Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)

[nineball]

Dont tell me your really going to use bio-balls.....

Ok, we are not going to use bio-balls.......

Peter

 

[golf nut]

30x would be a good starting point, higher would be better, it isn't just the flow but how it flows that may make all the difference.

 

[JonnyD91]

Are you opposed to using Vortech type powerheads in the tank to suplement flow.

I used closed loops in the past, and they are great, but the broad random flow my vortechs put out is unreal. I could see though you wanting the least obtrusive equipment.

If you want to do just the closed loop I would section it off to 4 separate closed loops.
Section the tank plumbing in quarters and have a pump for each section

 

[JonnyD91]

Looking back at the pics i would use one pump for each of the 4 ways

 

[nineball]

love the build have a question though. why are you going with the wet dry system? Filter bags and live rock would be much better and easier to take care of. Just my thought.

Thanks Killerbee, the thought of having the wet dry system ancillary to the live rock, miracle mud, organic material seemed appropriate at the early planning stages. The wet/dry is additional supplementary measures that conceivably may never be deployed. The decision to release the video was probably premature as the system evolves in bringing it to fruition. Make no mistake this is an atypical build, one I sincerely hope benefits from a diverse set of experiences and opinions.

Peter

 

[nineball]

30x would be a good starting point, higher would be better, it isn't just the flow but how it flows that may make all the difference.

Thanks golf nut, we will be back to you on this point........I'd can say that I agree with you........

Peter

 

[lost in it all]

nineball, amazing undertaking! Is that a custom cal rx? And maybe this is just me but it does not appear large enough to handle a coral dominated tank of this size. I do realize that all reactors can be used on any tank but how often are you going to have to refill it?

 

[PauChi]

Peter ... just seeing the RK2 skimmer Auto Washers reminds me of the water sprinkler system which I think makes sense rather than the "rotating" self cleaning system found on some high end skimmers out there ... gotta love this skimmer :inlove:!!

Oh ... for sure Chingchai and you are already connected via internet ... :beer:!!

Paul

 

[nineball]

Are you opposed to using Vortech type powerheads in the tank to suplement flow.

I used closed loops in the past, and they are great, but the broad random flow my vortechs put out is unreal. I could see though you wanting the least obtrusive equipment.

If you want to do just the closed loop I would section it off to 4 separate closed loops.
Section the tank plumbing in quarters and have a pump for each section

Looking back at the pics i would use one pump for each of the 4 ways

Jonny, We will do whatever is necessary to create a healthy productive environment for the coral and the fish. And you all will have a definite part in helping us to deliver on that promise!

Having said that I am not as religious about hiding the plumbing as many in this environment are. It doesn't mean I don't care, I do, its just that I will deal with a bit of extra pluming in the interest of the quality of life in the tank.

If we can accomplish all that without the interference of the technology then so much the better.

Peter

 

[nineball]

nineball, amazing undertaking! Is that a custom cal rx? And maybe this is just me but it does not appear large enough to handle a coral dominated tank of this size. I do realize that all reactors can be used on any tank but how often are you going to have to refill it?

Lost in it all, yes it is and if it is inadequate then we will consider another, sized to the need. Very good observation by the way. We are not sure what a 400 gal water change will mean every two weeks on the performance of any of the supplementary systems but we sure are willing to learn. Plus the capable experience of you folks will help enormously.

Peter

 

[JonnyD91]

Jonny, We will do whatever is necessary to create a healthy productive environment for the coral and the fish. And you all will have a definite part in helping us to deliver on that promise!

Having said that I am not as religious about hiding the plumbing as many in this environment are. It doesn't mean I don't care, I do, its just that I will deal with a bit of extra pluming in the interest of the quality of life in the tank.

If we can accomplish all that without the interference of the technology then so much the better.

Peter

well here is a thought..

I cant tell from the pictures but it looks like there is either a black wall or an overflow on each end of the tank.

If it were me and you can do it unobtrusive, i would put 6 vortechs on one end of the tank and 6 on the other. in addition to the closed loop.

At their peak points thats 42,000 gph of flow. Add in the randomization, and you got some serious flow patterns in that tank.

tou may even be able to get away with 4 on each side depending on what you do with the closed loops.

 

[nineball]

Peter ... just seeing the RK2 skimmer Auto Washers reminds me of the water sprinkler system which I think makes sense rather than the "rotating" self cleaning system found on some high end skimmers out there ... gotta love this skimmer :inlove:!!

Oh ... for sure Chingchai and you are already connected via internet ... :beer:!!

Paul

Thanks Paul, I agree. It also has the advantage of looking like the flex capacitor in the 'Back to the Future' delorian.

Peter

 

[elijaher]

Are you going to use a phosphate reactor and seeded the system with bacteria?

