500 gallon tank set up

TTTony

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 23, 2016
Messages
168
Reaction score
133
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Tank will be 96”-36”-36
Going to be mixed reef mostly softies with lots of fish. The sump I’m getting will be 48 x 20 .
it’ll be 36 inch tall stand I’m looking for recommendations for a return pump as the tank will have two drains and one return in a central overflow box possibly one other hole drilled in the bottom for return circulation also need heater requirements and skimmer?
 

Mywifeisgunnakillme

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 17, 2020
Messages
1,765
Reaction score
1,889
Location
Gig Harbor
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Tank will be 96”-36”-36
Going to be mixed reef mostly softies with lots of fish. The sump I’m getting will be 48 x 20 .
it’ll be 36 inch tall stand I’m looking for recommendations for a return pump as the tank will have two drains and one return in a central overflow box possibly one other hole drilled in the bottom for return circulation also need heater requirements and skimmer?
Skimmer: Lifereef (old school, can get plenty big for your tank and add extensions over time if needed, set and forget, use any pump with flow requirements, very low maintenance)

Heater: Innovative marine (very accurate control), a couple of their biggest heaters.

return: Abyzz (very reliable, my buddy hasn't cleaned his two years and has never adjusted his drain flow rate)
 

jda

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 25, 2013
Messages
14,325
Reaction score
22,134
Location
Boulder, CO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Generally, look more for advice from people that have larger tanks. Many with smaller tank have the best of intentions but just rarely know that what they might do does not scale.

Consider making the sump bigger to have room for multiple skimmers. Large tank skimmers are super expensive and most of the time, several skimmers will outperform one and can cost less if you don't have to get a monster skimmer.

Need to know if you are a gadget person or just pure reliability. I am pure reliability and performance, so I would likely be AmpMaster return and Eheim heaters on a Ranco Controller (4 of them? - they come 6 to a box and I would buy the whole box).

The large tank forum below is a great place to start. Look for the ones that have mature tank and not just started and/or never finished or people who quit early. The ones who are still kicking arses are the ones to pay attention to.
 

molodets

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 3, 2021
Messages
19
Reaction score
6
Location
jamaica estates
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Generally, look more for advice from people that have larger tanks. Many with smaller tank have the best of intentions but just rarely know that what they might do does not scale.

Consider making the sump bigger to have room for multiple skimmers. Large tank skimmers are super expensive and most of the time, several skimmers will outperform one and can cost less if you don't have to get a monster skimmer.

Need to know if you are a gadget person or just pure reliability. I am pure reliability and performance, so I would likely be AmpMaster return and Eheim heaters on a Ranco Controller (4 of them? - they come 6 to a box and I would buy the whole box).

The large tank forum below is a great place to start. Look for the ones that have mature tank and not just started and/or never finished or people who quit early. The ones who are still kicking arses are the ones to pay attention to.
Without any sarcasm…
Wow excellent advice
 

C_AWOL

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 12, 2019
Messages
387
Reaction score
347
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
It will be hard to recommend a proper return pump without knowing the intended drain size + return size + overflow size although for my similarly sized system I went with 2 red dragon 230w flow models.
Frankly jebaos are likely fine if you want an inexpensive dc option or fluval sp for internal ac option

I've seen a large number of big tanks with tiny overflows and 3/4-1" bulkhead holes before which imo is far from ideal for any marine/reef setting. If this tank is being designed new at the very least I would suggest taking the time to plan out 2 return holes for the easier option of running 2 pumps (for redundancy) + utilizing 3 drain holes for at least 1.5" bulkheads (depending on intended return gph and overflow capacity)

For heating I would recommend multiple eheim jagers controlled by a ranco or aqualogic controller. It's a bullet proof combo bar the size of eheims heaters (a potential issue with your 48x20 sump foot print)

Skimmer wise I would simply recommend any that utilize a dc feed pump since you may change your filtration methods over time (socks to floss/roller fleece etc) which makes for a more consistently performing skimmer ime.

