Closed Loop-Explanation Needed

[SteveMarin]

The idea was brought up to me by tgreene to run my tank that'll be built/set-up during the summer to make it a Closed Loop Tank, I do not understand this fully, and I would appreciate it if someone could help me.

Tank: 36"x36"x27" (150g)
Frag Tank: 36"x36"x10" (60g)
Sump: 36"x20"x18 (55g)

Total System is around 265g.

It was brought to my attention to use a HammerHead return pump for this job, but I would like your opinion on it aswell.

All help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve

[Jeff]

Holes are drilled into the tank. One or more of the holes feed water to a pump which pumps water back into the tank thru other holes. basically water is recirculated in and out of the tank for increased flow. The biggest advantage IMO is low profile flow. It can replace powerhead usage.

[SteveMarin]

Bump, anyone got pics of their closed loop tanks w/o sand/rock in it? Just water or empty?

Thanks,
Steve

[SteveMarin]

Nobody has any shots of their tanks w/o rock/sand in it w/ closed loop set up...?

-Steve

[IslandCrow]

Take a look here: http://melevsreef.com/closedloop(old).html
and here: http://melevsreef.com/how_to_build.html

As far as the pump, that's another issue entirely. Figure out what sort of flow you want from the system and then use the head loss calculator: http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/hlc2.php to figure out which pumps will suit your needs. Then, you can get some suggestions on which pumps people think work best.

[SteveMarin]

Anyone have pictures of their own Closed loop systems? I would like to see some ideas...

thanks
steve