1100 Gallon Equipment Suggestions...?

[0MNSH1ZLLC]

Pulling the trigger on a custom 1100 gallon 72x60x60, this will be a fish only system.

Looking for some equipment suggestions on the following:

Skimmer
UV or Ozone (I'm taking the APEX off my 230)
Bio Reactor
Overflow (to be drilled)
Return Pump
Lights

Thanks!

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

Pulling the trigger on a custom 1100 gallon 72x60x60, this will be a fish only system.

Looking for some equipment suggestions on the following:

Skimmer
UV or Ozone (I'm taking the APEX off my 230)
Bio Reactor
Overflow (to be drilled)
Return Pump
Lights

Thanks!

are you planning dive lessons with that? 5feet deep might want a sunroof for natural light. Sounds like you need large grow lights like Spider Farmer.
What fish we planning in that?

 

[piranhaman00]

Those are crumby dimensions for that size tank. Go longer and shallower

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

Share photos! That sounds like quite the project!

 

[0MNSH1ZLLC]

are you planning dive lessons with that? 5feet deep might want a sunroof for natural light. Sounds like you need large grow lights like Spider Farmer.
What fish we planning in that?

Spider Farmer sounds great, need to get smart on those.

Taking my current stock into new tank, a few of them are starting to approach the 1-foot territory. Want to add some large Tangs that m Sohal currently wouldn't allow. Dussimeri, Blonde Naso, Achilles, Unicorn, Clown. Not too into sharks and rays but definitely will have a blue spotted and a banded cat. A few more large Angels, Tuskfish, Scrawled Tilefish, Golden Puffer. Wanted to do a school of Jacks or Look Downs but need to do my research first.

All large fish essentially.

Those are crumby dimensions for that size tank. Go longer and shallower

My thought is I could spend a ton on a cabinet or hide the plumbing behind a wall and just put this monster on the ground. For context I have a very large garage that needs to be finished, this is going in there.

 

[piranhaman00]

Spider Farmer sounds great, need to get smart on those.

Taking my current stock into new tank, a few of them are starting to approach the 1-foot territory. Want to add some large Tangs that m Sohal currently wouldn't allow. Dussimeri, Blonde Naso, Achilles, Unicorn, Clown. Not too into sharks and rays but definitely will have a blue spotted and a banded cat. A few more large Angels, Tuskfish, Scrawled Tilefish, Golden Puffer. Wanted to do a school of Jacks or Look Downs but need to do my research first.

All large fish essentially.



My thought is I could spend a ton on a cabinet or hide the plumbing behind a wall and just put this monster on the ground. For context I have a very large garage that needs to be finished, this is going in there.

The problem is you are using this 1100 gallons as a guideline for stocking. Your footprint is still only 30ft2. 12” fish will want more room and schooling jacks/lockdowns would never work. Just my thoughts.

 

[blaxsun]

UV - probably one of the larger dual AquaUltraviolet setups. Ozone would definitely be Poseidon.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Abyzz for Pumps and close loops and/or add Tunze 6255 as powerheads

 

[BZOFIQ]

Those are crumby dimensions for that size tank. Go longer and shallower

Agreed, I'd look into more floor space and shallower rather than a column look

 

[jda]

My general thoughts on these type of setups are to ONLY listen to people who have done this before. The folks with their cubes and 120g or even 240g tanks mean well with their suggestions, but they just don't know that what they do does not often times scale.

Larger sump with room for tall equipment. More than one skimmer - a pair of 600g skimmers will often outperform a single 1200g skimmer. ASM G5 x2 is a good start that you can probably afford and also they REALLy work well. Large AC pumps like AmpMaster or the ones that @14 foot reef uses that I am forgetting right now that seem to be lasting well - I would avoid ReeFlo that just don't seem to last.

Lights will not matter at all, so just get what you can afford - I have had anywhere from Shop lights with aquarium bulbs in them to currently have a LED Honeywell Shop light over my current FOWLR. Chinese black boxes would be good. Whatever.