 

[Reefaquariumnut]

i just came across your thread and have not read it all. i see some plumbing things that i dealt with in building my system that will affect you.

i have a similar setup to yours with closed loops coming in from the bottom of the tank.

the way you did the one pipe into four will limit the flow to that of the smaller pipe size. the reduction from large to small pipe needs to be at each of the four smaller pipes, NOT before the four way split.

i am assuming that the black screen is the intake for the closed loops. the screen has barely the surface area of the pipe it is protecting. the intake screen will get clogged rapidy, and have a lot of force concentrated over a small area. creatures can and will get stuck to this intake. i know. i had a long screen the size of the pipe and it got clogged and sucked in and killed a sea slug, et al.

are you going to have sand in the tank? another potential problem for the intakes, especially with the outputs also so close to the bottom.

my ocean motions are not working right now because of jamming.

then there is the much higher energy cost of the closed loops compared to powerheads. powerheads are uglier in the tank but easier on the electric bill, easier to clean. when was the last time you took a big external pump offline and cleaned it and the pipework with all the stuff growing in it? another reason to oversize any pipes.

100% agree with you!! Its like you were at my house and saw my 600g. Everything you said is exactly the problems I have dealt with. I have them set up a little different but same concept. I also have dual 4" basket filters for the intake on CL and they seem to be okay, but I wish I would have put them on the back wall and not bottom of the tank as creatures, fish, coral, sand, etc can get into them and cause a failure in the OM 4-Way.

The whole idea behind the spider legs is to keep the sand bed from becomming a DSB. The legs are low profile and the locklines are all hidden in the rock work so you cant even see the spider legs in the sand (2-3"). There is aproxmatly 14 sections of lock line all together and each leg has 3-4 sections of 1/2" lock line on it depending on where the rock is at. the other holes are blocked off. I wanted to make sure there was flow in just about every little area at some point in time during the day. With the additional 12tunzes and the Barracuda for the return on dual wavyseas there should be enough flow to keep most of the detritus out of the rocks and suspended in the water to be taken out to be filtered out.

 

[nineball]

well here is a thought..

I cant tell from the pictures but it looks like there is either a black wall or an overflow on each end of the tank.

If it were me and you can do it unobtrusive, i would put 6 vortechs on one end of the tank and 6 on the other. in addition to the closed loop.

At their peak points thats 42,000 gph of flow. Add in the randomization, and you got some serious flow patterns in that tank.

tou may even be able to get away with 4 on each side depending on what you do with the closed loops.

There is an overflow at each end and the vortechs are a definate option that we will pursue if necessary. The makeup of the islands will determine the measures we have to go through.

Peter

 

[nineball]

Are you going to use a phosphate reactor and seeded the system with bacteria?

We are just discussing that subject now.......

Peter

 

[MarkusII]

Hello John,

yes Steve allready explained it correctly what I wanted to say (sorry I am not a native English speaker - and sometimes it is difficult to translate the German thinking into correct explaining English).
When you have a separate tank for the refilling of freshwater for the evaporated or "skimmed-away" water its ok; as I mentioned the skimmer we had (it was a large Schuran) turned crazy just overnight and skimmed so wet (we do not know what caused it) that the salinity went down from 35 to 5!!!!!! All corals dead and a few fish as well - we detected it the next morning and quickly added the large amount of salt needed to compensate.

For me the one pump for the CL is to small as well....

(@Paul as well) And the Schuran skimmer had the same water cleaning system - but the problem is not to clean the part of the cup holding the skimate but to clean the inner tube where the foam is rising and the brown skimate is attaching - so the self rotating systems are those which do the right job, the water cleaning of the cup is only for "cosmetics" to have a "good clean look" of the cup.

I would also not use bioballs and such a filter.

And the closed loop system should have a plumbing with "Y" tubes and arches instead of sharp 90 degree curves and no reductions.

regards

Markus

 

[TheMikey]

I think that the best style would be to build YOUR STYLE.
I am sure you can come out with a beautifull set up of your own.
Great Job!!

I think this is one of the best comments of the entire build.

Peter, this is such an incredible undertaking and I am certain you will have a phenomenal build. However there's something personal in terms of style that every hobbyist has. Although you want to pay homage to the Masters that have inspired your love for the hobby, I can't help but think that they would like to see what you can add to the hobby as well as you are likely to be next in line for being considered a "Master" yourself.

It sounds as though you're still contemplating the third and fourth section. I know that you appreciate and enjoy all the comments, so I'll add this: pick a third style and then think of your own for the last section. Something you would like to delve into in terms of design. You have some phenomenal ideas coming up and I think everyone who is following your build would love to see an original creation

Also: that's a big skimmer.

 

[MarkusII]

Hello,

one more to the CL: I would remove the entire white 4 way outlets and repalce by single outlets (or at least "Y" outlets) and would also remove the intakes, install them somewhere else where (and use the intakes for outlets as well.....
and use four pumps for the CL flow instead of one in this size of tank.

regards

Markus

 

[vpower]

Maybe you should contact Klaus from Royal Exklusiv to have him build some of these for you:

Pushes over 26,000gph each

Looking at Chingchai`s tank, he is using eight tunze 6305 pumps which is rated at 7,925 USgal./h each, and also several waveboxes.

For SPS and healthy fishes, at least for tangs I think there is no such thing as too much flow.
Go diving on a reef full of SPS and you`ll feel the flow they require ;-)