Hello, I'm new here at these forums but from what I've read you all seem like a knowledgeable lot so I thought I'd ask here.
The following is a summary the the SW reef tank I plan to install.
Location of aquarium:
To be installed into a wall partially separating two rooms. 3 sides of the aquarium will be visible. Access panels will be built into one side of the wall.
Main tank:
Roughly, the dimensions would be 72"x30"18" (LxWxH). The height and width are not set in stone so its volume would be about 180~250G size.
Now the problem here is in plumbing and water movement...
I want the overflow boxes located only on the left side of the tank hidden from view. I don't want to obstruct the view on the right side
The returns from the sump will run through the wall on the left side, over the tank (hidden from view) and empty out on the right side. Partially visible, but still acceptable. This means that the water will have to be pumped through about 10' of pipe to get from the sump to the main tank.
*Here is where I need advice:
How strong a pump will i need to achieve this?
Would a dual sump design be better? Or does combining two smaller water pumps have no effect on the distance water can travel through a pipe?
Given the location of the overflow boxes and return pipes from the sump, how can I achieve adequate water movement for filtration and corals while minimizing the use of powerheads?
How much live rock is needed? I want to start with some base rock and seed it with live rock.
How much sand is needed?
Thanks for reading!
The following is a summary the the SW reef tank I plan to install.
Location of aquarium:
To be installed into a wall partially separating two rooms. 3 sides of the aquarium will be visible. Access panels will be built into one side of the wall.
Main tank:
Roughly, the dimensions would be 72"x30"18" (LxWxH). The height and width are not set in stone so its volume would be about 180~250G size.
Now the problem here is in plumbing and water movement...
I want the overflow boxes located only on the left side of the tank hidden from view. I don't want to obstruct the view on the right side
The returns from the sump will run through the wall on the left side, over the tank (hidden from view) and empty out on the right side. Partially visible, but still acceptable. This means that the water will have to be pumped through about 10' of pipe to get from the sump to the main tank.
*Here is where I need advice:
How strong a pump will i need to achieve this?
Would a dual sump design be better? Or does combining two smaller water pumps have no effect on the distance water can travel through a pipe?
Given the location of the overflow boxes and return pipes from the sump, how can I achieve adequate water movement for filtration and corals while minimizing the use of powerheads?
How much live rock is needed? I want to start with some base rock and seed it with live rock.
How much sand is needed?
Thanks for reading!
