stomato
05/20/2010, 08:01 AM
I'm currently in the process of upgrading my system. My external primary pump is on the fritz and has been generating and leeching way too much heat into my tank. Prior to setting up the tank i had the foresight to drill for closed loop.
My Reeflo Dart to replace my primary pump will be here tomorrow. I will need to drill my sump for a 2" opening and rework all of my pvc plumbing unfortunately. I think the dart will feed my 2 overflows and external skimmer just fine.
The questions I have for you all with experience in closed loop systems is what you would recommend with the options I have available:
My tank: 144g Oceanic Half Circle
Inhabitants: Mostly SPS, very few fish
Lighting: A pair of 400w Radiums in Lumen Bright pendants on Lumentek ballasts
Closed loop holes drilled: 6 return, 2 drain (total 8)
My closed loop end points are: 2 pvc lines under sand bed run to the front and point up the rockwork face (1 on each side). 2 pvc lines under sand bed and 90 degree up through the rockwork with cross-drilled stand pipes (1 on each side). 2 entry points on the top left/right of the tank with flex-nozzles (1 on each side). The 2 drain lines that will feed the closed loop pump(s) are between the 2 overflow boxes at about center tank. My closed loop returns are 3/4" and my drains are 1".
When i setup this tank i placed bulkheads into all holes and ran all pvc with valves. At this point I only need to build from the pump to the valves.
My initial thought was that I would use 2 pumps, 1 for each side. More recently my thought has been that I would use a single dart with an Oceans Motions 4-way. If I do this I will need to tie 2 of the 3 lines per side. The inlet for the dart is 2" so my 2 1" drains could work well for this setup.
My only concern is that it might not be enough flow. The 144 is an awkward layout and I want a powerhead-less system. I currently have a Tunze multicontroller with 2 6101s. Running powerheads in a half circle tank is a pain because the linear cross-flow wants to ramp around th front curve and trench out the sand bed on the front side.
The biggest question I have is which lines would you tie together if any and which line would you assign to each port and why on the Oceans Motions 4-way?
Sorry for the lengthy post and thanks
My Reeflo Dart to replace my primary pump will be here tomorrow. I will need to drill my sump for a 2" opening and rework all of my pvc plumbing unfortunately. I think the dart will feed my 2 overflows and external skimmer just fine.
The questions I have for you all with experience in closed loop systems is what you would recommend with the options I have available:
My tank: 144g Oceanic Half Circle
Inhabitants: Mostly SPS, very few fish
Lighting: A pair of 400w Radiums in Lumen Bright pendants on Lumentek ballasts
Closed loop holes drilled: 6 return, 2 drain (total 8)
My closed loop end points are: 2 pvc lines under sand bed run to the front and point up the rockwork face (1 on each side). 2 pvc lines under sand bed and 90 degree up through the rockwork with cross-drilled stand pipes (1 on each side). 2 entry points on the top left/right of the tank with flex-nozzles (1 on each side). The 2 drain lines that will feed the closed loop pump(s) are between the 2 overflow boxes at about center tank. My closed loop returns are 3/4" and my drains are 1".
When i setup this tank i placed bulkheads into all holes and ran all pvc with valves. At this point I only need to build from the pump to the valves.
My initial thought was that I would use 2 pumps, 1 for each side. More recently my thought has been that I would use a single dart with an Oceans Motions 4-way. If I do this I will need to tie 2 of the 3 lines per side. The inlet for the dart is 2" so my 2 1" drains could work well for this setup.
My only concern is that it might not be enough flow. The 144 is an awkward layout and I want a powerhead-less system. I currently have a Tunze multicontroller with 2 6101s. Running powerheads in a half circle tank is a pain because the linear cross-flow wants to ramp around th front curve and trench out the sand bed on the front side.
The biggest question I have is which lines would you tie together if any and which line would you assign to each port and why on the Oceans Motions 4-way?
Sorry for the lengthy post and thanks