Circulation Help

[RSTAHLMAN]

I just purchased a 90 gallon reef tank (used) and I need some advice on choosing my powerhead(s). I have read a lot of the posts about the Seio's/maxijets and spraybars, But I would still like some suggestions that meet my budget, application, and appearance of the tank. I currently have 2 Nano Reefs and 1 50Gal Aggressive FO with 2 AQ50's, but from what I have read on this forum, I need WAY more circulation for my 90 Gallon reef.

The current setup: 90 gallon corner drilled reef w/Sealife systems Premier Series 150 Gal wet/dry Berlin sump (dont know model of return pump, mag 9.5 maybe?) with a Sealife Systems Impact Injection skimmer w/Rio 2200 skimmer pump in the wet/dry filter. I do not currently have any powerheads.

Due to a limited budget, I cannot buy 6+ powerheads right now. I just need to get the tank started, then upgrade.

I dont want to ask redundant powerhead/circulation questions like other posts, but I just want to get some ideas and reccomendations about setting up my reef.

My questions are: What are the +/-'s of spraybars? Should I get one? What do I need? I like the clean look of the spraybars, but do not know much about the performance/flow/setup, etc. Is this the closed loop that everyone is tanking about? Do they replace powerheads?

Should I invest in one or two good powerheads like the Seio 845, or a few Maxijet 1200's? Waht about powersweeps, do they provide enough volume?

Ideally, I would just get a bunch of high volume powerheads, but I am running on a limited cash flow, and need to get the water moving.

Let me know if you need any more info/specs, thanks for the suggestions in advance.

Oh, one more thing- The heater that came with it is shot. Any suggestions? Can I lay a 300 Watt titanioum heater in the wet/dry sump? Will it melt the walls of the sump?

thanks-

[Geoff]

First, Welcome to TRT!!



WOW, that is a lot of questions.

was the tank dry when you got it used? ie-no water or critters in it. why do you want to get the tank up and running so fast? if the tank is dry i would really take your time and figure out what you want to keep first than modify the tank around it.

i prefer CLS systems. they keep the look of the tank uncluttered. they can be somewhat complicated or they can be very simple. they do require large pumps though, so cost will be a factor. i would not run a CLS on a tank less than a 55 on anything less than a Mag 12.

spraybars are often incorporated into the CLS. they can be very helpfull when designed correctly. spraybars need an insane amount of water flow in order to work. as in 2' spraybar should be powered by a Mag 12 or more alone.

Seio's seem to be a good thing. i have not tried one yet, but there are a couple of places in my system where they may just fit the bill. for real flow you should prolly look at the Tunze pumps, but they are rather pricey.

as for heaters i like the Ebo-Jagers. i have 4, one of them is 15+ years old and still running. you can place them in the sump. they come with a suction bracket for mounting. the suckers do not work well, but the bracket does act like a nice stand to keep it from touching the sump.

G~

[RSTAHLMAN]

Thanks for the welcome and reply Geoff.

I purchased the tank from a friend who had it in storage for a year or two. I have been spending the last two weeks prepping and cleaning the tank, scraping old algae, flushing it, replacing old hoses with new, etc. I am looking to start filling the tank with water next week sometime. I purchased an RO/DI unit last night to start purifying some H2O. I have PVC laid out for my aquascape. I made a DIY service panel w/GFI, and dedicated EMD/lighting circuits.

I just need some circulation, the the person I purchased it from did not include any. I also verified that the return pump is a PM-5, 500gph, some sort of submersible pond pump. Are CLS maintenance intensive? Would one Tunze cut it or do I need multiple ones?

My plans are to do a reef w/about 100-120lbs of live rock and a couple fish. I will most likely not be doing any stony corals for this tank, I have a 48" PC hood. I am going to prep the rock in a bucket with a powerhead and a skimmer, about 20lbs at a lime. I get a very very low ammonia rise from the live rock in the past at my LFS, so hopefully the same will apply to this tank .

Included with my tank was a 350W Ti heater, but the suction cups are all tore up, and I cant find replacement ones, any ideas? Get a new heater?

Sorry for all the questions, I dont get much help at the LHS, they dont want to deal with the bigger systems.