In tanks that size, Mag 9.5/12/18 or Fluval/Laguna return pumps as power heads are amazing. Eductor can add even more flow. There are some great flow pumps out there like Phanta Rei or Tunze MasterStreams, but just know that a MP60 or the largest "normal" Tunze or Gyre will move some water but not as much as you think. The AC return pump as a powerhead can get you buy while you save up and the bit of heat that they produce can offset some of the wattage of running them.

Go to the huge tank forum and see what they use.

 

[BZOFIQ]

My general thoughts on these type of setups are to ONLY listen to people who have done this before. The folks with their cubes and 120g or even 240g tanks mean well with their suggestions, but they just don't know that what they do does not often times scale.

Larger sump with room for tall equipment. More than one skimmer - a pair of 600g skimmers will often outperform a single 1200g skimmer. ASM G5 x2 is a good start that you can probably afford and also they REALLy work well. Large AC pumps like AmpMaster or the ones that @14 foot reef uses that I am forgetting right now that seem to be lasting well - I would avoid ReeFlo that just don't seem to last.

Lights will not matter at all, so just get what you can afford - I have had anywhere from Shop lights with aquarium bulbs in them to currently have a LED Honeywell Shop light over my current FOWLR. Chinese black boxes would be good. Whatever.

In tanks that size, Mag 9.5/12/18 or Fluval/Laguna return pumps as power heads are amazing. Eductor can add even more flow. There are some great flow pumps out there like Phanta Rei or Tunze MasterStreams, but just know that a MP60 or the largest "normal" Tunze or Gyre will move some water but not as much as you think. The AC return pump as a powerhead can get you buy while you save up and the bit of heat that they produce can offset some of the wattage of running them.

Go to the huge tank forum and see what they use.

His tank is not that large that somebody's experience with a 240 Gallon tank wouldn't matter. The tank is ONLY 6 foot long - and its a fish only setup.

Clearly based on volume alone he'd need large skimmers and large sumps, but large AC pumps are cumbersome, LOUD and inefficient, A pair of A200 or A400 would have done a perfect job on a tank like his.

I disagree with using dated Mag pumps as powerheads or Laguna pumps made for ponds for that matter.

You're right about Panta Rei or Tunze MasterStreams but at 6' long they are overkill. If you have seen the Tunze 6255 in action you'd change your mind. I bought 2 for 7 foot 270G setup and they nearly pushed water out of the tank, a few in 6x5 fish only setup would be more than plenty.

 

[jda]

Have you had a tank that size? Maybe you have. I have, and larger. I also haveTunze 6255 in my 240 which are good, but over powered. BTW - a Mag 9.5 will move more water as a powerhead than a 6255 will. There are 8 foot spans in a tank like this and more like 10 if you want to angle the pumps down a bit. These deep and tall tanks also have more rock interruption than even a 30x30 depth and height tank. The extra size is exponential and not at all linear.

Seriously, put a Mag in the tank, hold it up against the glass and plug in in. If being dated is the only reason not to use something, that it likely not a good reason. This is a VERY reliable and cost effective way to move water in large tanks while you save for something else.

AmpMaster or the newer pump on that 14 Foot Reef uses are no more power than an Abyzz and if it is, it is like 30 years to pay the price difference - check it out.

This is kinda what I was talking about. Folks don't know until they have tried this. It does not scale. I just doesn't.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Have you had a tank that size? Maybe you have. I have, and larger. I also haveTunze 6255 in my 240 which are good, but over powered. BTW - a Mag 9.5 will move more water as a powerhead than a 6255 will. There are 8 foot spans in a tank like this and more like 10 if you want to angle the pumps down a bit. These deep and tall tanks also have more rock interruption than even a 30x30 depth and height tank. The extra size is exponential and not at all linear.

I have not had a 6x5x5 tank, neither would I ever choose to have one. If I had the space I would go long while keeping width between 32-36" (unless accessible from both sides) and height of 24-27. Say 120x36x27 would probably be a perfect size for me.

