72 Gallon bowfront, help me put it together!

Hey everyone,

I came across a deal on craigslist that I couldn't pass up on this 72gal bowfront tank. I got the tank, stand, an acrylic sump, return pump, 4x96watt PC lights, and a Top Fathom skimmer.

I wanted to get some input from some of the members here on how I should put the tank together, I already have a 55 gal. salt water tank, but have only had it running for a few months, so I'm still a total n00b. ;D

My goal for this tank is to be able to have fish, liverock, and some easy/hardy/low maintenance corals and polyps. I don't mind doing weekly water changes or checking water params, but I want to avoid having to purchase crazy special food for the tank, as well as avoid having to do any target feeding.

So now onto my questions. The first question I have is about flow. It seems like its hard to have too much flow in a tank. It sounded like the previous owner of this tank just used the sump return pump. It didn't sound like he used any power heads. The tank has a 1" drain into the sump, I couldn't find a GPH on the return pump, but its return is going to have to match the drain into the sump. I'm thinking I'm going to need more flow then just that, and I'd also like to avoid power heads. I've read about closed loop systems, how do you feel about them? Do you think they're too much extra work just to avoid a few unsightly power heads in the tank? What size/GPH pump would you suggest? My concern is how loud are these pumps? A loud pump wouldnt be acceptable in my living room.

Also how should I run my return from the sump back into the tank. The previous owner just had one flexable 'lock line' that shot water back into the tank. Attached is a photo of some PVC pipe I hooked up to it and drilled holes all along it on various sides (Is this what they call a spray bar?). Do you think type of return would be better then just a single outlet?

 

return looks like a spraybar setup, they work pretty well as givin you the ability to not have dead spots in the tank for no flow issues as long as you use a strong enough pump

 

You'll just need a really beefy pump to return it all. I forgot the GPH of certain pipe diameters, but I'm sure someone else will chime in. You will probably have to do some modification, however. It'll be sweet when you get things dialed in properly though!

 

So you guys def. think the spray bar I setup is better then just one single return outlet? I thought it seemed like a better idea for reducing dead spots. The pipe that runs along the top of the tank is 3/4", and the pipes that run vertically down into the tank are 1/2" with end caps on the end (so I dont blow water directly into the sand)

 

some people swear by spray bars, some swear by a single or dual outlet and accellerators, I use a dual outlet with flow directors on my 90 gallon but I also have a single Koralia 4 in the tank for additional flow

 

It looks like my return pump is a Mag-Drive Supreme 9.5 950 GPH.

Does anyone know much about the topfathom skimmers? Are they decent? It looks like I'm missing the venturi and air valve for it, I'll need to find a place where I can source that part.