Here I come!!! Help Me, Please?
- Thread starter Kannin
- Start date
Cantonesefish
with active cooling
Whoa, I was considering buying that tank! I didn't know the front panel was starphire, however. That's pretty cool that Jonus got you a nice deal on the rest of your equipment.
I would have bought it sooner but, it took me almost a month to hmmm... get my wife to agree that we NEEDED it!
He really stepped to the plate on the prices. I looked up everything I wanted on the internet and priced it all out and he beat the pricing. Not to mention the time he spent with me narrowing down what I wanted.
He really stepped to the plate on the prices. I looked up everything I wanted on the internet and priced it all out and he beat the pricing. Not to mention the time he spent with me narrowing down what I wanted.
Here's my idea... turn the sump and run the plumbing to the Mag 18's on the back wall which will be under the overflows. The tank is 30 inches plus 5.5 inches for the overflows. The stand will be 36 inches. The CL pump will be mounted above the sump in the center of the back wall.
If I didn't ever get out to the penninsula.. I would make an exception to see your system in person.
No... I have not purchased any pump yet. I was hoping that I could spend a month, while building the stand and canopy... to toss my ideas around and find out which ones were sound, and which ones were... less sound.
I'm not familiar with a "manifold" but, I have heard that two smaller pumps are better than one large... In case of a failure, you still have some circulation. Should this not be a concern?
No... I have not purchased any pump yet. I was hoping that I could spend a month, while building the stand and canopy... to toss my ideas around and find out which ones were sound, and which ones were... less sound.
I'm not familiar with a "manifold" but, I have heard that two smaller pumps are better than one large... In case of a failure, you still have some circulation. Should this not be a concern?
jnarowe
New member
All depends on how you design your system. And yes, in some cases two is better than one. Since my in-tank flow is provided by Vortech powerheads, I don't have to worry about that. I run my entire return system including all reactors, skimmer, refugium, etc. off one extrenal Sequence Pump. And I have a spare if that one goes down. The benifit is much less heat and electrical usage.
Personnaly, although I have seen many systems using them, I would not use Mag Drive pumps for return flow. Using them would mean an easier install, because you won't have to mess with drilling, bulkheads etc. but you also end up using sub-par vinyl tubing and adding a lot of heat to your system. A Mag 18 is like dropping a large heater into your tank. When you use pumps like that, then you have to start thinking about cooling too, and that adds complexity and cost. As an exampleI use 1000W MH lamps and have no chiller.
Take boating as another example. One engine is good but two are better right? or not? maintaining two is much more costly than maintaining one, you get less room on the boat, more noise, and with two you may be more lax about maintainance. WIth one motor, you are damn sure that it is working well, have enough spares on board, and probably have an inexpensive kicker motor for emergencies.
You are most welcome to come and vist.
Personnaly, although I have seen many systems using them, I would not use Mag Drive pumps for return flow. Using them would mean an easier install, because you won't have to mess with drilling, bulkheads etc. but you also end up using sub-par vinyl tubing and adding a lot of heat to your system. A Mag 18 is like dropping a large heater into your tank. When you use pumps like that, then you have to start thinking about cooling too, and that adds complexity and cost. As an exampleI use 1000W MH lamps and have no chiller.
Take boating as another example. One engine is good but two are better right? or not? maintaining two is much more costly than maintaining one, you get less room on the boat, more noise, and with two you may be more lax about maintainance. WIth one motor, you are damn sure that it is working well, have enough spares on board, and probably have an inexpensive kicker motor for emergencies.
You are most welcome to come and vist.
Thanks jnarowe... Did you look at my latest BEAUTIFUL drawing? I lost sleep coming up with what I thought was a good way to route the plumbing so I could mount the pumps externally... in the back corners of the cabinet directly under the returns in the overflow boxes.
Did I mention that my drawing was BEAUTIFUL?
Thank you for the invite. I do make it on a ferry a couple times a year. I'll take you up on it. I was really hoping that someone like you would kind of take my under his wing... by starting this post early enough to hopefully learn a thing or two.
Did I mention that my drawing was BEAUTIFUL?
Thank you for the invite. I do make it on a ferry a couple times a year. I'll take you up on it. I was really hoping that someone like you would kind of take my under his wing... by starting this post early enough to hopefully learn a thing or two.
jnarowe
New member
I just posted a long reply and it went --poof--...arghhhh.
Anyway, your diagram is much better than I could do.
