MitchM tank build

[mr.wilson]

Paul's adaptation of his Revolutions product to an inline solution for you is nothing short of pure genius. His best ideas are inspired from specialized requirements like yours.

Lexan will still warp. I have used lots of these lids over the years.

Remember those are the Seaswirl flow limits, not the limits of the Dart to push water through a Seaswirl.

I did a 600 gallon acrylic tank (96x30x48) a few years ago, using two darts on 2 OM 4ways, with a Blueline 100 return pump. Flow was excellent. Use an online head loss calculator to make sue you are getting the best out of your system.

Use threaded parts where you can so it is easier to adapt to change.

[Skimmerking]

Originally Posted by mr.wilson

Paul's adaptation of his Revolutions product to an inline solution for you is nothing short of pure genius. His best ideas are inspired from specialized requirements like yours.

Lexan will still warp. I have used lots of these lids over the years.

Remember those are the Seaswirl flow limits, not the limits of the Dart to push water through a Seaswirl.

I did a 600 gallon acrylic tank (96x30x48) a few years ago, using two darts on 2 OM 4ways, with a Blueline 100 return pump. Flow was excellent. Use an online head loss calculator to make sue you are getting the best out of your system.

Use threaded parts where you can so it is easier to adapt to change.

did you have that motorized valve on there

[mr.wilson]

Originally Posted by Skimmer King

did you have that motorized vlave on there

Huh? I had two Oceans Motion 4-ways. The two Darts worked, but since then I have switched to higher pressure pumps like Iwaki an Abyzz DC brushless if the budget can fit them.

I found that a Blueline 70, rated at 1750 GPH moves more water than a Dart with a potential of 3600 GPH, if you have significant friction loss and 1" PVC.

I also like the idea of a magnet coupled pump. Sequence are the best of the direct drive pumps, but even with silicon carbide seals, they can leak or cavitate after a few years of use.

Here is a picture of the 600 gallon tank showing most of the plumbing. There are two intakes with two strainers on each. Since then I have switched to the same Banjo strainers Mitch is using. The intakes are set up to draw incoming water from the opposing ends of the aquarium, so the left intake returns to the right and vice versa. There are six closed loop returns on the bottom in spiral upwards 45˚ angles. There are four more closed loop returns for a total of ten on the two OM 4-ways (two at the bottom of the end across from the end overflow, and one beside the overflow at the top, and one at the bottom beside the overflow.



There are two closed loop ports to the left of the end overflow (top & bottom).





This is the end without the overflow. The two top ports are for the sump return (Blueline 100) and the two bottom are part of the closed loop. Water exiting here is drawn from the intake at the other end of the tank for additional mixing. The end to end flow across the top assures that there are absolutely no dead spots on the surface. A good test of your system is to add some flake food and see if it either sinks or gets skimmed within 30 seconds. If it gets stuck along the edges, you need to fine tune your plumbing.



My needs were unique with this tank because it is 4' deep/high and as such there is a greater need for moving water to the surface air/water interface for oxygenation.

You learn with every tank. It's one of the rewards of the hobby.

[MitchM]

As I'm not certain as to the success of my proposed setup, I think I'll see how the Dart pumps do before I start saving my pennies for $2000+ pumps.

I realize that the Seaswirl setup is limited by the Seaswirls, not the pump.

My biggest challenge is going to be adequately feeding whatever I keep in the tank for corals. Hopefully I can identify some zones where food will accumulate out of the circulation pattern.

Thanks.

[mr.wilson]

Don't let me talk you out of your Superdart pumps. They will serve you well for a closed loop system. They just need large plumbing and short runs without nozzle restrictions.

Take an extra day or two to play around with the plumbing before you ad salt & rocks. You will quickly see how they perform with the Seaswirls. You will also see how much force you get out of one lone sump return, alternating sides. You have to strike a balance between flow that reaches the opposite end of the tank without blowing the paint off of the corals on the way there

Your sump return line will need some nozzles to diffuse the flow. I would aim for a maximum of 1,000 GPH out of any one return port, but that's just my personal preference.

[MitchM]

I was thinking of 2" sump return lines with no nozzles and a gate valve to control the return flow.
How do you think the Dart would handle that?
The returns would be pointed along the back wall facing each other on opposite ends. No corals would be placed in the direct flow.

[DiverDude]

Originally Posted by mr.wilson

I like the faux rock ! I would mind doing something like that to the back wall of my next tank. Can anyone tell me what this is called and point me at a DIY thread ???

[mr.wilson]

There are lots of threads on aragocrete, spray foam, and epoxy faux rock.

http://reefcentral.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1300282

[MitchM]

Thanks, everyone.
With regards to the actual building progress, my work has taken up pretty much 100% of my building time for the past month.
I think I can get the stand built this coming weekend, but I'm not sure if I will get the actual tank on the stand.
I'm looking forward to designing the back wall that is going to accommodate the mechanical support system.