[Geoff]

sounds like you have a Mag 5 pump. very common and very reliable pump. you might want to take it apart and soak it in vinegar and water to clean the impellor of any calcium carbonate deposits before plugging it in.

as for flow. if you do not want to drill the tank for a CLS, than either the Tunze or the Seio's would be your best bet. they produce the greatest amount of flow per watt. the only drawbacks to them are the price (for the Tunze) and the fact that there are large PH in the tank. other than that they are very nice to have.

could you post a pic of the progress so far? we are very pic hungry here.

depending on the corals you may need to get a stronger light. hard to tell right now, if you can list the wattages of the bulbs, that would help.

i would also suggest replacing the Rio on the skimmer with another pump equivalent. Rio's are notorious for melting down in a tank and releasing an epoxy goo that will kill a tank.

for the heater i really like Ebo-Jager's. they are very inexpensive yet rock solid reliable. that is if you want to get a new one. if not i would suggest just putting tha small piece of LR in the sump and attaching the heater to that. it should keep the heater from touching the acrylic and possibly melting it.

G~

[RSTAHLMAN]

Geoff,

The lighting system is a Hamilton Technology 48" PC 384W. It has 2x 96W PC 10K, and 2x 96W 7.5K lights. Is this sufficient for softies? I do not plan to grow any stony corals right now.

I picked up a RO/DI unit to start filling the tank, I have a city water source LOADED with Phosphates and other garbage.

I will get some pics up soon, I have been doing a lot under the cabinet lately, painting the base, running wires, etc. Next step is choosing a topoff system (suggestions? JBJ?) I picked up a real nice pair of water proof outdoor timers that i rigged up under the tank for the lights. Do I need to put the fan on a timer as well? Or should I let it run 24/7?

I grabbed 1 SEIO powerhead off ebay and found 2 new Aquaclear 4000 powereads for $24. They arent the best ones I've seen, but they put out some h20 and were within my budget right now. The only problem is that they are not very flexible as far as aiming, it's either pointing forward, or horizontally, no in between. I will upgrade down the road.

I got the heater situation straightened out, found some suction cups laying around.

thanks for the suggestions, I will snap some pics and post them soon.

[Geoff]

that lighting sounds pretty good for softies.

you can do the algae magnet Powerhead trick. velcro the PH to one of those magnet algae scrappers and you can move it around the tank whenever you need to blow on some areas.

sounds like you are doing your research and choosing accordingly.

for water top off there are several options. the JBJ looks quite nice actually. i prefer to plumb mine directly into the water filter. i am planning doing a DIY group project for this in the future, so you might want to keep your eyes open for that.

G~

[RSTAHLMAN]

Well, to be honest with you, safety of operation is my main concern with the topoff setup because of a few reasons. 1) I rent, and thus I am liable for water/electrical damage, 2) I have about $8K worth of AV/Stereo equipment about 3 feet away from my 90g tank, REALLY dont want that stuff to get wet/shorted. and 3) I just dont want to worry about a pump staying on, float getting stuck, etc. I am looking for a failure proof setup if possible.

Also, to touch on the earlier post of mine, i was reading the Lighting Discussion thread and I dont think my bulbs are 10K and 7.5K as thought. One set of lights is a very soft white (10K maybe?), but the other is defiantely at the other end of the spectrum, it is very blue, and from what I have understood, blue lights are in the 20K range. Correct me if I am wrong. Is there any way to find the kelvin ratings of my bulbs? they are referred to as PC and not HO/VHO/T5's, correct?

Any idea on the fan? Should it be on all the time or cycled with the lights?

[Geoff]

that is why i have my top off connected to the water filter itself. i have a triple redundant system. i have a float switch that controlls a normally closed solenoid. so in order for water to enter the system it has to be charged. no power outage flooding should occur. where the water enters the sump i have a float valve. if the water level ever gets to this valve the pressure of the water will keep more water from entering the system. if for some reason water were to hit the floor from some other source, or even if the float switch and float valve fail there is a leak detector that when it senses water it will shut off all water to the water filter before it even gets near the system. i feel this is about as good as i can get within reason. i also do not want my Acoustats to get wet.

flourescents tend to come in actinic, 10k and 50/50. my guess is that you have the 10k's and actinics. actinics are even bluer than 20k's.

is the fan for cooling the tank, or for cooling the lights? if for cooling the lights than run it only when the lights are on. if for cooling the tank than it depends on how hard it is to keep the tank cool. most people only run them when the lights are on since these are the greatest head producers. it is important if you plan on running a fan in the cabinet that there is good air exchange between the air in the cabinet and the air outside the cabinet. if the humidity is to high in the cabinet than you will not get that much evaporative cooling and the fan will not be as effective.

G~

[dkh0331]

For your top off, I have used a double switch controller from autotopoff.com for a while.
http://www.autotopoff.com/products.html
Knock on wood, never an issue with it. Even with my sump in my basement, snails make their way into my sump. One did get into the lower switch and when the water level reached the second one, it turned the pump off, as designed.

Connected to the controller is an AquaLifter pump.
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...Category_Code=

For $10, it is a great little pump. I've used it for going on three years for kalk top off and again, knock on wood, never a problem.

HTH

David