nsamouroux
New member
I'm in the research stage of setting up a 360 gallon reef tank (96"L x 36"w x 24"h") that I've already purchased and want to get some feedback on the sort of water flow I should be targeting for a mixed reef. With my current 100-gallon setup I've focused on total turnover and tried to minimize dead spots, but I believe it may be more important with a larget aquarium to focus on getting as much flow to various areas as possible rather than total turnover. Does the following plan sound reasonable, or will some changes need to be made?
Drainage to the sump will consist of two internal overflow boxes with two 1.5" sch 80 bulkheads per overflow for safety and redundancy. I'm planning on setting up these drain pipes as a hybrid of the Herbie / BeanAnimal style. All four 1.5" drain lines will enter a 150 or so gallon sump in the basement which will contain skimmer, macro-algae area, and other misc equipment. I was planning on a Barracuda or Hammerhead return pump (due to the 10' or so vertical run) bringing sump water back up from the basement to two 1" returns at the top of the tank that will be split into two 3/4" loclines per return.
The closed loop system is where I'm running into the main dilemma: I hate the look of powerheads or other internal equipment in the display, so the closed loop will provide nearly the entire amount of the display's water flow. For a tank this size, should I go nuts and get two Hammerhead pumps running four returns each with either eductors or locline jets, or would it be adequate to use something along the lines of dual Dart or Barracuda pumps for the closed loop? I'm concerned that if I go and put two Hammerhead pumps on the closed loop that even with four split returns (two locline ports from each of the four bulkheads) I'll end up blowing away the majority of my soft corals, livestock, etc. On the other hand, if I use smaller Dart or Barracuda pumps, will I have enough water flow to keep various SPS corals happy?
This tank will have a sand substrate since I don't like the looks of bare-bottom setups , so I'll be placing my closed loop returns at the bottom of the tank pointing upwards towards the rockwork and sides / top of the tank to minimize the risk of blowing sand everywhere (moreso than the Mural goby does anyways :rolleye1: ). I've been working with Sketchup to diagram and plan everything out, but wanted to use the experience of other large reef tank owners as a sounding board before I make any permanent plans.
Thanks in advance!
Nathan
Drainage to the sump will consist of two internal overflow boxes with two 1.5" sch 80 bulkheads per overflow for safety and redundancy. I'm planning on setting up these drain pipes as a hybrid of the Herbie / BeanAnimal style. All four 1.5" drain lines will enter a 150 or so gallon sump in the basement which will contain skimmer, macro-algae area, and other misc equipment. I was planning on a Barracuda or Hammerhead return pump (due to the 10' or so vertical run) bringing sump water back up from the basement to two 1" returns at the top of the tank that will be split into two 3/4" loclines per return.
The closed loop system is where I'm running into the main dilemma: I hate the look of powerheads or other internal equipment in the display, so the closed loop will provide nearly the entire amount of the display's water flow. For a tank this size, should I go nuts and get two Hammerhead pumps running four returns each with either eductors or locline jets, or would it be adequate to use something along the lines of dual Dart or Barracuda pumps for the closed loop? I'm concerned that if I go and put two Hammerhead pumps on the closed loop that even with four split returns (two locline ports from each of the four bulkheads) I'll end up blowing away the majority of my soft corals, livestock, etc. On the other hand, if I use smaller Dart or Barracuda pumps, will I have enough water flow to keep various SPS corals happy?
This tank will have a sand substrate since I don't like the looks of bare-bottom setups , so I'll be placing my closed loop returns at the bottom of the tank pointing upwards towards the rockwork and sides / top of the tank to minimize the risk of blowing sand everywhere (moreso than the Mural goby does anyways :rolleye1: ). I've been working with Sketchup to diagram and plan everything out, but wanted to use the experience of other large reef tank owners as a sounding board before I make any permanent plans.
Thanks in advance!
Nathan