Lastly if your tank is going to be built entirely new I would also very strongly reccomend going with thicker acrylic to reduce any bowing (especially at 36" of height). The more the tank bows the easier it will be to scratch and a significant bow is very noticable and unsightly. The last thing I would want for you is to regret your purchase of a large tank.
 
OP
OP
TTTony

TTTony

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 23, 2016
Messages
168
Reaction score
133
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ready
 

Attachments

  • 17CD4698-CCFC-43FC-8ECA-4BFC63756A67.jpeg
    17CD4698-CCFC-43FC-8ECA-4BFC63756A67.jpeg
    127.8 KB · Views: 144

Hendrix

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 16, 2020
Messages
91
Reaction score
56
Location
Columbus, OHIO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
My set up similar 96x40x30
- I have sump in a Reef Utility room 30 feet away
- 2" Drains / 1-1/2" Returns - I agree with C_AWOL 3-4 Drains would be best
- Abyz 400 Return - Very Pricy but awesome!!!!
- I run multiple heaters and replace the heater element every 18 months (if not forced sooner). Finnex 800w, & (2) 600Watt BRS elements on wifi ink birds. Next round will be (6) 300 watt headers to come off & on at .3 degree increments. I want to have some on apex and some off apex. You will crush the energy bars with big heaters (if your APEX).
- (4) MP 60's - Im mostly sticks with some soft
- 6 Way Oceans motion on my return in tank
- DC Skimmer
- DC Calc Reactor
- (7) Radion XR-30's

I love the power save on DC pumps. I also run all those DC pumps in the Series of Sump tanks - use their heat to heat the tank. Its not a ton but it helps
 

Jubei2006

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 1, 2021
Messages
640
Reaction score
1,019
Location
Hickory
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
525 gallon here. Have a Herbie style overflow with 2 inch siphon and 2 inch emergency. Sump is in the basement about 14 feet of head. Using a reeflo hammerhead for return, 2 inch back to tank, (t-off to 1.5 inch dual returns) so about 4000 gallons per hour through the sump. Using a reef octopus sro5000 for a skimmer, works pretty well. Also have about a 30 gallon area in my sump for a refugium. Heater, using a 300 watt JBJ true temp titanium heater with controller. Even if it sticks on a 300 watt controller shouldnt be able to cook a 600 gallon total system volume. Abyzz was the only DC pump that comes close to the reeflo, but how many reeflos and seals is that to pay for that, also to make up the electrical cost. My wife would kill me for that purchase. Also had an dolphin ampmaster for the closed loop and a spare to replace either. Still nowhere near the cost of an abyzz pump.
 
OP
OP
TTTony

TTTony

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 23, 2016
Messages
168
Reaction score
133
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thank you everyone for contributing and adding to the conversation. The tank is 1 inch acrylic.euro braced , With two drains inch and a half and two returns. The sump is going to be 48 x 20 and I’m not sure about the height I plan on running a reef octopus 250 Varios with a DC return pump of the same company I think. Or coralvue
The tank is in the basement on a slab I’m going to add water mixing station in the room behind it with all the filtration under the tank
 

C_AWOL

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 12, 2019
Messages
387
Reaction score
347
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
im not following the savings anyone claims for an abyzz pump, when a $700 sequence pump moves more water than a $3K abyzz pump. gonna take a few decades for the $2300 savings on the power bills.
While I agree on your statement of electricity savings (for areas of lower electrical rates) I will say that some better reasons to justify an abyzz over something like a reeflo is the inability and/or lack of desire to run an external pump along with the lower heat and noise generation when considering a high pressure+head height return pump

Could you get that with another dc pump? Absolutely but it's up to everyone to decide what they want.
I passed on the 10 year warranty for a 2 year one that has better availability of parts in addition to stateside direct support vs going through a 3rd party + overseas support and saved money doing it but not everyone will choose the same.
 

