Flow Advice Needed

[NaH2O]

Hey everyone! I'm flow/circulation design challenged. I'm not sure what would be the best way to have the flow in my tank. Here is what I have...

A 120 gallon reef ready with 2 corner overflows. I was going to have a DSB, but recent developments changed my mind, so I'll need to change my flow (it wouldn't be me without changing my mind at the last minute ). Anyway, since I'm going to be bare bottomed, I'll need to create flow in order to get the detritus into the water column. As I said, I have 2 returns - one in each back corner. I have 3 SCWDs to utilize. My return pump is an Ampmaster 3000. I also want a closed loop - no pump picked out yet, so recommendations would be appreciated. Help me determine where the SCWDs should go, and where on the closed loop - the water should return. Feel free to use engineering speak - as my decoder ring is my hubby...lol.

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[scotmol]

Nikki,

As for a pump for your closed loops, I just installed two SCWD closed loops on my 75 using Velocity T3's. I am very happy with these pumps mostly because they are dead silent. The company that makes these pumps (Custom Sea Life) has apparently closed up shop but Champion is still selling them and honoring warranties as well as stocking replacement parts. Besides this fact, the other draw back is thatI have heard that they do run hot. I haven't noticed any change in my temp but I have a large basement sump which keeps everything nice and cool. So, long story short, if noise is a consideration I would highly recommend the Velocity's. If noise is not a consideration, I would probably go with an Iwaki. I have an Iwaki on my return which has run non stop for seven years now, but they are noisy.

As for the design of your flow, I can tell you what I did. I put my return on a spraybar flowing from the front to back at the surface. My canopy hides the spray bar (unless I kneel down and look up). The effect of this is that I get real nice turbulance at the surface for gas exchange and the flow hits the back of the tank and moves down behind the rock and back through towards the front again. With my two t3's on SCWD's, I just placed the outputs at the four corners of the tank and attached fan nozzles from some old rio pumps to the 3/4" PVS "street Ls". This gave me the ability to experiment with the direction and angle of flow from each output until I was happy (okay, I'm still futzing with it).

Don't know if this helps but I am pretty happy with my set-up. If you have any questions or want more details let me know.

Scott

 

[NaH2O]

DOH!!! I guess I'm brain dead...lol. The Ampmaster 3000 has now become my closed loop pump.

Thanks for the reply Scott, and are we ever not futzing with set-ups?

 

[mojoreef]

scotmol put up a picture I would love to see it

Nikki how deep can we get. Is it an acrylic tank?? can we drill??

Mike

 

[NaH2O]

Glass tank, and can't drill. The tank height is 24inches. I will be picking up my return pump today (hopefully)...Mag 12. The Ampmaster 3000 is for the closed loop.

 

[mojoreef]

Ok nikki glass makes it a bit tougher but not impossble. Its going to be to hard to talk about it so let me draw something up. give me a day or two.


Mike

 

[jks1]

Nikki,
Im going through the same thing right now, here's what I did. The closed loops are both MAG24s, and the tank return is a MAG24 as well. HTH

 

[NaH2O]

Awesome, jks1. I printed that out. I know I'll have a more difficult time with the flow, since I won't drill the tank. I do plan on having 2 rock formations, but we'll see what I get to work with, as far as the LR goes. I am also going bare bottom with this tank...I think I said that already? LOL - can't stop talking about my bare bottom...tank...lol

 

[mojoreef]

Ok Nikki here something to look at.
first one is kind of an over view

and this one is a breakdown fo the manifold

let me know what you dont get


Mike