Tank design for NPS and SPS - Input please

[s1214215]

I am currently in the process of setting up a 180 gallon tank (52 inch x 30 x 30) display, unsure of the sump capacity yet. The tank will be initially lit with 4 to 5 x 54 watt T5 Aquablue Specials and 3 to 4 x 54 watt T5 Blue Plus.

Flow and the animals I intend to keep is on my mind. My hope is to keep NPS and SPS placed in locations around the tank to suit their flow needs.

The tank will be drilled at the bottom for a closed loop linked to an OceanMotions 4 way with a drum to have 2 or 3 outlets running at the same time. I was thinking to connect it to a Sequence Reeflo Pump - Barracuda giving a maximum of 3750 gallons of flow per hour. This is intended to give bursts of broad linear flow intermitently. The vents for the closed loop are these Japanese fittings that will diagonally direct the flow upward from each bottom corner of the tank

To randmise the flow I thought to use 1 ort 2 x Vortech set on an alternating cycle and located 2/3 the way up the tank side wall (3000 gal output max each). I am not sure what the sump/refugium return will be yet. Roughly, with the sump return, I expect about 40 to 55 x turn over. Here is a map of the pump, closed loop and tank design. The tank will divide a room, so the overflow is located at one end with the vortech.

The reef design will be pillars with overhangs and open caves - quite open. Somewhat like these pics

I have thought to employ this design to place NPS in lower lit overhangs and lower in the tank where there will be less light and flow. The NPS I would like to keep are Gorgonians, Tubastreas, maybe I'll give Dendros a try if I do well with these. I am planning to use a syringe pump feeding method. SPS can go to the mid and top areas with more flow.

I'd appreciate any input on this. Will this be too much flow given the design?

Brett

 

[stunreefer]

Hey Brett,

Awesome idea, very tough to accomplish successfully. Its not only light in which non-photo corals differ from, say SPS. They really require a constant food source in the water, or frequent feedings, which results in waste bi-product, which SPS dont like. If you skim the heck out of it, the SPS will be become happy, but now you've eliminated all the food for the non-photos. Also as you stated, most non-photos prefer slower flow, which will be hard to accomplish, especially with such an open rock work.

In terms of the non-photos you've mentioned, I dont think you'd really struggle with them (in a full blown reef). I've kept Tubastrea countless times in a full-blown reef very successfully (FYI - dendros are generally easier to keep then tubastrea), and there are plenty of beautifull photosynthetic gorgonians. Now if you get into the non-photo gorgonians, scleronepthia, dendronepthias, etc., you'll have a hard time. You will have better success running these in your sump. There is no light there, its located near your filtration (easier to pull excess organics out from frequent feedings), and you can generally easily feed a sump a large amount of food, because they are generally smaller than your display. I would shut down your return pump for an hour or so a day to feed heavily and immerse the non-photos in food. I had a 20 gal plumed into my main tank for 3+ years and grew the heck out of non-photos in this manner. Something I've also thought of implementing in my new system is a tri-zonal sponge system, which I think you could grow some pretty sweet non-photo corals in there.

All in all, you'd be working against yourself in everyway trying to do it all in one display. High light, high flow, low nutrients for your SPS, and striving for low light, moderate-low flow, high food (detrius) content for your non-photos. Reefkeeping is pretty much already a never ending battle with algae, pests, maintenance, and now you've more than doubled all of the above. it can be done with A LOT of work time and effort. I still believe its easier to achieve in a different tank, especially on a different system (not completely necessary). But GL and HTH and keep us informed as to what you decide!

-Austin

 

[Kreeger1]

I'm housing sps corals in my non photo reef now. Its been 2 months now since the first addition of sps and all seems good so far.
Erik
Im only using MH 4 hours a day and that seems fine so far for the sps corals too.
Erik

 

[s1214215]

Thanks for the advice Austin and Erik

I also wondered about nutrients too. I have seen some tanks keeping both SPS and NPS together. So they must be able to keep feeding up and nitrates and phosphates down. I will use media like Rowaphos if my algae does not cope. I like this tank of Daniela Torstens.

http://www.korallenriff.de/Sindelfingen2005/daniela_torsten_2005.pdf

Ideally I would like a skimmerless system and have seen them done with SPS and low fish loads. I intend to use a very large DSB/sump and algae refugium like this one of Chingchai's. I will try to post a picture from his other tank at the Siam Reef Club today.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=12362332#post12362332

Maybe I will have to add more rockwork. I am thinking toward NPS that need higher flows like Gorgonians. I think the trick will be to get broad laminar flows in the bottom of the tank and less chaotic. I am now thinking to go with 1 Tunze Wavebox rather than the Vortechs. From what have seen of the wavebox, it seems to lift the detrius off the sand and keep it in suspension rather well. I also am thinking toward using very fine sand that will take up less detrius. Will that help?

The way I see it, there is going to be some experimentation to getting this all in one tank. Unfortunately I only have space for one tank and having NPS in my sump will mean they wont be seen much as it is enclosed. I will keep posting as it happens. Things are still in the planning stage and the tank will be set up in 2 months roughly.

 

[fivesmallworlds]

If all else fails you could keep your water pristine for the SPS and spot feed all the NPS. May be a PIA, but I've seen a lot of people using the top 1/3 of a plastic soda bottle connected to a feeding tube. This way the bottle top acts as a dome to concentrate the feeding area, rather than feeding the entire tank excess nutrients. Some NPS will get used to a regular schedule for feedings as well and have their polyps out and waiting when it comes time for feeding.