I would hesitate to put the pump(s) in the back corner. IMO, it would be much better to use one small Sequence pump externally with a manifold and mount it with flexible PVC to eliminate corners.
If you come out here, with enough notice, I can take you on a multiple tank tour to see great systems run by experienced reefers. I got a mentor early on and we still talk reefs to this day. You are welcome to PM me if our discussion takes your thread off-topic. I don't want to bore the pic hounds you know.
It appears you have prior experience and that gives you a leg up, but I would try and visit as many aquariums as possible, taking notes to compare and make decisions. If you build a matrix in a spread sheet, then you can quanitify your findings.
Plus, really getting in touch with what you want to keep, and your overall reef keeping philosophy will help you make better decisions, much like a company mission statement.
Sorry for the jumbled post, but I am trying to remember what I wrote before.
Anyway, your diagram is much better than I could do.
I would hesitate to put the pump(s) in the back corner. IMO, it would be much better to use one small Sequence pump externally with a manifold and mount it with flexible PVC to eliminate corners.
If you come out here, with enough notice, I can take you on a multiple tank tour to see great systems run by experienced reefers. I got a mentor early on and we still talk reefs to this day. You are welcome to PM me if our discussion takes your thread off-topic. I don't want to bore the pic hounds you know.
It appears you have prior experience and that gives you a leg up, but I would try and visit as many aquariums as possible, taking notes to compare and make decisions. If you build a matrix in a spread sheet, then you can quanitify your findings.
Plus, really getting in touch with what you want to keep, and your overall reef keeping philosophy will help you make better decisions, much like a company mission statement.
Sorry for the jumbled post, but I am trying to remember what I wrote before.
Thank you... I do have a little experience. Just enough to be dangerous. I've said before that I am extremely lucky that I didn't kill everything in the beginning. I bought a slightly used tank when I new absolutely nothing and then scrambled to gain enough knowledge to make it right. Now I want to build this one the right way.
What is a manifold for a return pump?
What is a manifold for a return pump?
jnarowe
New member
This is the essence of a manifold. Picture taken during Construction phase:
The verticle line on the right is the upflow from the pump. The valved lines go to my return nozzles in the tank, except for the top right one goes to my refugium.
Behind you can see one of the drain lines. I left extra outlets on the manifold for expansion, and currently drive my multi-media reactor off one of them. You can use a manifold to supply all sorts of equipment including chillers, inline heaters, reactors, remote tanks, remote sand beds, etc. I would recommend ONLY using gate valves BTW. I know they are more expensive and sometimes hard to find, but they make adjusments a lot easier.
The verticle line on the right is the upflow from the pump. The valved lines go to my return nozzles in the tank, except for the top right one goes to my refugium.
Behind you can see one of the drain lines. I left extra outlets on the manifold for expansion, and currently drive my multi-media reactor off one of them. You can use a manifold to supply all sorts of equipment including chillers, inline heaters, reactors, remote tanks, remote sand beds, etc. I would recommend ONLY using gate valves BTW. I know they are more expensive and sometimes hard to find, but they make adjusments a lot easier.
tattooreef
New member
im jumping in late on this thread but when i moved my giant into my new home i let my friend that helped me completely do the system talk me into a manifold that is alot different from the one shown here, but it greatly increased my flow options wich gives alot better results than what i had before i moved with the exact same pump, i will post pics of it shortly for you. and by use of the lockline on all the outlets i can acheave complete control of where and how my flow runs in my tank.
jnarowe
New member
I have never used an ASM so I can't speak from experience. Tell Sherman I referred you. He buys new skimmers every month, mods them, etc. and I would say has at least 8 - 10 on hand right now. He can tell you the ins-and-outs of practically every skimmer on the market.
Right now I believe he is running a DAS on his tank, and it's the best small skimmer I have ever seen.
Right now I believe he is running a DAS on his tank, and it's the best small skimmer I have ever seen.
Better late than never... Tattooreef.
Please... The more pics you guys put in my thread... the more action I'll get and the more ideas will flow. Bring it on. Just no pics of flying squirrels or any other cute little "furry" animals.
With my external overflows... would I be able to put the manifold inside the cabinet?
Please... The more pics you guys put in my thread... the more action I'll get and the more ideas will flow. Bring it on. Just no pics of flying squirrels or any other cute little "furry" animals.
With my external overflows... would I be able to put the manifold inside the cabinet?
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