Hey, folks!
I'm in the planning/ordering/aquiring phase of a 200g pentagon, and wanted to document it here and hopefully get folks' input and feedback.
To make a long story short, I had to break down and sell off my old 110g reef system about a year ago, and have since moved and am now planning my dream tank (well, the attainable dream tank, at least).
The tank:
I know a pentagon is not the most traditional shape but it has to fit into a corner of a formal dining room without sticking out too much.
The tank itself has just been ordered from Tenecor. It's 48"X48"X30T", and the front panel is one long piece of acrylic that will be bent in an oven. I should get it mid-July.
there are two polygon overflows along the back walls, 18X5X12, each will house a 1.5" durso, a 1" return line from the return pump, and a 1" return from the closed loop.
Flow:
Flow will come from a reeflo dart return pump split into two returns, and each return will have a split centipede nozzle, making four outlets total (if this adds too much head pressure, I may consider a pressure-rated pump instead).
additionally, the tank is drilled for a closed loop with a 1.5" drain in the back corner behind the left side overflow and four 1" returns. Another Reeflo Dart will power the closed loop, which will be plumbed to an OM 4-way. The rear returns are about 6" up from the bottom of each overflow wall (they come out through the overflow chamber from underneath the tank), and the front returns are in the two front corners blowing up and back. i'll play around to see what the best flow design is, but I'm thinking of drum #3, which will open the two back returns, and then the two front returns, blowing detritus up through the rocks to the front of the tank, where it will get blown up into the water column and back towards the overflows.
Filtration/plumbing:
There is one large sump which will house a refugium, some baffles, and and AquaC EV 180 (for now), and there is also a separate skimmer box plumbed into that which will house and ASM G3.
there will also be a drain valve from each of those that goes direclty through the floor and into the laundry drain line, and another valve that opens a line from a salt mixing tank on the other side of the wall in the laundry closet. Water changes will be effortless! shut off main pump, open drain valve, close valve, open new water valve, close valve. there will also be an emergency flood drain near the very top of the sump which will drain into the drain line in the even that the power fails and the anti-syphon holes fail, and the check valve (if I use one) fails. I like the idea of three levels of redundancy to protect my precious 120 year old house!
Lighting:
i'm going all T5. this is where i really need your help guys. i know it's a 30"T tank, which is pretty deap. but i'm not doing halides and i'm not planning an SPS tank. This will be filled with big, swaying softies and LPS, and maybe a few SPS colonies way down the line near the top. I want to avoid heat issues with lights and pumps, and I'm trying to decide what bulb layout to use as well as whether to overdrive the bulbs or not. I'm looking at the SLS retro kits, using normal triad ballasts but upgrading to IC SLR reflectors. maybe 8 39 watt bulbs? could I get away with 6??? Will I absolutely have to overdrive the bulbs with the IC 660???
Anyhow, i'd love your feedback. I'll post a drawing below, and some more info if I think of any.
I'm in the planning/ordering/aquiring phase of a 200g pentagon, and wanted to document it here and hopefully get folks' input and feedback.
To make a long story short, I had to break down and sell off my old 110g reef system about a year ago, and have since moved and am now planning my dream tank (well, the attainable dream tank, at least).
The tank:
I know a pentagon is not the most traditional shape but it has to fit into a corner of a formal dining room without sticking out too much.
The tank itself has just been ordered from Tenecor. It's 48"X48"X30T", and the front panel is one long piece of acrylic that will be bent in an oven. I should get it mid-July.
there are two polygon overflows along the back walls, 18X5X12, each will house a 1.5" durso, a 1" return line from the return pump, and a 1" return from the closed loop.
Flow:
Flow will come from a reeflo dart return pump split into two returns, and each return will have a split centipede nozzle, making four outlets total (if this adds too much head pressure, I may consider a pressure-rated pump instead).
additionally, the tank is drilled for a closed loop with a 1.5" drain in the back corner behind the left side overflow and four 1" returns. Another Reeflo Dart will power the closed loop, which will be plumbed to an OM 4-way. The rear returns are about 6" up from the bottom of each overflow wall (they come out through the overflow chamber from underneath the tank), and the front returns are in the two front corners blowing up and back. i'll play around to see what the best flow design is, but I'm thinking of drum #3, which will open the two back returns, and then the two front returns, blowing detritus up through the rocks to the front of the tank, where it will get blown up into the water column and back towards the overflows.
Filtration/plumbing:
There is one large sump which will house a refugium, some baffles, and and AquaC EV 180 (for now), and there is also a separate skimmer box plumbed into that which will house and ASM G3.
there will also be a drain valve from each of those that goes direclty through the floor and into the laundry drain line, and another valve that opens a line from a salt mixing tank on the other side of the wall in the laundry closet. Water changes will be effortless! shut off main pump, open drain valve, close valve, open new water valve, close valve. there will also be an emergency flood drain near the very top of the sump which will drain into the drain line in the even that the power fails and the anti-syphon holes fail, and the check valve (if I use one) fails. I like the idea of three levels of redundancy to protect my precious 120 year old house!
Lighting:
i'm going all T5. this is where i really need your help guys. i know it's a 30"T tank, which is pretty deap. but i'm not doing halides and i'm not planning an SPS tank. This will be filled with big, swaying softies and LPS, and maybe a few SPS colonies way down the line near the top. I want to avoid heat issues with lights and pumps, and I'm trying to decide what bulb layout to use as well as whether to overdrive the bulbs or not. I'm looking at the SLS retro kits, using normal triad ballasts but upgrading to IC SLR reflectors. maybe 8 39 watt bulbs? could I get away with 6??? Will I absolutely have to overdrive the bulbs with the IC 660???
Anyhow, i'd love your feedback. I'll post a drawing below, and some more info if I think of any.
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