With 6x5x5, at a certain angle to reach max span, pointed diagonally, ~8 feet of unobstructed flow. 6255 would handle it perfectly, provided it would attach through glass/acrylic with its magnet rated at 1.25"

Using Pumps internally to replace powerheads seems like an ugly solution from 2 decades ago when mag pumps were a thing. If this is your thing, I won't judge. I am not even sure how that would be mounted, even though I've been in the hobby in that era.

In today's day and age its more about Panta Rhei, Abyzz, Tunze, etc but again, we are talking about fish-only setup - you need just enough flow to keep detritus in suspension to be removed out of the system.

Seriously, put a Mag in the tank, hold it up against the glass and plug in in. If being dated is the only reason not to use something, that it likely not a good reason. This is a VERY reliable and cost effective way to move water in large tanks while you save for something else.

I would never put a mag in the tank to use as powerhead. How do you even hide that in your display?
They were also notorious for heat transfer, depending on ones' situation this would require a chiller and add to cost, both initial and ongoing.

AmpMaster or the newer pump on that 14 Foot Reef uses are no more power than an Abyzz and if it is, it is like 30 years to pay the price difference - check it out.

Which pumps specifically are you comparing? Can one even compare? Do you have any experience with A200 or A400? Besides, what 14 foot tank are you referring to? What does length of tank have to do with a return pump?

Please help me understand your logic.

 

[jda]

Of course I have done all of this. This is how I know that stuff from a 240-300 does not scale. Had a400 - a friend has it now.

Abyzz on boostmode at 420 watts flows 6060 GPH at a cost of $3200. But this is more of a 4800-5000 GPH pump at about 400w. This is a high wattage pump, but it performs like one and can really do some high head.

I remembered what 14 foot uses... MRC 6100 moves 6100 gallons at 366 watts at a cost of $650.

These two are not even close. Are we really even arguing this?

Have you ever seen a phanta rei or MasterStream in a tank? Nobody is hiding these very well either. If nobody wants to use a return pump as a powerhead because of looks, then fine... but lets not discount the performance for folks who just have to move water and cannot afford a pump or two that could cost several thousand of dollars and don't use any less power and often more.

BTW - it is really cool to see fish swim all four ways instead of back and forth. On of my favorite tanks that I took care of was 8x8x8. To each their own.

 

[o2manyfish]

If this is going in a garage, and you are going to spend the cost of the materials to go 60deep and 60 tall. Then why not give the tank some length. Your collection of fish and those you want to add include some big constantly moving tangs.

Assuming this isn't going to be just a box of water, you are going to have some pile of aquascaping in the middle of the tank.

I think building a tank this size for tangs in particular and not providing swimming length is flawed. An Achilles can cross 8' of water in the blink of an eye. Your tank only has room for it to move 8' if it goes diagonally and there are no obstructions blocking it. With these type of fish, which are highly neurotic, not giving them a larger swim length might lead to issues.

Also in a tank of these dimensions when you talk about Naso's, Vlamingi, Unicorn, Dusimerri. And a clown and Sohal, you have a tank where these larger fish won't be able to build up enough speed to escape a psychotic Sohal or Clown tang. One of the beauties of a fish like a blond naso, or a vlamingi and unicorn is watching these fish cruise with the big long streamers. These are fish that are going to aim towards 2' in length + streamers, not giving them room to cruise and stretch out on occassion, when making this kind in investment of time and money seems short sighted.

For tanks in this gallonage there are options - as mentioned above - for the types of equipment. Yes you could spend $650 on an external pump and get equivalent performance of a DC pump. But AC pumps don't have the same Longevity as DC Pumps. Abyzz come with a 10 year warranty - FInd another product in the aquarium hobby that has that kind of faith in their product.

Using a DC pump allows you to place the pump internally in the sump. This alleviate a hole in the sump that has the potential to leak. But more importantly removes the 1000% guaranteed event of a pump seal blowing. Sometimes you catch a seal starting to leak, and sometimes it blows and empties the entire sump onto the floor of the room.

