Paul's new build.

reefkeeper2

Well-Known Member
BRS Member
I guess it's time to get started on this. I'll begin with the basic info on the new tank, the timeline and then talk about what I've done so far.
The new tank is being manufactured by Reef Savy. It's dimensions are 96x36x28 . I believe that's about 420 gallons. Low iron glass on three sides with a black back panel. I got all the bells and whistles, namely armoured seams , floating glass bottom and ghost overflow. I asked for a single 1+1/2 inch return on the center top of the tank. I'll talk more about that when I explain how I'm planning circulation in the tank.
As far as the stand goes, I think I'm going to go with an aluminum extruded stand. They are light, strong and have a modern look. I plan on mounting grow lights and mirror backgrounds to it so I have a place to grow my orchids beneath the tank.I did something like this many years ago and I really loved the look of plants growing beneath the tank.
So far I have been slowly removing coral from the display, fragging it and placing them in their new digs in the basement where they will stay until next spring when the new tank arrives.
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I have bleached and power washed a lot of rock. Right now I'm at the R/O soak stage, although there is another batch in a vat in the back yard that is just starting with bleach. I'm using a TDS meter on the water where the rock is soaking in R/O. The water is at zero when I start, but climbs as the days pass. When I get it to stay closer to zero, I'll know it's ready.
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Next week I hope to do an experiment with a modification I'm making to a gyre pump to improve flow in the new tank. I'll make a video of that. The journey begins!
 

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So I have the tank drained and the fish relocated to their temporary digs. Its a bit tight for the larger fish in the 75 gal. The rest of the fish are spread out into the two frag tanks. I can only catch a glimpse of the ones in the tank that holds the anemone. This is the way its got to be till next april.
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What a time getting the sand out of this and I still have more to go. This week or next All Things Aquatic is coming to take it away. Then I have to demolish the stand and fix the tile on the floor. Good Bye tank it was a great run and I won't forget you.
 
Time for a quick update. The stand has arrived and I'm excited to put it together. The tile on the floor has not been fixed yet so I have to wait. :( I am trying to decide what turnaround rate I want through the sump. This is turning out to be a big deal and I'm kinda losing my mind over it. Felix from Reef Savy says I need an internal overflow with larger drains or I should go with two ghost overflows to get flow 10X the tank volume an hour. Thats 4000gph. Scott from Royal Exclusive says I should keep the flow around 1200 gph for the fleese filter to work efficiently. Sooooo, I either reduce the turnaround to accommodate the fleese filter, or I go with conventional sump with filter socks. Personally I think 4000gph is way over the top, and 12000 is a bit too low. What kind of turnaround do people strive for nowadays? I always thought if your flow inside the tank was good ( powerheads) then what came up from the sump was not that important.
 
I don’t recall the exact number, but when I had the FMM module the flow sensor was only showing around 300 or 400 GPH for my Vectra S1 (1400 GPH) running at 100%. There are 3 elbows from the return pump to the return nozzle, sump is under the tank in the stand.

Have you considered 2 return pumps in the chance of a pump failure?
 
I tend to agree with your last statement. As long as the in tank flow is adequate, the sump turnover is less important. You still want something sizeable but 4000gph is pretty intense.
 
I don’t recall the exact number, but when I had the FMM module the flow sensor was only showing around 300 or 400 GPH for my Vectra S1 (1400 GPH) running at 100%. There are 3 elbows from the return pump to the return nozzle, sump is under the tank in the stand.

Have you considered 2 return pumps in the chance of a pump failure?
I have a backup pump in case of failure. The output of my pump (RE 250watt ) with 9 feet of head and one elbow will be approximately 3000gal/hr according to the graph from Royal Exclusive. So at full output I would need two ghost overflows. If I adjust it down to 1200gal/hr I would only need one. I can't make up my mind which way to go.
 
Triton method recommends 10x minimum, but that’s usually expensive and loud.

“One final consideration for the sump is the return pump, this should be capable of providing a minimum flow of 10x the volume of the system through the sump per hour taking into account for head loss and any taps for reactors etc. Too much flow through the sump could reduce the efficiency of the algae bed and the skimmer however.”
 
Those royal exclusive sumps are beautiful, it would be a shame to not find a solution that includes that option. What about two sumps ( one for each overflow) the second being be a triton style display refugium? Btw the you tube videos of your old tank were amazing. Thanx for those.
 
So far the people I've asked who have the large fleece filters have a flow of about 1000-1500 gal/hr. This is the amount Scott at RE recommended to me. So if I go the fleece filter route, high flow through the sump is not recommended unless I have a bypass from the filter. Not all the water is filtered in this scenario. Not sure I like this idea of bypassing the filter.
I'm also considering skipping the fleece filter altogether and using filter cups with floss in place of socks. This saves money up front and in the future because floss is cheap compared to fleece roll refills. Kevin at All Things Aquatic suggested this as that's what they do.
The real benefit of the fleece roll is not just convenience. If it is working properly, waste is removed from the system quicker than when using socks or floss so there isn't much time for it to decompose and release nutrients back into the water. I have a lot of options and even more thinking to do.
 
Excited to watch this new build! BRS recommends 3-5x turnover through the sump nowadays last I looked and Ryan is using the RE sump and filter roller on his new 360 gallon Reef Savvy build right now. I would definitely go that route. Check out his build series videos if you haven’t seen them already.
 
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