Getting back into the hobby

[codejunky]

I've been out of the hobby since 2007. We just finished remodeling our new house and I am starting 190 tall 60x24X30 reef setup. A lot has changed since my last tank which was 90 reef setup. When doing my last setup money was the toughest part in getting everything just the way I wanted it as I know it is for many of you. Well money isn't as big an issue today so I want to do it right from the start. That being said, I'm not big on spending money because something is new or cool. I will spend money on quality and reliability. I would like to keep the tank as maintenance free as possible, even though there is no such thing as a maintenance free reef. I am pretty handy. I have built acrylic sumps,etc. I'm an electrical engineer with all the goodies need to wire anything. I need recommendations on lighting, skimmer,pumps, controller, DIY stuff etc. I need opinions from those who have their fingers on the pulse of reef keeping so I can get back in the game.

This tank will be a total volume of around 350 to 400 gallons. I plan to have a 100 gallon sump and 100 gallon refugium in a basement room so space isn't really an issue. the The distance from the bottom of the sump to the top of the tank will be between 12 & 15 feet. I want to insure my pump is reliable and can handle the head loss this distance will create. their will be very few elbows in the main filtration system.

I will most likely buy a controller such as the apex gold, unless there are better alternatives that I am unaware of.

Also, on my previous tank, I had a closed loop system. I really liked it, but didn't care for the placement of the ports. I would like to have another one(unless there is a good reason not to at this point). My preference would be to drill 4 holes in each end of the tank 2 inlet and 2 outlet. this would allow flow to always go across the entire tank in either direction. I would like to be able to shift the direction of flow at regular times of day. If I remember correctly there was a mechanical option to control this when I was in the hobby before, but I no longer remember who made it.

Thanks in advance for your help and time!

 

[RocketEngineer]

Personally, I'm against close loops. Given the kinds of quality powerheads available combined with a controller, the use of a CL has mainly been relegated to not wanting powerheads in the display. If you don't mind seeing powerheads, a CL doesn't really have any advantages and in fact has several disadvantages including higher running costs, fewer adjustments over time, and limited options for varying flow patterns. With an Apex you can do tides, random flow, changing flow patterns depending on time of day. and even the ability to induce storms at random to stir up crud before a water change.

If you are into DIY, I think you would be surprised at how much you could make.

Lighting: I personally prefer T5 supplemented with LED for lighting. The T5 is tried and true, doesn't have the shadows that LEDs tend to have, and allow you to play with lighting color fairly easily. In my case, I used two retrofit kits on either side of an LED strip and like how the LEDs give pop to my corals while the T5s give the majority of the lighting without the sharp shadow lines. If I were to do it all over again, I might build my own LEDs as a strip but the last time I DIYed the LEDs I ended up killing all my corals so it will be a while before I try that again. Your mileage may vary.

Sump: DIY this. I use a purchased tank and add my own baffles. Easy to do and much less expensive then buying one. If you're good at acrylic work, that is also an option.

Skimmer: With my DIY bent, I decided that I wanted to save money and build my own. The best I've found is a kit by Avast Marine. For your system, their CS3 Kit may be something to consider. I take great pride in having built most of my setup

Controller: The Apex is one of the top ones out there. My controller was made by the same company and I've gotten many years of success with it. There are many options available with that system so pick and choose what you need.

Drains: If you can, install a BeanAnimal configuration for the drains. This will give you the best option for a silent system that can be adjusted to match your return pump while also being self-adjustable to deal with small variations.

My big recommendation is do your research. I spent 6 months researching my first "big" tank and even then I made some major changes when I upgraded that setup several years later. Find an example you like and can understand and follow their lead.

Good Luck.

 

[davocean]

I'm also no longer a fan of closed loops, I had a bad experience w/ a pump failing and took a very long time to get a replacement.
Vortechs are my personal favorite, the new quiet drives are awesome, and they have random flow patterns that may work for your shifting of flow w/out having something mechanical like a sea swirl or anything similar to what you are describing

 

[codejunky]

RocketEngineer, Thanks for taking the time to give such a well thought out and detailed explanation. I do love DIY projects, but time is usually my biggest problem when going that route.