For me personally noise is a huge issue and I'm very sensitive to slight noises. Sitting in a garage with a few big AC pumps humming along and whining would ruin the enjoyment of my aquarium (regardless of dimensions .

For moving the water inside the tank there are several options. Because this is a fish only you need the water moving but not necessarrily chaotically. So perhaps using a bulkhead in each corner and looking at a closed loop pump. Whether AC or DC, would keep you from having to have anything hanging down into the tank and make those 60x60 dimensions look alot better. Using a closed loop with the new inline pump from Panta Rhei, you get a closed loop system that sits flush in the bottom of the tank, pushes a ton of water Something like 12kgph, and then when you want, the pump (being DC) reverses direction and blows all that water in the opposite direction. 2 of these going from corner to corner could provide a great amount of flow. And with fish like the Achilles and the Sohal having a strong current for them will make them alot happier.

When I was running my Surge tank I had a 9 sec flow rate out a 2" pipe with a flow of Approx 22,000 gph. And the Achilles would sit in front of the surge outlet just waiting to fight that current.


As for overflow designs for this tank - Do you picture this tank sitting out in the middle of the room, or up against the wall. Do you want to be able to walk around 4 sides or just 3. I would think 4 side walk around would be cool, and would look at a center tower overflow. Building an overflow large enough for maybe triple 2" drains, double 1.5" or 2" returns and a 2" dry stack. With the dry stack you could bring pump cords up through the bottom of the tank and mount pumps on the overflow and keep the wires out of sight.


Lighting - Depends how bright you want it to be at the bottom foot of the tank.

Skimmer, I believe having one correctly sized skimmer is better than 2 skimmers. Ease of maintenance alone makes up for any 'potential' benefits 2 skimmers may have. However numerous studies have found that 1 skimmer is more effective when skimming than 2 - Things like surface tension, and other cool hydro parameters come into effect which are outside my scope of knowledge. Companies Like MRC, RK2, and the big Bubble Kings could all fit the bill.

Ozone - You will be looking for ozonizers from Ozotech or Clearlife. While most people will recommend a compact little box, take some time to edcuate yourself on a bigger ozonizer. While compact units may claim outputs of 300-500 mg/hr - A) Don't believe any of those values posted on Amazon B) That's under the most ideal conditions - Which means 0 humidity in the air. The small coronal discharge units are compact and priced right. But they have a pretty short lifespan. Getting a year out of a cheap unit would be an accomplishment. Getting a few years out of an actual aquarium ozonizer would be hopeful and over time the output drops off significantly. Getting a unit with a built in air dryer and dehumidifier thats rated at 1,1.5,2 grams per hour - not running it at 100% will give you 10+ years of use. If you live in a drier climate you might get 15 years out of it.

BioReactors are awesome. People that say no there BS or not needed, don't understand how they function and how efficiently they function. And they never need any maintenace. The only brand I know of that I have used is RK2 and ASM. I have an ASM 48" tall unit that has been running for almost 20 years.

Running UV and Ozone is just double protection. It doesn't do any harm and can help alleviate some maintenace and is parasite preventive. A proper UV for this size system can be as small as 160w given the design of the chamber allows for enough contact time. ASM makes a nice unit that looks like a small torpedo that is cost efficient, space efficient, and is 160w using 4 40w bulbs. I've been running one for 10 years. I know wholesale facilities that have been running the same unit on 6k gallons of water for 20 years. There are other fancier brands and you can easily go up to 400w with the inline Halide DE one on the market. But the risks involved with these is much greater. Risks being maintenance, damage, and fire -- They run a lot hotter than obviously smaller UV's and that 400w is in less that 6" of space. I know of 2 instances when something bad happened to the tank - unexpected and unprepared for that led to the Uv (400w DE Units) to actually start a fire.


For back ground on my experience - I have a 750g tank part of a 1500g system, and my system has been up & running and being upgraded for almost 30 years. I have run collection facilities in foreign countries, designed and built wholesale holding facilities in the US, and worked on personal aquariums in residences up to 3800g.

