Flow questions for big reefs

[reeflord]

Well I am preparing to set up my big reef... I have had reefs in the past ranging from 90 gallons to 210 gallon, getting the desired amount of flow really wasn't a problem. Between vortechs and koralias I could adjust the amount of flow and where I wanted it go... But I am planning something on a much different level.. My new project is 120"x60"x48"tall( about 1500 gallons).. It will be a heavily stocked mixed reef.. Tons of sps, alot of lps and endless z's and p's.... Well everything has been thought out and decided on from lighting to filtration... The only thing I need advice on is water movement.. Vortechs, tunze, closed loops, wave boxes... i was wondering if any of you with large tanks could give some advice... please let me know any ideas you my have.. One plus to me would be stuff i can hide so the equipment doesnt take away from the beauty of the tank... Thanks for the suggestions, Richard

 

[dzfish17]

Thats a beast of a tank. My tank is 46" tall and Im using a closed loop for the lower portions of the tank. Hopefully I can hide the returns in the aquascape. Good luck with your project.

Dave

 

[thirst]

wow more crazy projects... good luck. Tunze has some "masterstreams" that you might consider.

Perhaps a couple of 6305s and waveboxes will do the trick.

 

[reeflord]

I was reading about the masterstreams.... has anybody had any experience with them? They flow crazy amounts of water, just wondering if is going the just hammer the corals closer to them or is it a broad gentle flow?

 

[username in use]

If you really want to hide everything, a well designed closed loop is always a good way to go. Maybe pair it with a couple of MP60's which can move some water. I would also look into a surge tank as that is a good way to not only randomize the flow every minute or two, but is a good way to flush out all the crevices and corners where the regular flow creates lulls and detritus settles.

 

[reeflord]

Well there is one that I haven't heard of... a surge tank. how are those setup?

 

[jonjonwells]

A surge tank is one of the easiest and most frustrating things I have ever built.

Basically, it is a pump, a holding tank, and a return pipe. Simple huh...

The holding tank must be higher than the display. The return pipe goes in the side, towards the top, of the holding tank to almost the bottom 1/2" or so. This pipe is then brought to just under the surface of the DT water line.
Your pump pumps water into the holding tank. The water level will rise till it overflows into the DT. The water flowing into the DT will create a syphon and empty the holding tank very quickly, causing the surge in the DT. Then whole process starts over again.

There are many videos on YouTube of different setups with a couple different design ideas. Read as much as you can about them. Very easy to make, takes time to get perfectly running.

 

[reeflord]

being you are pumping water into a separate tank. and then it get dumped into the display. when are you pumping this water from?(the dt or sump?) and does this affect the water level of your sump? how do you keep the water level stable?

Any pictures?

 

[reeflord]

just watched a couple videos.. looks cool... but it seems like you would have a lot of bubbles getting in your DT... is that the case? or did they not do it right?

 

[username in use]

You get bubbles from it, but the bubbles don't hurt anything. I think they actually look cool every few minutes. Its like a wave hitting the tank.

 

[reeflord]

How big should this surge tank be?

 

[username in use]

I would imagine that if you used a 50g drum, elevated maybe about 4 feet above the tank with a 2" pipe for the siphon that would give you a solid surge.