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.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

Number one, is that it made a lot of noise.

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.

This is definitely true. The giant pumps used for CL are noisy. Powerheads are easier to deal with. CL though can be invisible.

[e46er]

i originally had my tank drilled for CL the pump seal crapped out and i havent got around to replacing it. I now have 4 jaebo RW8 that draw at max like 15-20 W each, 2 are on random and 2 are on wave but low setting so im assuming im drawing roughly 40 watts average for 5-6000gph with zero noise on the low side vs 100 watts for 2500 gph and constant hum.
my next tank will not have a CL but im also not opposed to a few cords in the tank which is a major benifit of a CL

[Sidius]

Does anyone have any thoughts about the protein skimmer debate?

I'm sure that topic has been beaten to death, so for that I'm sorry, it's just a tough choice. I really do like the Vertex Alpha... it's just so expensive. A used one is still the same or more than a brand new SRO