Dave B

PS - On my own system I run Abyzz Return pumps (2), Bubble King Skimmer, ASM UV, ASM Fluidized Sand Filter, and for intank circulation Panta Rhei ECM 63 and (2) Abyzz Flow Canons.

 

[0MNSH1ZLLC]

Hah, you guys are hilarious!

How about 8ftx4ftx5ft?

I'd keep the same cost, have the length for the tangs. Not have to spend a bunch of money on a custom cabinet.

Would just need to reconfigure the space.

As for overflow designs for this tank - Do you picture this tank sitting out in the middle of the room, or up against the wall. Do you want to be able to walk around 4 sides or just 3. I would think 4 side walk around would be cool, and would look at a center tower overflow. Building an overflow large enough for maybe triple 2" drains, double 1.5" or 2" returns and a 2" dry stack. With the dry stack you could bring pump cords up through the bottom of the tank and mount pumps on the overflow and keep the wires out of sight.

Up against a wall with the plumbing/sump behind, love your idea but $$$.

I have not had a 6x5x5 tank, neither would I ever choose to have one. If I had the space I would go long while keeping width between 32-36" (unless accessible from both sides) and height of 24-27. Say 120x36x27 would probably be a perfect size for me.

With 6x5x5, at a certain angle to reach max span, pointed diagonally, ~8 feet of unobstructed flow. 6255 would handle it perfectly, provided it would attach through glass/acrylic with its magnet rated at 1.25"

LOL dude, yes 120x36x27 is perfect but there is a lot to consider. I definitely don't have the space in length for that and the cost is significantly more.

My current tank is 6ft in length and I have 2 MP40s which seems like overkill. 2 MP60s not enough?

 

[piranhaman00]

Hah, you guys are hilarious!

How about 8ftx4ftx5ft?

I'd keep the same cost, have the length for the tangs. Not have to spend a bunch of money on a custom cabinet.

Would just need to reconfigure the space.



Up against a wall with the plumbing/sump behind, love your idea but $$$.



LOL dude, yes 120x36x27 is perfect but there is a lot to consider. I definitely don't have the space in length for that and the cost is significantly more.

My current tank is 6ft in length and I have 2 MP40s which seems like overkill. 2 MP60s not enough?

I can’t imagine it would cost more? You would be able to use material at half the thickness

 

[0MNSH1ZLLC]

I can’t imagine it would cost more? You would be able to use material at half the thickness

The cost of the cabinet rather than just hiding the plumbing behind the wall.

 

[Ironwill723]

I have a Super Reef Octopus INT 8000 for sale here that would be great for this setup. PM if you’re interested.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Of course I have done all of this. This is how I know that stuff from a 240-300 does not scale. Had a400 - a friend has it now.

Abyzz on boostmode at 420 watts flows 6060 GPH at a cost of $3200. But this is more of a 4800-5000 GPH pump at about 400w. This is a high wattage pump, but it performs like one and can really do some high head.

I remembered what 14 foot uses... MRC 6100 moves 6100 gallons at 366 watts at a cost of $650.

These two are not even close. Are we really even arguing this?

We are.

One is a jet that has to be installed externally and the other is nearly silent. Unless you're deaf like my friend the difference alone is worth the money. If you like constant dronning of the pump, pick the AmpMaster.

Funnily enough I though like you just few years back with blueline pumps that don't nearly produce the noise of the pumps you recommend, switched to the Abyzz and will NEVER EVER look back. Again, the lack of noise alone is worth the price of the entry.

Have you ever seen a phanta rei or MasterStream in a tank? Nobody is hiding these very well either. If nobody wants to use a return pump as a powerhead because of looks, then fine... but lets not discount the performance for folks who just have to move water and cannot afford a pump or two that could cost several thousand of dollars and don't use any less power and often more.

BTW - it is really cool to see fish swim all four ways instead of back and forth. On of my favorite tanks that I took care of was 8x8x8. To each their own.

I didn't recommend these, you did. 6255 is stronger than MP60s and a few would cover this tank without issue, an opinion you don't share, which is fine.