what would you do

Lets say you have a 90g that can be plumbed to the basement and now knowing all you know, how would you set the system up? What would you use for lighting and filtering?

BTW...What is a closed loop system and how do you go about doing it?

 

Good morning!

I'm not sure what you mean by 'plumbed into the basement', however a closed system is basically when water is taken out of the aquarium and fed directly into an external pump and then returned to the tank. The return to the aquarium can be through a hole that is drilled into the side of the aquarium or simply over the back with a plastic pipe. Some advantages to this method are:

+ You can move a great deal of water without a lot of noise.

+ There is less heat gain to the aquarium. This system is less unsightly since you don’t have pumps in the aquarium.

+ You don’t have to worry about the suction cups that hold the powerheads to the glass wearing out and potentially damaging a coral head with a rough jet of water.

If you are referring to utilizing a refugium / sump in your basement as opposed to directly under the aquarium (say for example, in a tank stand cabinet), I would say "go for it"! When working at the Smithsonian, all of our filtration and refugiums were actually located in a large room above the displays that the public saw.

I hope that this gives a bit of insite into your question?

Good luck with everything and let me know how it goes!

~ Clifton

 

If your comfy with putting a sump/fuge in your basement, DO IT! :jealous: lol

 

Well for the basics, a protein skimmer is a must for filtration. If you go to the newest review on this site da colts reviewed a skimmer that he's really happy with...he's got pics too. Don't skimp on the skimmer (like I did) since it will probably be your primary source of filtration.
As for lighting, either T5 or metal halide. Depending on what you believe, T5 is either as good as or not quite as good as MH. On the plus side it is cooler, uses less power, and is less expensive. Bad news is it can be harder to set up and maintain. Some people say you can only keep really picky sps under MH, but others say T5 is ok too. Personally, I have a T5 unit and am really happy with it. Maybe Covey will post further on the lighting aspect, he's done both MH and T5.

 

Well lighting will depend on corals but I personally would go with a 48" AquaMedic Dual HQI and Dual T5 fixture. They are inexpensive when compared to other brands. If you are planning SPS, go with the Dual 250W if LPS or softies, go with the Dual 150.

I would love to be able to plumb down to a basement. My suggestions, get two sumps by Rubbermaid from Tractor Supply like these Tractor Supply Company - POLY TANKS. Go with a larger one as the main sump and a shallow one for a fuge. That is what I would do. That will give you more water volume for stability. Then I would find a skimmer that you like, ASM Skimmers, MyReefCreations.com, Deltec, etc. Then you should be set with the exception of pumps. Now remember, you will have some major head to fight so you will need a pressure pump.

Mike

 

I've got one of those 100 gallon rubbermaids for my sump and I love it. Super durable.

 

I like that rubbermaid. Thanks. I will use that for the sump and a 29g I have in the garage for the refugium (if I feel brave enough to glue or weld it).