view.
copyright.jpg

http://www.hausriff.ch/4534/156972.html

There are others who make special overflow box extensions that allow the tunzes to be mounted behind a wall... with a cutout hole for the outlet, and mesh/slots for the intake... so the tunze itself is hidden in a wall. Just saying... you can hide anything in your tank with a plan.
Click to expand...

you are right, Iwan's tank is an amazing tank! Its possible, but not always easy depending the aquascape shape you would like to get. On another note, i am thinking putting 2x6200 in my tank mount on my wavy sea. The flow is just incredible!
 
a DART really does not have enough pressure head to run an eductor properly, however it would still be better than no eductor, having two opposing would provide a better result than one going across the tank
 
Thanks Elliot Ill pass on the eductors then,I dont want to put any unneeded stress on my return pump.Ill just do two returns on each corner of the front of the tank. I guess 2-1" would be good for my returns or should I step it up to 1.5" all the way to both corners?
 
i2ik,

I would consider not using 6200's on the wavyseas. I tried (2) of them earlier this year on a pair of 6200's and they only lasted about a month before they broke down. The amount of flow produced by the 6200's caused so much friction it basically wore out the motor in a few weeks. Their customer service is also pretty poor to say the least.
It was a great product for those few weeks so hopefully they will try and resolve this issue because I know of a few other hobbyists who experienced the exact same problem.
 
your DART will not be overloaded, they are designed to be cranked down or restricted (as with eductors) on the output and in fact use less electricity that way. You will still get more flow using the eductors though not ideal, maybe give it a try. Your output on the DART is 1.5", I would split that to two 1" lines at the display outlets.



triggerfish1976: just curious, were you using the wavysea plus?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11264089#post11264089 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by triggerfish1976
i2ik,

I would consider not using 6200's on the wavyseas. I tried (2) of them earlier this year on a pair of 6200's and they only lasted about a month before they broke down. The amount of flow produced by the 6200's caused so much friction it basically wore out the motor in a few weeks. Their customer service is also pretty poor to say the least.
It was a great product for those few weeks so hopefully they will try and resolve this issue because I know of a few other hobbyists who experienced the exact same problem.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot! Have you tried with a smaller version like the Tunze 6100?
 
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