Planning a new 280

[Ryan009]

Hi, my name is Ryan and I am a reef addict :smokin:

Has to break the ice some how....
:rollface:

I currently have a 210G system in my basement with a 90G rubbermaid sump. I am now in the planning stages of adding a new 280G system upstairs that I would like to plumb in with my 210.

The 280 would essentially be an in-wall room divider, viewable from both sides.

While I may be an addict, I am not an expert so I thought I'd run my equipment list by you guys. I am extremely open to suggestions/comments.

Heres the list:
1. 72" X 30" X 30" Miracles in Glass tank with Starphire Glass and one external overflow on the 30" side
2. Hammerhead pump to serve as return for both tanks (the upstairs tank is about a 15' vertical rise and about 30' horizontal run)
3. ReeFlo Orca 250 Skimmer (to replace current Precision Marine 3 skimmer)
4. (2) Tunze 6105 powerheads on a 7095 controller
5. (3) LumernArc III retro pendants with optional A/C vents
6. (3) Icecap 250W electronic ballasts
7. (3) 10K 250W Reeflux SE bulbs
8. (4) Sunlight 36" Ready Fit 2 bulb T5 fixtures (2 across in front and in back on Lumenarc's)
9. (8) Geisemann Powerchrom AqualBlue+ 36" T5 bulbs

Again, any comments/suggestions are very appreciated!!!!

 

[rockworm]

The lighting seems good, but I will leave that to others. I have 508g display made up of 4 tanks with another 230g sump/fuge tanks in the basement. I use a hammerhead and the Reeflo ORCA. I have about an 8' vertical, 6 ft horizontal for three tanks and 8' vertical 15 foor horizontal for the other (220). I also have manifolds off the hammerhead to feed two substrate reactors and CA reactor. I could not go with anything less than the hammerhead.

You may want to consider the Reeflo ORCA pro available from Reef specialty. It comes with some good upgrades. Given the two different locations for the tanks, you may want to seriously consider a controller. I use the Profilux and would be lost without it. It allows me to monitor the tank conditions without having to run downstairs all the time.

You may also want to consider increasing your sumpo/fuge capacity. My sump is 75g and my fuge is 65g. However, there was a lot of water coming through and had a difficult time with bubbles as they would not dissipate before they hit the return pump. I added another 90g (former DT that I dismantled) for extra time to allow bubbles to escape. In my system, I have about 7 times turnover in the display tanks (3500gph) , and 20 times in the sump/fuge (165g in sump/fuge with room for water backflow when pump off).

Before I set up my system, I did a lot of reading in this forum to see what pitfalls I might be able to avoid. I have ball valves and true unions all over the place, allowing me to divert water or shut off tanks, should the need arise.

I am sure others will pipe in with their recommendations.

 

[Ryan009]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm hoping the Hammerhead would be enough. In some conversations that I had with ReeFlo, it's somewhat borderline and he mentioned I might want to consider their new BlackFin 50 pressure rated pump. The only down side is about 200 watts more to run than the Hammerhead.

I thought about also feeding the skimmer off of the same manifold system I'll use for the return. My only concern was if I had to shut one of the valves for maintenance or turn the return off for maintenance, I would constantly be effecting the water level in my skimmer and I didn't know if I wanted to do that.

I also appreciate the comment about the sump. When I first set it up, I used the Rubbermaid because it was easy to get and easy to setup. I have thought about getting a cheap 180-210 tank and getting drilling it and converting it into a sump. My sump is pretty basic, skimmer chamber on the left, fuge on the right and return in the middle. I have a manifold that lets me control the amount of water going into the the skimmer and fuge chambers. I figure if I kept that design, I would really only need to drill the front for the return, the skimmer chamber for the feed pump, through in a couple of bubble traps, and I'm done.

 

[rockworm]

I would think the hammerhead would be fine. One of your display tanks is on the same level as your sump, correct? (i.e. both in basement). The real head loss will come from pushing the water upstairs. In my case, I used 2" PVC, then 1.5" once I got to the room the where the coral tanks are. This helps alot. The line to my 220 is only 1", so I am experience some extra head loss, but the pump works fine.

FOr the skimmer, I gravity feed it. I have a ball valve and tee above the input side, so I can regulate how much water goes into the skimmer. The excess flows into the sump. TYhe reeflo is an external skimmer, so this may free up some room in your sump.

FOr the sump/fuge, you could probably get away with a tank smaller than a 180/210. My fuge is separate from my sump. I have the hammerhead plumbed between the two, so water comes from both the fuge and sump through a 1.5" bulkhead in each. I am at work, so cannot attach a picture. (Hope this makes sense).

 

[Ryan009]

Just an update..
Based on some initial feedback, I'm going to use (2) 5' T5 fixtures instead of the (4) 3' fixtures.

 

[Ryan009]

Here is my latest though on plumbing. It's probably where I could use the most amount of assistance.

After careful consideration, I'm not going to try and feed the skimmer with the drain. I just think I'll have more long term flexibility if its not coming off the drain.

FYI, the return pipe would be 2" until I got to the current switcher where I would then have to go down to 2".

Once again, feedback and suggestions are extremely welcome!

 

[Grace's Dad]

Check your linear flow for that overflow. I have the same set up on 72x30x30. My overflow doesn't take up the whole 30" side and I don't get enough flow for (2) 2" drains. I'm just using (1) 2" drain and I brought the return up through the other hole.

 

[Ryan009]

My only reason for two 2" was my paranoia that if one would get clogged somehow, I'd flood my living room.

I'm not sure I know what mean by not having enough flow for 2 - 2". What is the downside of having "too much" drain?

Also, I'm now thinking of switching to spa-flex for easier installation and to help insulate against sound.

Thought?

 

[Grace's Dad]

You will not have enough flow to feed both drains. If you calculate and plan for a pump that (2) 2" drains can handle, you will flood your display because the linear overflow won't let enough water through.

Sorry trying to explain it with a classroom full of kids might not be working.

 

[Ryan009]

I think I've got it now. You're saying I couldn't get enough water into the overflow to keep 2- 2" drains submersed?

What would happen in that scenario? Would one, or both of the drains just not be submerged and end up sucking air? I suppose if I had that problem I could just put a reducer inside the overflow and still keep the 2" bulkhead and drain pipe.

 

[Ryan009]

Here's my latest sump idea. Very simple, nothing too elaborate. My idea would for the sump tank to simply sit on the floor (is that OK?) and to run a top on the sump tank to help cut down on salty air in the furnace room.

Feedback is appreciated.