Minimizing Wavebox "Slosh"

T

tonyespinoza

Premium Member
I'm building a custom 150g, and planning to use the Wavebox.

Since it's a custom build, I'd like to do everything possible to minimize the sloshing sound!

The plan is 60"x24"x24" (eurobraced) with an additional compartment in back housing Tunze Comline components. There is no sump.

What are your suggestions?

One thought I had was to go without a traditional overflow/surface skimmer. Instead, I'd just have a hole (inlet) into the filter area where the Comline Filter and Skimmer are located. similar to this amazing SPS tank from Thailand (with 4 waveboxes...): http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1053276&perpage=25&pagenumber=6


-tE
 
so even though there is no sump, i still need to get water into this "side sump" on the back with the 9020. i'd like the comline filter to be in the back compartment as well.

my question is what is the best way to get water back to this area with minimal sloshing? i assume a traditional overflow (even in the center) would slosh. would a hole work below the water surface (with as strainer on it)? or do you think i'd be sacrificing too much in the way of surface skimming by doing so?

-tE
 
A traditional overflow design would work, in the center it is like the center of a sea saw, the water level stays fairly constant.
 
ah - but this is what i'm thinking

ah - but this is what i'm thinking

roger -

it's a simple "room divider" style tank - so locating the overflow at the mid-point is not ideal.

here's a sketch:

157580Comline_Layout.jpg


the (poorly) hand drawn arrows in the pic show water flow into the Comline compartment (via a couple of holes that are well below the water level) and back out the refugium via a pair of concealed Streams.

note location of the wave box. i have no idea if this is a bad idea as the wall of my internal refugium would disrupt the wave action. i thought maybe a straight shot across the length (60") would help it, but let me know.

i could also locate the inlet to the whole system closer to the center of the tank (where the refugium is currently located)... open to all ideas here. i think the pic will make my quandary more obviously.

-tE
 
Here's another possibility that gets the inlet to the internal "sump" area closer to the center of the tank.

Let me know if you think this will be more successful with the Wavebox.
It diminishes my display area, but my goal is to make sure the Wavebox works well and doesn't slosh.

157580.jpg
 
Neither of those designs will work well toward minimizing slosh. I had meant the back 60" wall, centered. I would design it like a false back. The wavebox really will need to be more centered on the side wall because the tank is so wide.
 
The one on the right would be pretty close to perfect, the wavebox made need to move forward a bit but that should work.
 
The other option should work to, in both cases the wavebox will need to be 12" in from the ends on the y axis to really work optimally.
 
ah, so i thought i read in the manual online that it needed to be in a corner, but i guess you're saying that if the display is 30" wide, it should be closer to center?

so 12" from the false wall or actual rear tank exterior wall?

the tank (including false wall) is 36". the display is 30" wide.
 
Up to about 24" wide the corner is fine on wider tanks it should be positioned no more than 24" from a corner.
 
robert -

i've incorporated your input. the plan is now for a 60"x24"x24" display iwith a false wall and a Wavebox in the rear corner.

in this crude drawing, the red circles represent Tunze 6101 Streams to be placed *behind* the false wall. do you see any issue with doing this? is it sufficient to simply cut the hole to the size of the Stream outlet?

any input on the placement of the Streams? obviously, i'm trying to keep them out of the display, but let me know if this is too big a compromise on performance. i realize they would be more efficient if running the length of the tank, but i tried to make up for that by incorporating the third stream.

finally: the blue circles represent the "overflows" to the filter area with the 9020, 3166, etc. i'm most concerned about placement of the top hole, since i'm trying to minimize sloshing sounds. how far below the surface of the water should i drill this hole to be safe? i wish i could experiment with this before drilling, but i will need to have this done in advance since it is a glass tank.

157580Elevation-1-med.jpg
 
Just keep in mind that the overflow will need to handle a trmendous volume of water for that to work as the Streams pump so much water. I would advise against this as you may some day change your tank layout and want to move the Streams.
 
gotcha.

maybe i'll just plan to put the streams in the tank.

which tunze powerhead would you recommend for this sump?

total of ~220g with a 150g display -- needs to move enough water to be keep up with the needs of the 3166 and 9020.

-tE
 
I would use a 1600/2 in the 3166, that will get you about 400gph flow through, just leave an opening for the 3166 outlet. If you had the room a 3167 witha 3000/2 would do just shy of 800 gph.
 
the trick with my design is that i wanted the filtered water to go into the refugium, and then from there, to go to the tank.

so i could use the 3166 to get from the filtered area to the fuge, but then i'll need a pump to get back over to the tank -- unless you think it would work passively.
 
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