Only a 180, but need some suggestions

[Cathman]

Ok folks, picked up a 180 yesterday and will be getting it ready to put in this weekend i hope. It is a non reef ready oceanic tank...got it pretty cheap too. Anyway, looking for suggestions on circulation, drains, loops, etc.

I currently have a 55 gallon sump/fuge to use with it. I also plan to do a closed loop with two 1" intakes near the bottom on each side of the tank and maybe one of those return loops that go on top around the edge of the tank with multiple returns into the top of the tank. If not the thing on top, i was going to have two 1" returns with the loc line things on it. Also, i have a set of 1/2" sea swirls and a 3/4" sea swirl. I could place these along the back instead of the loop around the top of the tank. Make them the exit of the closed loop.

I have a set of tunze stream 6100 w/controllers. Planned on putting one on each end facing each other. Is this a good/bad idea?

Now for overflow, i was going to either just drill two 1.5" bulkheads up top and make an overflow box in the tank...but only a 5-6" deep one but say....20" long. I dont care for the look of overflows in the corner, and i have a 58 tank with just a small one at the top...still skims the sureface but does not take up all the room.

Also, should i put a piece of 3/4" foam under the tank when i place it on the stand? I plan on using the oceanic stand that came with it unless otherwise suggested.

I will try to figure out how to make a drawing when i get home and post it. All thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Can you sense my excitement .

 

[nyvp]

I have a set of tunze stream 6100 w/controllers. Planned on putting one on each end facing each other. Is this a good/bad idea?
>>> bounce them off the front middle works better

Also, should i put a piece of 3/4" foam under the tank when i place it on the stand? I plan on using the oceanic stand that came with it unless otherwise suggested.

>>> yes alot of people do

 

[sullyfish]

Your tank would be great for an external overflow, not sure if thats what you meant or not. The big benifit is a clean look inside the tank.

 

[Cathman]

Thanks...will try that with the tunze.

As for the external overflow, all i have are the hole saws. I am not sure how you would make an external overflow. Would that not compromise the integrity of the tank? Seems like a big piece of glass missing along the top would make it weaker or something.

 

[Cathman]

Any other suggestions or ideas folks?

 

[thor32766]

yeah dont forget the foam!

 

[Fiziksgeek]

The Tunze sound good, I would point them at eachother.

For the closed loop, I would do 2-1.5" bulk heads. In fact, thats what I did on my 210. 2-1.5" intakes, and 4-1" returns. You could skip drilling returns and do the manifold around the top. I run an amp master 3000, that or a Sequence Dart would work very well.

Dont use foam if the tank has trim. You might end up making things worse. If its a trimless tank, then you definitely do need foam.

 

[Cathman]

What do you guys think about have two 1" holes for the intake of the closed loop and then the return via two sea swirls? I am going to place the tunze 6100 on each end of the tank and would put the two sea swirls in the middle of the tank...well on each side of the center brace i guess.

 

[dmbnpj]

Is an Oceanic tank a type of glass or a supplier of tanks?
Sorry for the dumb question, but I've seen it a couple times and I just dont know!
Thanks,
jeff

 

[ahenson]

I'd use the streams and no closed loop. That is a ton of flow. Is this a bare bottom sps tank? That's the only setup that would make sense for.
I'd use a small return pump, the streams and if you need more flow buy the wavebox. You electricity bill will be much lower, simpler to setup and not all the plumbing.

 

[Cathman]

Hmmmm, well the tank as it sits (135) is not bare bottom. I have seen a few and i really like them and the fact i would not have to worry about sand storms is a plus. Buttttt, i have not read up enough about how you substitute the biological filter in the bare bottom? I have a sand bed of about 2-3" now with no fuge, but the new tank will have a dsb fuge with it. Would this be enough? I could put the sand in the current tank in the fuge area of the new sump. Would that be enough and how do you keep just from settling on the bottom? Does having all the flow take care of that in that it all goes through the sump and filtration in there?

Soooo many questions, so few answers lol.

Anyway, tank is going up this weekend. Working on the sump today and having a few friends over to help me move it in.

 

[ahenson]

You can't have that much flow with a dsb, especially fine sand it will blow all over. I have a 170 with a 1260 eheim on a sea-swirl (450gph) with head loss? And a tunze 6000 and a seio 1500 ( I need another 6000) I have a 6" sandbed and it was hard to position things not to blow the sand around.
Roger on the tunze board doesn't recomend 6100s with a dsb. 6100s and a closed loop is overkill. I'd do the tunze by them selves and see how you like it. And if not enough flow add the wavebox. It would be better than a closed loop and more efficient.
If you have a BB tank you want the flow to keep everything in suspension and let you skimmer take it out of the water.
What kind of corals are you keeping? If you have high flow sps you need that much flow but if you are keeping lps they will not do well, I'd figure out wich corals you want then adjust the flow to match. The same with your lighting. What corals are you keeping?

 

[Cathman]

Ok, so here is where i am at the moment. Holes drilled for overflows. Thats it...having kids is time consuming lol.

Anyway, hows about this setup. I have a 55 i am planning on using for a sump/fuge. I am making as big a section as i can for the fuge. I was going to make 5-6" dsb in that section, and have the rest only big enough for overflow entry and skimmer to sit in. Plan on putting the return pump (mag12) externally as it has been running (less heat...less work on my chiller) and return that flow through two 1/2" sea swirls. Putting them on each side of the center brace with the tunze on each end. Would this be plenty enough????

Will be reading up on bare bottom tonight as i like the looks. Just not sure where to get the starboard or whatever its called and not sure about filtration process if there is no sand bed. Any insight you guys have on this would be great also.

 

[ahenson]

I would do some reading on the tunze forum on reefcentral. Roger gets these questions over and over. You will find a lot of people with similiar setups. I believe he recomends a courser grain of sand so it doesn't blow around. I can't help with the BB questions as I like my DSB. It sounds like you will have a nice setup.

 

[Cathman]

Ok, progress so far. Tank is drilled, sump is outfitted and drilled. The 5.00 bit i bought off ebay has worked perfectly. 4 holes through the 180, 2 through the 55, and 1 through a 58 i had and it still looks to have more life in it. Slow and easy is how i did it, with lots of water for heat control.

All bulkheads are fitted, and plumbing is almost done from tank to sump.

I have the return pump plumbed going from 3/4" hose to a T which splits it to two 1/2" sea swirls. That oughta work along with the tunze to get the flow going.

I have not gotten to read up much on bare bottom, but i think for now i will have a shallow bed with a DSB in the fuge with cheato.

 

[ahenson]

Sounds good, good job drilling!