Very Disapointing flow:(

[Canadian Man]

Well I got the closed loop all plumbed on the 230 tonight and fired it up(with out scwd's) and it was not what I expected it to be. :frown:

I plumbed it with the Mak 4, as that was my origional plan. I think tommorow I will swap the mak out for my LG 4 MDQXSC that I have on my skimmer and see how that preforms. I hope that it provides a bit more flow.

Do any of you think that it will be much diffrent?

If the LG doesnt work out would one be better off with a Mag 18 or something like an ampmaster? I just don't want the hastle of a leaky ampmaster pump.

Insight would be helpful.

THanks

[Canadian Man]

Well I was just searching through the Reefcentral posts.

How about putting the lg on the closed loop and adding 2 tunze 6060's?
I was thinking about the 6080's but I want to keep the closed loop's to mix up the current a little bit. As well I will have the sump return too.

Thanks

[EmilyB]

:neutral: :confused:

[StirCrazy]

how big are your outlets? and how many of them are there?

Steve

[Doug]

Jon, like you I was never over impressed with my closed loops either. FWIW, I found the difference between the 4MD and the Mak4 was not a great difference. I never ran the 4MD long, but that was my thought.

When I ran a Mak4 and a 3MD closed loop, I still had to run a couple 800 powerheads. Thought I had great current, until I seen a Tunze in action.

Pumps like the Sequence or Ampmaster are another story. Put out some serious current. Like mentioned, one has to watch the seals on the direct drive pumps.

It seems with closed loops, run by Mak4 type pumps, the best way is to run Seaswirls. That seems to give the best current and general water movement through out the tank. However they are costly for us also. :rolleyes:

[Canadian Man]

how big are your outlets? and how many of them are there?

Steve

The outlet's are 1" bulkheads and there are 4 of them(2 on each end of the tank). I tried screwing in a 1" to 1/2" adapter and that didn't do much for the flow.

[Canadian Man]

Thanks doug.
Your post was the one I actually found most intresting on RC as I am in a very similar situation. I guess trying to do an sps 230 is hard.

[Delphinus]

Are we talking about one closed loop here? Or one for each side.

[Doug]

Thanks doug.
I guess trying to do an sps 230 is hard.

:biggrin: How right you are. :biggrin: There are many a day when I think a 25g sps tank sounds more appealing. :confused:

On another note and if thats the same RC post I think it is, I have no regrets about selling my closed loop pumps and switching to the streams. As long as one does not mind them in the tank.

[Canadian Man]

Are we talking about one closed loop here? Or one for each side.

Just one closed loop Tony. one pump on 4 outlet's..
I swithched to the LG this morning and the flow is just a little bit more but not much diffrent :confused:

Doug did you get rid of your closed loop totally and just have the streams?

So I guess I have a few option's here. Tell me which one you all think is best.

1. Keep the closed loop and I will have the sump return and 4 mj1200's on a wave maker in the tank. Obviously there won't be lot's of flow.

2. Keep the closed loop and the sump return and sell the wavemaker and buy 2 of the 1600gph(6060) stream's.

3. get rid of the closed loop and have the sump return and the streams.

Myself at first thought, like option #2 the best. The unfortunate thing about option # 2 is that I have to fork out all the money for the streams. If I just had the streams and sump return I could sell the wavemaker and the closed loop pump and that would pay for the streams. AHHHHH.
What to do, What to do?

[Buccaneer]

Option #4 ... we work out a deal on my 2 Mag 18's with your Mak 4 and some change :smile:

Cheers

[AJ_77]

Sell another bike, and go for option #2.

:eek: What about what Tony mentioned - one pump per pair of outflows?

( And - What about these "penductors?")

[Canadian Man]

Sell another bike, and go for option #2.

:eek: What about what Tony mentioned - one pump per pair of outflows?

( And - What about these "penductors?")

If only it were that easy Alan. I don't make any commision so I could sell 10 more bikes and it won't matter :lol:

The one pump per pair of outflow's sounds good but I would need to take the tank down and drill an intake for the pump. Not sounding fun.

I am thinking about the stream's but I will give it some thought.
I would like to see these penductor thing's when you get one steve.

Sent you a pm steve as well.

cheers

[AJ_77]

If only it were that easy Alan. I don't make any commision so I could sell 10 more bikes and it won't matter :lol:

cheers
I mean, sell off another one of YOUR bikes...

[Delphinus]

The one pump per pair of outflow's sounds good but I would need to take the tank down and drill an intake for the pump. Not sounding fun.


Are you sure? I don't think you necessarily need to drill a new hole for an intake. I don't know when I can come over (not until next week) but I want to look at this with you because I think we can come up with something.

