My Dream Tank- 225 Gallon Custom Shallow

I got the siphon started the old fashioned way. Read: lots of water in mouth. With the tank filled to the brim it would still not push water out the other side.. I realized that there is just too much pressure for that drain to push through. It sounded great running! When I shut it down it drew in too much air again and broke the siphon. My new plan is to reduce the pipe size coming up from the crawlspace from 2" to 1.5" at its lowest point before it makes it short jog back up to the crawl space. I also plan on lowering where that line enters the sump by about 6". Hopefully this will be enough that I don't have to run a 1.5" all the way back to the tank.
 
Anyone think the 1.5" from the lowest point will help push the water through? The other 1.5" inch drains drain into the 2" pipe works just fine. I just want to make sure my logic is right in reducing the pipe size heading back up to the sump.
 
I started replumbing the drain and I think I found the culprit. There was a foot long piece of 3/4" just hanging out inside of the 2" drain line!?! I got everything all glued back together including the new section of 1.5" coming from the crawl space. I'll let it dry overnight and test it in the morning.
 
I ran the system today and it was still really hard to get the siphon going. I think it would work okay with an aqua-lifter type setup, but I am not sure. Tanner from crystal clear aquatics is going to come over on Friday afternoon to help me replumb them as gravity drains with durso type standpipes in the wall. I think that this is the only way to make it fool proof. I have done a bit more research on the Herbie and BeanAnimal style overflows and have found that they work much better in systems where the sump is under the tank. I also read that long horizontal runs and elbows are not desirable in a tuned full siphon system. With all of those factors against me I will go 3-1.5" gravity drains.

Do any of you use gravity drains on your large systems?
 
The system is up and running with some changes made. I decided that the best and most reliable, albeit the lowest flow, drain would be to run all 3-1.5" as gravity drains. The vibration from the pump on the floor of the fish room was unbearable. Today we moved the pump into the crawlspace. We also changed out the hammerhead impeller for the barracuda now. I sill have more than enough flow and that huge pump will only use 245 watts now. Also, it is incredibly quiet now. I will update with pics if my uploader app ever starts working again...
 
I seen a couple of DAS tank there really nice and we'll built. Nice build and I am stuck on the pluming on my future tank. There so many ways to run pluming and everyone has there opinion. Good luck and I'll be following your progress.
 
The tank has been up and running for about 3 weeks now! Here are a couple of photos. I will soon post some new pics with some new projects we've recently completed now that I know my uploader is working again.

vented the drains on the tank side, works really well.
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FTS
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Corner View
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Thanks guys.

I'm not 100% on stock right now. I have 2 tank raised ocellaris clowns and 2 blue/green chromis right now. I am thinking of getting a bubble tip when the tank settles in. I want to get the anemone first to let it pick a spot. As for the lights I had planned areas of shadows, and thus the biased spacing on the lights.
 
love shallow tanks!! and that tank looks great. I like your rock setup just the way it is,.. looks natural, and ramdom... tagging along!
 
Thanks Liv. It is exactly how I had envisioned it. I have a little rock work to do on the left side to decrease the shadow in the middle.
 
Sorry its been so long. Getting into my busy season at work! My apologies for the terrible photos. I just wanted to give an update. All is well in the cycle. Ammonia, trates, and trites are gone. I am now slowly working my stocking plan, but I am realizing I may need to wait longer on the anemone than I was wiling to wait on adding SPS...

First grouping of ORA frags from a local reefers tank.
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Another bad photo of my favorite fish so far
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Not much to see in the FTS...
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My Daughter teaching her little buddy about about Marlin and "Geno"
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open space in the middle
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Having a hard time getting the intensity dialed in. Don't have a PAR meter so I am using my inhabitants as my gauge. Seems to me that even 50% intensity is too much for most species directly beneath the lights.
 
Just a suggestion, those lights perform best at about 10-12 inches above the water line. I have a friend who has 6 of them over his 300DD and running about 70-75%. I think he maybe higher now since he was acclimating his corals to the lights. Plus you will love the spread and ripple.
 
Thanks for the input newbie. How deep is your friend's tank? I wanted to get good penetration to the bottom of the tank. I know the spread will be better if I raise the lights.
 
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