Reef Tank Setup

[ReefJ]

Hello everybody,

I'm getting my tank set up again after the move from WA to AZ. At my old house, I had pumps/filtration and the sump under the main display tank. This time, I want to re-locate all the pumps and sump tank etc, to the garage of the house. The distance from the garage to where the tank is going to be is 20' plus 5' of vertical head travel to get to the tank's outlet piping.

The display tank is a 215 gallon tank with a 45g sump and 100g refugium (which will be in the garage). I want to have at least a 10x water turnover between the sump and the display tank for SPS right? Should I go higher than that, say 20x? What do you guys recommend for pump size (brand, model etc.) and also what diameter piping should I employ for this project? I plan to buy an external pump (not submersible).

I do also intend on setting up a closed loop recirc system inside the tank with hidden pumps to enhance water flow for SPS corals. I'm thinking of also piping the main pump supply through 2 sea swirls to help with water movement.

I have a ton more questions but I want to get the plumbing laid out and in this weekend so next weekend I can start on setting up the tank itself. I'll ask the rest as they come up. Thanks in advance for your advice!

ReefJ:wavehand:

 

[ReefJ]

Also, one other quick question. Is a 1hp chiller overkill for my system (about 350 gallons)? The manufacturer says it is rated for up to 500g. I found a guy in phoenix selling a new in the box Coralife Aqua-Chill 1HP chiller and I talked him down to $400.

I'm thinking I will need the chiller, especially during the summer months when the garage gets hot. I live in Tucson, AZ and it gets up to 115 in the peak of the summer here. Do you guys think I'm going to have an issue with overheating, even with a 1HP chiller because I have the sump in the garage?

I will also be installing an exhaust fan in the garage's upper duct to suck air out of the garage to evacuate the humidity. Before I get the tank up and running. Any advice is appreciated!

ReefJ

 

[con999]

Also, one other quick question. Is a 1hp chiller overkill for my system (about 350 gallons)? The manufacturer says it is rated for up to 500g. I found a guy in phoenix selling a new in the box Coralife Aqua-Chill 1HP chiller and I talked him down to $400.

I'm thinking I will need the chiller, especially during the summer months when the garage gets hot. I live in Tucson, AZ and it gets up to 115 in the peak of the summer here. Do you guys think I'm going to have an issue with overheating, even with a 1HP chiller because I have the sump in the garage?

I will also be installing an exhaust fan in the garage's upper duct to suck air out of the garage to evacuate the humidity. Before I get the tank up and running. Any advice is appreciated!

ReefJ

you could probaly get one that would fit your size a little better for just a tad less moeny.. but i would go with this chiller. i have nevr lived in AZ but i no it gets relly hot so you would need a bigger one

also better to get more then u need then less

 

[ReefJ]

you could probaly get one that would fit your size a little better for just a tad less moeny.. but i would go with this chiller. i have nevr lived in AZ but i no it gets relly hot so you would need a bigger one

also better to get more then u need then less

Ok cool sounds good. I'm gonna try to get over there Saturday and pick it up. Thx for the advice.

Anybody got any ideas on pump size/pipe diameter for my setup?

 

[ReefJ]

Bump-

Really hoping to get a reply from somebody who knows what I should do with pipe diameter and pump size. Thanks!

ReefJ

 

[Fish4Me2]

Is the tank drilled at all yet? That will place some limitations on pipe sizing. On my 180, I had a Dart set up. It was pushing up over 5 feet, from the bottom of the stand to the top of the tank. It was way too strong for my setup, with a single 1" drain. I had it valved back more than 50%, and it was running both the return (two @3/4" coming off a single 1" line) and a 3/4" diameter, 5 ft horizontal loop to the chiller. You can check the head loss tables on most sites that sell common pumps, to figure out ballpark of what you'd need.

 

[scubasteve06]

Pan World, Iwaki, or Reeflo will probably be your best bet for pumps. The panworld and iwaki's are almost identical. I'd use one big pump and run what you want to off a manifold. Or use one good sized pump say 2000gph for return and a 3-4000 gph for the CL if you want sps a total turnover of 25-30 is the least some will say you need. I honestly wouldn't have more than 5-6x turnover in my sump area, leave the rest of the turnover for the CL pump.

 

[prickles]

apparently 5-6x turnover to sump is ideal for the equipment in the sump. Any more flow needs to be done with the closed loop or powerheads. As for a chiller, I would try to do it without one first. I also live in the Tucson area and have never had a chiller. computer fans work well enough for me. I run at 78-80 all the time.

I like the reeflo line of pumps ( I have 2 on mine), they are supposed to be low wattage which is nice for the electric bill. Supposedly you can use ball valves after the pump to turn them down which also reduces the energy use if you get one that's too strong.

There is a "head loss calculator" on the home page of reefcentral. This should tell you what your pump will actually push in gph based on your setup. It may or may not work depending on your browser.

Have fun, and you should check out the sierra vista/tucson area reefclub forum under club forums if you haven't already.