[Canadian Man]

Sure Tony,
Sounds good. I am almost going to order the stream's but I will hold off.

I have a deal pending with steve for 2 mag 18's. How do you feel about that? I'm not sure the mag 18's would be much better with the head pressure. as well they are electricity suckers :eek:

[StirCrazy]

1200 gph will only be a gental current out of two 1" holes. you need an ampmaster to get what you are expecting I think. you can try plug two holes or three and see what the flow is like from 1 pump but remember if you double the size of the hole you increase the flow capability by 4X if i remember that rule properly. I have a magdrive 5 doing the closed loop on my 25 gal an d to get deicent flow i had to go to five 1/4" holes.

Steve

[Aquattro]

Jon, when all is said and done, I know you'll be happy with the streams!!

[Doug]

I like #3

I sold both my 2 Mak4,s and my 3MD pumps. Just like #3, thats how I paid for my Tunze streams.

Thats all that run in my tank. No closed loops anymore. No return pumps. Just the surge from the scrubber, but its only about a gallon dump, every 40 sec.

I do have a Mak4, driving my beckett. But it takes from one overflow and returns to the other, so not much current developed from it.

[Canadian Man]

Thanks all for the insight.

Now a big question do I go with the 6060 stream's or the 6080's. I don't really want the 6080's just because they are more money but if that's the reccomended way to go than so be it.

I guess I kinda wanted to keep the closed loop and have the 2 6060's. I guess if I got rid of the closed loop pump than that would pay for the diffrence to go to the 6080's.

So what will it be 6060 or 6080 :lol:

[Aquattro]

Jon, bigger the better. The 6080s are the way to go if you don't want to pay the big bucks for the 6100 series.

[Doug]

Jon, I have no experience with the others. The two 6080 pumps are about right for my tank, which is the same as yours. :biggrin:

Brad may have something there. If you want a controlled unit, the 6110 produces about 3100gph, {I believe} and can pulse. Perhaps that and one closed loop?

Of course then the 6110 is the same cost as two 6080,s. :confused: :confused: :confused:

Guess it comes down to personal preference. All I can say, is that over the years, I have used darn near everything for current in my tanks, except for the direct drive pumps. Nothing else I have ever used, can hold a candle to my streams or the 6110 streams.

When people come over, {other aquarists}, they are amazed at the current they generate, even the random current that can be achieved. Usually once a day or whenever, I point one of them in another way, which makes a new current completely. Cant do that with closed loops. {well maybe a Seaswirl} :biggrin:

Now for something different. My reef is built low, not the wall thingy. So they make lots of current over the top of the reef. I can also point them towards the front center and they will kick up any sand built up there, so one has to take sandbeds into consideration.

Also my sps are pretty young and have yet to grow into monsters like Brad and others have. :lol: So I dont know how the current will change, when this happens. As its more current than my other methods, I assume all will be fine.

The current from them is totally different than from closed loops. Because of the pumps build, the current spreads out into a wide stream, which is more gentle on the corals yet, sufficient. Now imagine one pump on each end, doing this.

Also because of the large cage, they are safe for snails and the such, climbing on them. During feeding, spirolina or clip algae gets on the intake cage and a night, its a picnic area for shrimps and snails. :lol:

Of course, as I mentioned before, they have the look like large Hagen powerheads in the tank, so you have to be ok with that. My friends call them my outboard boat motors and if you lift one up to waters surface, it sounds exactly like a small outboard, tilted up behind the boat. Same prop chopping the water sound. :biggrin:

During normal operation, they are completely silent and use little power.

[StirCrazy]

Jon, befor you buy anything else, get some internal plugs and drill 1/4" holes in them. stick them in and see how you like it.. if it is to much of a blasting effect then drill the whole a little larger and try again.. keep doing this till you get a current you are happy with. it will cost you $2.00 and some time adjusting and drilling but you like spending you time tinkering anyways I think. if you can not get sastisfactory results by doing this then look at other alternatives. but I also do think the two magdrive 1800 would be better one pump for each 2 outlets.

Steve

[Canadian Man]

Thank's guys.
I tried a similar idea last night steve. I put in a 1" to 1/2" plug and it increased the velocity. I will try the 1/4" hole thing as well. .

I do possible see some 6080 tunze's on the horizion though. I broke the new's last night to the wife :rolleyes: .

one more question. should I ditch the closed loop completly and use just the streams or have the closed loop and the stream's?

Thanks

[Aquattro]

Jon, if you have the closed loop equipment and don't need to sell it to buys streams (or beer), no point in not using it. Next spare pump I find, I''m gonna add a closed loop. Bigger is better!! :razz: