Newbie looking for feedback

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by Sidius

In the spirit of burning out all you wonderful people offering me advice, I'll ask another qestion. This time it's regarding the closed loop system I was planning.

Not sure why you even want the complexity, expense, and noise of a CLS. I had one in my tank initially (inherited the system), and while it was very powerful and provided good water circulation, it also had a couple major drawbacks that I really didn't like.

Number one, is that it made a lot of noise. Not the type that is obviously loud, but it had a steady hum that could be heard/felt upstairs (pump is downstairs) and throughout much of the house. Did everything I could to make the pump quiet with the mounting and pipes, but could not get rid of that hum/vibration.

And the other real PITA was having to regularly clean the inlet inside the tank. I had an easily removal PVC pipe at the inlet with many holes drilled in it. These had to be small enough not to suck in tank inhabitants or other more solid matter from your tank. But coralline algae loved it, and other crap would gather at this spot, and it required regular attention and cleaning.

I eventually decommissioned it and just use in-tank powerheads. They are much more efficient at moving water, and can be repositioned easily as required. They also use a lot less power, and can be programmed to provide variable flow patterns. No noise and they are easier to clean.

Anyway, just some things to think about with a CLS.