Combining reef tanks or run as independent systems?

[SaraB]

I am looking for feedback from individuals that have combined reef tanks that share a refugium and sump. Would you recommend combining them and would you do it again if given an option of running them separate? I’m looking for the pros and cons and NOT the opinions of others who have never done this.

I currently run a 92 gallon tank and have a fishroom in the basement with a 70 gallon Rubbermaid refugium and a 70 gallon sump. The total current water volume is about 210 gallons. I have a new 225 tank that is being added and I would like to plumb it into the current system so that I don’t have to double up on equipment such as Kalk top-off, calcium reactor, another large pump, etc. I currently run a 97% SPS system which will mostly move into the new 225. I will leave a few SPS in the 92, but will add some LPS and some softies. The combined water volume will be around 430 gallons. I have already purchased an adequate skimmer to handle the combined volume (up to 700 gallons), but have heard opinions of local reefers with a split between combine them and separate them. I’m looking for advice from those that have done this.

Also, for the initial set-up of the 225, I already have cured rock that I will be using and will be adding 300 pounds of sand. Just in case the system decides to cycle, I will be running it independent for a few weeks until I know it is stable and then a then at that point, I would plumb them together.

Please share your experiences!

Sara

 

[houser]

I have relevant experience having run multiple display tanks on a common sump/filtration scheme and without hesitation would continue to do this for the remainder of my life...

IMO pros:
I find it simpler
I find it more industrial
More stability due to volume
Cheaper!

IMO cons:
Less redundancy
Less isolation

enjoy!

 

[NewSchool04]

I have two systems combined and I love it. Only one skimmer to clean, one auto top off, etc.

 

[Whaledriver]

You have to plan so that a single failure wont cause the system to fail or flood.

I would have dual over sized drains so that if one stops the other one can keep up with the flow and you wont overflow the tank.

Once you reach a certain size you can run all the flow through a pair of dedicated return pumps. This keeps things flowing if one pump fails.

Use the largest size piping you can to reduce frictional loss.

If you are going to have your sump in the basement think of using the return water pressurized by gravity run you skimmer. Its not common but can be done.

Don't forget that quarantine is even more important and your problems spread to all the tanks.

 

[Doubledown]

Based on my experiences (I ran 2 180 gallon tanks plumbed to the same sump for 4 months) I would recommend NOT running them together.

It all sounds great - one skimmer, one Ca reactor, etc.. - but biggest issue is what happens to one of the tanks happens in both. Treatment of the tanks becomes an issue. I had one fish in one of the tanks contract a bacterial infection that subsequently transfered to the other tank and wiped out 90% of my fish. I was unable to properly medicate the tank due to higher volume and no method of isolation. Along those same lines would be a coral pest such as red bugs - instead of having them in only one tank, you now have them in both and have to treat a much larger sytem volume to account for this.

I had also tried running one tank as a softy reef and the other as SPS - did not work. I had 4 leather corals in the softy tank and no matter how much carbon I was running my SPS did not fare well.

It appears you have already decided to do this (you already purchased the skimmer ), so with that in mind I offer some suggestions.

1. Keep the same type of reef (i.e. SPS or softies) in both tanks. By doing so you can successfully provide the needed environment for all inhabitants. Do not try one as fish only and the other as an SPS reef - way too many disolved nutrients no matter how big the filtration is.

2. Build in a back up plan - if you find that this is not working out to your satisfaction make sure you left yourself an easy way to seperate the systems.

3. Check your water levels in the sump with both tanmks shut off - if the power goes out it could be a significant amount of water back-flowing into the sump.

Good luck and I hope to visit some day to see your success.

 

[Bryan89]

Sara,

I vote for a split system to allow you to keep two of all your SPS. If you fry one tank, you'll still have one of everything to re-establish your reef.

Bryan

 

[SaraB]

Thanks for all of the feedback!

One of my concerns are the SPS pests and fish getting sick. I am battling round #2 of AEFW's as something went wrong with my 5 week QT treatment process and they have returned. I have also learned from the 2 pests (RB's & AEFW) and the new corals will be QT'd for at least 4 weeks and treated with TMPCC.

 

[Bryan89]

Sorry to hear that Sara. how did you find the second infestation? I have yet to see any more after my first dose of TMPCC. I have moved 1/2 of the affected corals to the QT and half remain in the main tank.

Bryan

 

[Doc's69]

Sara, we have something in common, I to am in the process of changing one of my tanks from a 55 to a 220 and have a 75 and 40 hooked into the same system, I use a 100 gallon Rubbermaid in the basement for a sump, the 75 is upstairs all others are down, I use a genx 4 for return to the 75 and still have to use a ball valve to decrease flow, it make for a a roaring noise upstairs at times w/ the overflow, my problems or cons w/ this system are some of the same listed as w/ redbugs and such pest, but I had a big temp. swing in the heat of summer so w/ my revised system I will add a temp controller, I have lost almost 3/4 of my SPS and am at the point of just taking everything off line and just make the 220 right the first time and a Q tank will be a must, I'm wondering what to do w/ my LR as I want no more problems but would like to not have to re cycle my tank.
Good luck! I will be following your thread, to watch your progress.
I was going to set my 75 upstairs into a eel and trigger tank, but afet reading DD's post I will just add a sump and take the 75 off line d/t bioload. I was just going to turn return pump off when feeding but i guess that won't work.

 

[8BALL_99]

I just delt with Exact same issue.. I've always had all my tanks connected to one system. Mainly to increase Water Volume but also to cut down on equipment.. One controller, one skimmer ect.. I went to a local reefers house who had 2 600 gallon tanks side by side, But she had the plumbed seperate. She had one for SPS only and the other for LPS softies ect. After talking to her and a few others when I built my new equipment room I set my tanks up on two separate systems. I've got a 92 Gallon with a 40 gallon frag tank and a 40 gallon sump/fuge on one system. The other one is my 180 with a 40 gallon frag tank and 75 gallon sump/fuge. I plan on one system mainly SPS and the other Softies.

In your case its a lil tougher choice.. If you plan on keeping the same corals in both systems then the only real benefit for you would be incase of a system crash you dont loose all your corals. IMO I think its a good idea to have two separate systems. If something starts looking bad and you can't figure out what the problem is you can just move it to the other system.. To me the only real Disadvange is cost!! Two of everything does add up.. I'm feeling the pain of buying things I've already got...I think its worth it though and I'd do it again..

 

[SaraB]

Bryan89 - A branch of a coral that was in QT had started to die from the top down so I was going to cut the dead section off. When I pulled the frag from the main tank I turned it around and there was also a path eaten from the bottom up and it had about 4 AEFW's on it. I am doing TMPCC this time around as well as using fresh water change water for the QT rather than taking water from my main tank system and using that. It was either that or a new coral that was added to the first QT treatment and was treated with Levamisole only twice ... the same frag that is now infected. What are the chances of that?

 

[MCary]

I'm setting up another tank and I will be plumbing them together. I have heard the redunancy/insurance argument and its a good point, however I figure if I had one tank and it crashed, I would lose everything. But if I don't share Ca reactor, Top-off, skimmer, phosban reators etc I can't afford two tanks anyway and certainly don't want 2x the sump maintenance. So if two tanks crash, I have lost exactly what I would have with one tank. Everything. I'm taking the same risk with one as I am with two. I'm just going to make sure they don't crash.

Mike

 

[SaraB]

Hmm, about a 50/50 split so far on RC and about the same from local reefers. The arguments against combining are well justified and make sense to me. It's just the cost on the other side with another large pump, a top-off system with Kalk reactor and tripping over a 100 gallon Rubbermaid sump in my fishroom. Hopefully I can get some more feedback ...

 

[8BALL_99]

I think its a very easy choice.. If you can afford it Two systems is a great idea. If you can't go with one!

 

[MammothReefer]

I used to run up to 5 diffrent seprate systems, now I have all my tanks hooked up to one, I would never go back.. It's not about the equipment or the money..it's about the time.

1... Water change. (since i'm from the weekly water change school, that makes a HUGE diffrence)

 

[SaraB]

Thanks everyone for your feedback! Since I am initially going to run the tanks separate for the possible cycle on the new tank I have decided to keep them separate.

I will only have to get a duplicate Kalk top-off system and the smaller tank will not be housing many SPS, so I won't need another calcium reactor. My main reason to keep them separate is due to the pest's. I am on round 2 with AEFW's and I also had my QT tank crash over the weekend and I lost about 25 of my Acro's. I saw how one dumb mistake can clear out your system and I don't want to crash 2 tanks at once. I already have an easy water change method on my current system, so I can just duplicate that on the 2nd.

Sara

 

[tony13]

I had a 75 in the living rom and a 58 in the dining room plumbed together to one sump in the basement. The 75 was sps and the 58 was an anemone/lps/softie tank. I had this system running for 8 years and would do it again every time. The easy of having all the equipment in the basement and doing the maintainance once for both tanks was great. Each tank had it's own supply pump and return to the sump, but otherwise one CA reactor, one chiller etc.

 

[Nanook]

After a lot of deliberation, I went back to my original plan....the 375g will be a softy tank and the 470 will be a stony tank...separate sumps, skimmers, etc...

This has been a great thread...thanks for the insights everyone.

Dave :thumbsup: