Circulation Plan for 300 Gallon Reef ?

[Anonymous]

Now that my tank is ordered it's time to start ordering the rest of the components.

My tank will have an overflow at each end. It will have 1.5" durso standpipes for the drains and 1" returns.

I am planning on putting a Tunze Stream 61000 at each end, with the multicontroller. The Streams put out 3170 gallons/hour each. So there is 6240 gallons/hour of flow.

An Iwaki MD-100 RLT pump puts put 2000 GPH, less the head pressure. So two return pump would yield roughly 4000GPM.

So between the Streams and the Iwaki's I'd have about 10,000 GPH of total flow in the tank. 10000 divided by (300G tank + 100G sump +75G Fuge) = 21 times turnover.

Anyone think I need more flow than that? I want this tank to have a very high flow. I am planning an open reef structure with starboard on the bottom. I want enough flow where it's pratically impossible for detritus to settle anywhere in the tank. I have no interest in having a 300G green hair algea mess. I'd rather shoot myself than go through that, lol.

I'm not doing a close loop, so don't bother suggesting one. If I need more flow I'll get bigger pumps or more Stream's.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[ChrisRD]

Have you considered penductors / eductors? Since you're using the pressure-rated Iwakis for returns that might be an option. In fact, if you're going with 100s you could probably run 2 or 3 on each pump...

...checkout this link:
http://www.kthsales.com/website/vendors/Eductors/mixing_eductors.htm

 

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for total detritus suspension I think you should shoot for 50X turn over. Have you considered the 6200 streams. The put out 5K+. I also like the eductor idea.

 

[Anonymous]

Good idea about the eductors. Now I recall Galleon mentioning them to me when I was talking to him about the setup a year or so ago.

Would the idea to be to spilt each return line up and put 3 or 4 eductors on each side of the tank at various heights inside the tank?

My tank is 8' wide, but I am only going to have a 7' opening on the main viewing side. So there is plenty of area to hide plumbing on each side. The overflows are in the center of each side wall as well, so I could hide the plumbing behind the overflows as well. That is where I was planning on mounting the streams anyways.

According to the site linked, each eductor increases your flow 2- 3 times. The link says that an Iwaki 100 can handle 3 eductors or better yet, 4. I'm not sure how to calculate the GPH since the return with 2000GPH is tee'd off to 3 or 4 seperate eductors.

If could get the same or better flow with the educutors than with he Iwaki's and Steams, I'd have to strongly consider it. Of couse I'd be giving up the tide simulation and other perks of the Tunze multi- contoller. I could always add th streams later.

This gives me something to chew on.

 

[Anonymous]

Waz wrote:

If you are looking for total detritus suspension I think you should shoot for 50X turn over

Gee, I'd have to glue the fish in place with that much flow.

I like the idea of total detritus suspension though.

Have you considered the 6200 streams.

I thought it seemed like to much flow, but I guess there really is no such thing.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

If you plan it correctly the fish do not mind. I have about 4000gph in my 60 (approx 67x). Approx 700 gph on the return (blueline 40hd with an OM squirt) and 3300 gph on a closed loop (sequence something or other and a manifold with four 1" outlets, four 1/2" outlets and eight 1/4" outlets near the bottom). Lots of outlets and nothing stays on the ground

 

[Anonymous]

Ditto. The actual number of turnover is not all that important, it's how you distribute it. I think my old nano had something like 150X turnover...

You have a great set up if you have room in the front corners to hide your returns. Just put some long vertical spraybars there with eductors. I'd do like 3 or 4 on each bar. Angle them at different areas of the tank.

I do think you're not going to be satisfied without a closed loop or more powerheads in the tank.

 

[Anonymous]

Matt wrote:

You have a great set up if you have room in the front corners to hide your returns. Just put some long vertical spraybars there with eductors. I'd do like 3 or 4 on each bar. Angle them at different areas of the tank.

I can do that. I have a 1" return coming up through the overflows on each end. Should I just bring a 1" pipe all the way up trough the overflow and 90 it off towards the back. Then turn back down and run a vertical spraybar with eductors in the back corner? I could do one in the back corner on one side of the tank and one in the front corner on the otherside of the tank. So a total of 8 eductors (4 on each return)

I do think you're not going to be satisfied without a closed loop or more powerheads in the tank.

Do you think that having the Tunze setup with all these eductors is overkill?

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

Do you think that having the Tunze setup with all these eductors is overkill?
Louey

No way! Come on, what's the number one regret people have when talking about setting up their tank....I wish I had put more flow in there.

 

[Anonymous]

True dat.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

People say you can never have to much flow, and dang it, they are right.

On my 150 I have an A3K as a return (really only pushing about 1500 gallons), a Mag 12 running an OM Squirt, 2 hidden MJ1200 (really just on a wavemaker and a UPS incase of a power outage) and a Sequence 5800. When I break down and reset up the tank in a couple of months I will be adding 2-4 Sieos of various sizes across the bottom of the tank to keep everything suspended.

So what the heck am I talking about? Louey, MORE FLOW!

 

[Anonymous]

Righty,

What are you doing with output of that Seqeunce 5800? Closed loop with seaswirls?

I wish Sequence pumps were pressure rated so that I could use one of them for my returns with eductors.

What the hell is a Sieos?

Louey

 

[fishfanatic2]

Righty,

What are you doing with output of that Seqeunce 5800? Closed loop with seaswirls?

I wish Sequence pumps were pressure rated so that I could use one of them for my returns with eductors.

What the hell is a Sieos?

Louey

I'm pretty sure Seio=next generation Rio.

Oh, and never too much flow. Like everyone else has said, it's more about how you distribute it.

 

[Anonymous]

Okay, as it sits right now, I am thinking thinking that I'll do the Iwaki's with the eductors. So that should yield roughly 10,000 GPH (2 Iwaki's at 2000 GPH times 2.5 eductor factor.) Then I'll also go with two Tunze 6200's @ 5283 GPH = roughly 10,500 GPH. So a total flow of 20,500 GPH.

Based on tank volume that equals a turnover of 68.33 (300/20500).

Based on total system volume that equals a turnover of 43.15(475/20500).

The Tunze multicontrolled can controll up to 8 Streams, so I could always add more of them if the above flow turns out to be inadequate, which I highly doubt.

This is going to be fun. I have a carpenter coming over today to help me tear out the wall and build the stand.

 

[Anonymous]

Seios are a cheaper version of the Tunze streams. Downside is it looks like they can't be ramped up and down. But MUCH cheaper. I refuse to pay that much for a damn powerhead.

 

[Anonymous]

Hmmm. I just looked at premium aquatics and their highest GPH Seio is 1500. That cost $70. A Tunze 6200 puts out 5000 GPH for $210. It would take 3 Seios to crank out 4500 GPH.

Do the math. Tunze's are actually cheaper and more effective unless someone sells better ones than what they have at P.A.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm. That's a good point. I guess in that case I would pick the 3 Seios, though, rather than the one Tunze, know what I mean? Just for the flexibility offered.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't know Matt, the Tunze is controllable where the Sieos aren't.

Righty,

What are you doing with output of that Seqeunce 5800? Closed loop with seaswirls?

The 1.5 return from the sequence splits to two one inch manifolds that each consists of 5 3/4 locline outputs. I like it as it allows me to aim water wherever its needed. The only bummer is most of it is at the top of the water column. Thats where the sieo/tunze will come in!

 

[Anonymous]

Louey, this looks so sweet. Would you mind if I pretended to myself that these were my plans? It would make my daydreams that much more fun.

Sorry I don't have anything else to add..

Ooh, apart from the fact that my dream tank has only three species, Montipora capricornenis, Acropora Millepora and Stylophora somethingorother. If you took up this idea, my fantasy would be complete. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

One of the things I have come up with is this, and I don't know if its contrary to all the experts opinions or not, but here goes anyway.


In the display tank an inordinate amount of flow is needed to keep deitrius in suspension -- that much everyone pretty much agrees on and repeats endlessly

However, it makes sense to me if the flow through the sump is not high in comparison, This is where we want all the deitrius that was kept suspended in the main display to end up settling out or being skimmed out.


There should be a blurb that says that in concise language somewhere...