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NMMTech88
03/09/2015, 01:12 AM
G'day reefers, my name is Chris and I'm new to the saltwater world, greetings to all of you, I hope someone can help me out.
I'm about to place an order for a custom tank and need to do so within 48hours so it will be ready in-time to be integrated into my new house which is being plastered in a week from now.
I'm looking at a 6' x 2.5' x 2.5', originally it was going to have a corner weir because I didn't have any other advise or help from the business I was dealing with. I have since done some research and I'm interested in the beananimal design, I wanted to incorporate this with an external overflow box and refuting sump. I was thinking of having the box built and fixed to the side of the tank not the rear, my concern with running a c2c along the rear was the visibility from the front of the display tank, I could still do this but I figure the side will still give me more linear flow than the weir would have. For a 280g tank I've calculated the sump flow at 2805gph (x10 rule) - this gives me a recommended minimum linear overflow of 42", if I run the box on the side I'll only have about 29" is this okay?
If I go with the side overflow box what size should it be? In the overflow box I'll have 3 pipes as per beananimal's design, should these pipes enter through the bottom or the side, and should there be a 4th at base level for draining and cleaning? Concerning pipe sizes, I calculated that my drain should be a minimum of 2.19" diameter, so the beananimal design has 2 drains and an emergency, correct?, so I could run say both at 40mm or should they be 50mm? I'm in Australia and I think our PVC sizes jump from 40 to 50 (will need to confirm though at an irrigation shop).
Return pump size should be less than 2805gph, correct? eheim model recommendation?
With beananimal' design, what happens when the power goes out? Does everything resume as normal when the power returns?
Concerning holes on the tank, if I'm running the beananimal overflow, is the only other hole required, for the return or should I be incorporating something else? I understand that with this system the tank level always remains the same and any water loss is reflected in the sump level, how then do I accomplish 10% water changes?, will this be too much water out of the sump? I'm guessing my sump will be 4 or 5' long (not sure of the volume).
Thoughts on synthetic salt as opposed to natural sea water, I was planning on using natural but have since heard that a more consistent result is obtained through mixing synthetic.
Concerning hardware:
I'll be running x3 Ecotech marine Radion XR30 G3 Pro's with Back-ups, one Vortech MP60 QuietDrive with back-up, a Deltec TC2060 and x4 Silent-Air B11's, everything else is unknown.
Our voltage here in OZ is 240V, does anyone know if I can use those B-11's on that voltage considering they don't actually run on mains power, they only sense the power and then transfer to battery during a power outage. Wondering I I'll need step-down transformers to use them here??
All help will be immensely appreciated. I'm very excited about getting into this hobby, I've kept fresh tropical for many years but never salt.
Warmest regards,
Chris

IanWR
03/09/2015, 04:44 AM
Whew! Lots of questions! :)

First, welcome!

Regarding your weir placement. If your tank will be viewable from both long sides (eg its a room divider), then I agree with your choice to go with a side weir. If not, I would go with a long weir on the back. Since you are buying custom I would have then notch the back and use an external overflow box. The holes will be in the bottom of the overflow box.

There will be various recommendations about exactly how much flow you should have through your sump. Some agree with your 10x, others go as low as 3x. Whatever your number you choose your return pump needs to deliver at least that much to your display. There is always loss from height, friction, bends, etc..

The specifics of your bean animal design (hole size, etc) can best be delt with by the experts over in the "silent and safe overflow" thread. But I can say it will restart from a power outage just fine.

For water changes, you can do them from the sump and/or the display. Since you are designing the sump, make it as big as you want.

I live over 2000km from the nearest ocean, so have no experience with using natural sea water. I doubt I would even if i lived by the sea, I would worry about pollution.

As for powerheads, I'm pretty sure 1 mp60 will not be enough for your tank. If you have a battery backup for your mp60s you do not need the B11.

One thing you do not mention is where you are putting your sump. In a new house, I would consider a basement sump in a dedicated fish room. It keeps a lot of the noise and mess and equipment out of your living space. Plus you can have your sump at table height, makes it really easy to work with. Lots of room for electrical, etc etc.. But if you are at plaster in a week, you have an enormous amount of deciding to do very quickly.

Sounds like a big project. I hope you have fun!

sammy77
03/09/2015, 09:47 AM
Congrats on your new venture, and your new house!

Before you do anything, a 280gal tank is a lot of weight. First things first, tank placement. Are you placing the tank on a concrete slab? Or is there a basement under the area you are placing the tank?