Reef setup at our job

how many returns does your tank have? i have 2, both have loc lines on them and split. so its 4 directions it shoots the water. after owning one i can say i dont think these tanks are meant for any corals that need high flow. since when i turn the water flow up it creates a lot of water splashing noise.
i was told they were originally made for displaying clams

 

Hey, guys!
If I see correctly on picture #7 there is a mangrove that its sprout is totally submerged in the water. The mangroves need to "breathe" air just like any other tree/plant once it puts out leaves. I would definitely raise it so the branch that comes out of the main mangrove body, and maybe 1 inch of the mangrove cylindrical body are out of the water and taking air in. Mangroves are great for phosphate removal, by the way, so they would also help keep nuisance algae in check.

As for the algae you scrub off the acrylic, I hope you're doing it with an acrylic scraper and not a glass one. My LFS didn't even ask me if my tank was glass of acrylic when I bought my mag-float scraper. Usually if the mag float is gray, it is designed for glass and will scratch acrylic over time, where the acrylic version is kind of greenish looking.
Same with cleaning pads. If they're blue, they're for glas, if white they're for acrylic. Just a pointer... just in case. Those tanks are very expensive and it looks like you are all doing a great job!!

Keep up the good work! Hope the boss gets into it too.. then all of you will have awesome fun upgrading equipment and corals!

Cheers!

 

It sounds like we have the same setup as you with the returns (4 directions). We really aren't concerned with any splashing noise since it's in a lobby, and the floating ball makes more annoying noise than any water flow anyway. We also have a fountain in the lobby which everyone thinks the sound of water is relaxing. We too have an 1800 gph pump, but with all the elbows, I'd be surprised if we're getting 700GPH at full blast. Our "distortion" occur's at least mid way down the glass for the most part.

 

Thanks magnus, eventually those mangroves were fried by the (2) MH lights. We don't have them anymore. We are keen on the acrylic scrapers. You've got to be very careful with those too, since one grain of sand in an acryic pad could do a lot of damage.

 

i would think you would have more returns than me since the size of the tank is double. i can see that creating a problem with flow inside the tank. so you dont have the valve to adjust water flow?

i just took pictures of my sump i will load them into my profile.

 

I hear ya. When sand gets in between it can even damage glass. I just thought I'd give you a heads up.

As far as the elbows, they will in fact reduce the flow. Every elbow the water comes across, adds "resistance" and every turn contributes to the loss of flow. With a Mag 1800 you should most definitely get more than 700GPH, IMO. I would re-think the whole plumbing issue and hire a pro to install it, making him aware of this issue and that you want the least amount of "flow restriction" as possible. Also have a ball-valve or gate valve (later one for better flow control) to manage the amount of flow. Valving the return is the way almost everyone does the flow control. I do believe that it is always wiser to have extra flow, with the ability to slow it down at will. This way you can test to get the better look out of this tank.

+1 on the screen for night time to avoid midnight surfers. I also believe like you, that the water distortion would be cause by too little flow, remember that water is "free falling" so you have to have enough flow to keep up with the acceleration it would have down the wall.

I would contact Zero-Edge's customer care line, for this questions, since I'm only guessing here. I've seen them work, but never owned one. one would say I'm miss-informing, so take things with a grain of salt and call the manufacturer to be absolutely sure!! The elbows slowing down the flow is a fact, though. You could ask them what would be the best plumbing design and return pump combination for your tank's size.

Congrats again, and I'm glad you are all doing your parts to keep this beautiful tank looking good.

- Mag.

 

i use a credit card. its great to get along the sand line. since its corners are rounded and doesnt pick up sand to scratch the acrylic. i also don't use my mag float unless it has felt pads on it . i use the felt glove they make for cleaning acrylic tanks, i just cut it to the size of my mag float. and put a piece on each side. i was told i could just by felt. but i think why chance it. i change these little home made covers with each use, just incase i picked up a piece of sand.

 

Yeah, we do have a ball valve, forgot to add that info, but it's wide open.
thank you all for the info and help. I really think that bouncing ideas and thoughts off of others, helps with understanding a great deal more.
I'll update this thread probably tomorrow with picture updates, plus some other things we've been doing with the tank.

 

Nice tank and good job guys. these tanks are awesome the lfs that i go to has 1 of them, i think it is a 3x3. he keeps in it all the Australian corals with bright colors. i like it because the surface is relatively still and you can practically look at the tank from 5 sides.
the evaporation should be crazy on that thing, how many gallons top off/day?

 

Roughly 20 gallons every 5 days. We have a 20 Gal resevoir. In the summer it is less, winter more.