I will definitely DIY my sump.

Skimmer: I've had great success with ASM skimmers in the past, but I will put some serious research into the cs3 clone link you provided.

Controller: The APEX gold was my first choice, but considering I am in the software business, I am seriously looking at some of the open source projects. I have a ton of experience with both arduino and raspberry pi platform and the ability to change anything I don't like really appeals to me. As a matter of fact, I have 50 of the latest version Raspberry PI's sitting in a box next to my desk for another project I'm working on.

Drains: ok, I'm digging the BeanAnimal Configuration. Primarily because the overflow is only visible in the top portion of the tank, which kind of makes it invisible when viewing the tank. Nice!


Both of your feelings on the closed loop baffle me a bit. I feel like it is a great concept. I will admit that one of my driving factors for it is having less equipment in the tank. One because it is ugly and second I am a little sensitive to the electrical discharge caused by equipment in the water. I guess that is the electrical engineer in me talking. I will however have to think about it more before making my final decision, but drilling for a closed loop before hand will give me the flexibility to plug those bulkheads and use power heads or not without having to disassemble the system to make that change later. The pump issue can be resolved by having an backup laying around. In this hobby, we all no the importance of having backup equipment when something goes south. With all equipment,it isn't a matter of if, but a matter of when.

Thanks again guys!

 

[RocketEngineer]

If you are worried about electricity in the tank, I second davocean with recommending Vortech pumps. Combine them with an Apex and you can change up flow patterns as often as you want throughout the day and because the motor is outside the glass you never have to worry about mixing electricity and salt water.

Unless you have two close loop pumps running at the same time, having a backup pump only gets you so far. If you aren't home to replace with the spare, having a backup doesn't do you much good. However, having 2 powerheads means that if one gets stuck, you still have some flow in the tank beside the return pump. JMO.

 

[davocean]

Exactly, I never want to loose full flow to my tank ever again, it's the only time I lost livestock in many many years.
To make matters worse it was a pump under warranty, and the company had problems, I was sent 5 bad replacements in a row, absolute nightmare I never wish to visit again.
Vorts, about 30 seconds to pop on or off, one goes bad I still have plenty of flow, and no wires in display.

 

[Bpb]

Agree on the powerheads vs closed loop discussion. And I applaud the respect for reliable equipment.

Honestly, with a tank that size. I'd pick up either 4 of the larger Vortech powerheads, or 4 of the larger Tunze powerheads. If you can stomach the initial cost, just rip that bandaid off all at once. Those two brands are the definition of quality and reliability. They're not cheap but you can trust them and the service that backs them is fantastic. I've owned both, and prefer tunze, but the vortechs have some really fantastic programming abilities that are a bit more flexible than the tunzes, but just a bit. Either way you'd be happy with the power and performance of both. Other cheaper imports may move water just as fast, but you'll likely be replacing them every year and a half, and while they may be cheaper, it's kind of a pain to have to buy double just so you ensure you have a backup when one goes down in short order, which it will.

 

[aaronz23]

im not going to disagree with anyone here but i've heard a lot of good things about the Jebao wavemaker powerhead - i just bought 2 for myself. Like you i just started back in the hobby and these powerheads are very affordable compared to the tunze and other wavemaking devices.

 

[Bpb]

They're affordable and they move water. The failure rate is sooner and more frequent than I felt comfortable dealing with any longer. And that's pretty common place. At this point the argument becomes....

Is deep cleaning your powerhead every month so it maintains flow, and replacing it every 18-24 months, sometimes sooner, worth the money saved on an American or German made unit that will typically last a lot longer and not lose its flow after a month of film on the impeller?

Or is it worth it to pay the price of a vortech or tunze for the lower maintenance need, and longer lifespan.

That will be determined by your budget and what you value. All powerheads move water and nowadays, advertised flow rates are generally trustworthy. Is it worth it to you to pay extra for something that is better engineered with higher qc standards and statistically longer lived? Only you can answer that