Vote for my new design

[MarkM3]

My new tank is a Oceanic 30g cube that will soon be a SPS mini-reef. I'm going BB with a faux-sand substrate (envirotex-lite+aragonite) and high to super-high flow. Lighting will be from 150 w MH + 48 w PC (Possibility of going 250MH if temperature is not an issue.)

I'm going to re-use as much as possible from my current setup. Please vote on what would be a better setup taking into account sound, energy, and aesthetics. thanks!

[NeilPearson]

It's nice to not have all your flow through the sump (or off one pump). This way you can take the sump offline and the tank won't really notice... or if a pump dies, the tank doesn't

Also that much flow going through a sump might be a problem with the overflow (it might not be able to keep up to it)

[Stile2]

You will have to design your overflow carefully to be able to handle 1200 gph. Plus you will probably have problems with microbubbles with that kind of flow.

You could do 250 gph return, with 500 gph closed loop on the OM.

That's my vote.

Keith

[fella1320]

of those options i voted for the 2 seios with a hob skimmer. However i like a very "natural looking reef" meaning no equipment in the tank i like closed loops and overflows if you can drill the tank and mabey even make an external overflow (check DIY forum) that would be best plus you will give yourself much more room. I also vote for a sump because a hob skimmer will almost deffinately give you microbubbles in the tank and you can get an ASM for the same price or much less than any hob skimmers out there and they work much much much better!!!!! i have had a few hob including a remora and a CSS and the ASM G2 on my 65 skimmed more in 1 week than both of them did for their entire life. sorry for the long post but i think that is what you should really do!!! Good luck

[Amphiprion]

Either the 2 seio w/sump option, or OM with sump. I think the seios would give you more mass flow in a usable form, though (but they are BIG, even in my 75). OM for pretty good flow, low obtrusiveness; Seios for even better flow, but pretty obtrusive. I second the ASM skimmer--decent prices for a good skimmer.

[pnsnowboard]

i think you should use a sump and get an asm skimmer

[rjwilson37]

I just picked up a Oceanic Cube as well. I am going with a Fluval 204 Canister Filter, A Maxijet 900 and a Seio 620 which will give me 1000gph that is 33 times for water movement basically.

I would think that 1200gph is good for an SPS tank, which would be 40 times for water movement. I just figure I wouldn't want the bigger footprint with 1500's in my tank and the 1000gph is pretty good and will work great for me.

Those two 1500's in there giving you 100 times for water movement... might be a bit much and I personally would go with 2 820's and be happy with it, which would give you 54 times for water movement. This would also use a lot less wattage, have a smaller footprint and still give the same results I am thinking.