C_AWOL

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 12, 2019
Messages
387
Reaction score
347
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thank you everyone for contributing and adding to the conversation. The tank is 1 inch acrylic.euro braced , With two drains inch and a half and two returns. The sump is going to be 48 x 20 and I’m not sure about the height I plan on running a reef octopus 250 Varios with a DC return pump of the same company I think. Or coralvue
The tank is in the basement on a slab I’m going to add water mixing station in the room behind it with all the filtration under the tank
Sorry if I missed where you mentioned the stand height but I would try to make sure you cover 2 needs for your situation.

First triple check that whatever sump height you stick in there allows for you to easily access equipment because you will need to do that.

Second would be trying to make it large enough to handle any back flow regardless of any check valves. If you can't do this via height then you must adjust via length and/or width. If that is not possible then find somewhere else to put a larger sump and you will be greatful that you did when the time comes
 
OP
OP
TTTony

TTTony

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 23, 2016
Messages
168
Reaction score
133
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Sorry if I missed where you mentioned the stand height but I would try to make sure you cover 2 needs for your situation.

First triple check that whatever sump height you stick in there allows for you to easily access equipment because you will need to do that.

Second would be trying to make it large enough to handle any back flow regardless of any check valves. If you can't do this via height then you must adjust via length and/or width. If that is not possible then find somewhere else to put a larger sump and you will be greatful that you did when the time comes
The cabinet height finishes at 36 inches +2 inches of trim, that leaves me with 28 inches from the bottom of the stand inside to the top of the stand inside height, I’m working with a tank/sump builder to get the proper height of the sump. 48 x 20 now I’ve got a figure of the height,
 

Thomashtom

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 20, 2017
Messages
1,603
Reaction score
1,363
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
525 gallon here. Have a Herbie style overflow with 2 inch siphon and 2 inch emergency. Sump is in the basement about 14 feet of head. Using a reeflo hammerhead for return, 2 inch back to tank, (t-off to 1.5 inch dual returns) so about 4000 gallons per hour through the sump. Using a reef octopus sro5000 for a skimmer, works pretty well. Also have about a 30 gallon area in my sump for a refugium. Heater, using a 300 watt JBJ true temp titanium heater with controller. Even if it sticks on a 300 watt controller shouldnt be able to cook a 600 gallon total system volume. Abyzz was the only DC pump that comes close to the reeflo, but how many reeflos and seals is that to pay for that, also to make up the electrical cost. My wife would kill me for that purchase. Also had an dolphin ampmaster for the closed loop and a spare to replace either. Still nowhere near the cost of an abyzz pump.
Hi, i am setting up a Herbie style overflow could send me pics of how you have it setup ? Appreciate it
 

jda

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 25, 2013
Messages
14,325
Reaction score
22,134
Location
Boulder, CO
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
With a reeflo pump, you can save money with an Abyzz since you don't have to replace seals, leaking, bearings, motors, etc. I have never had a reeflo pump last more than 18 months without needing something and one even caught on fire. Other pumps might be hard to pay back the money, but money is not the only factor. If I were running an under-tank sump for this dude, I would use Fluval SP6 or a similar Laguna Max Flo to get like 2000-3000 GPH or so - I don't trust DC pumps yet and these Italian made askoll block pumps are known to be reliable and efficient. With huge tanks, sump turnover of 4-6x is pretty good and running 5000 GPH through a 30x48 sump for 10x is just ridiculous. The only downside is heating, so plan on having a few heaters directly in the tank and a few more in the sump.

IMO, check valves are trash. Swing valves are better, but need replaced over time as they harden and don't get used (hopefully), so plumb them with unions so that you can remove/replace them. The best thing is to drill your outlets to break siphon, but this still back flows some water. Of course, a larger sump to hold the back flow is always good.

If you use a Coralvue pump, just buy a second one and use unions. These don't yet have reputations for being long lived, but they also are not expensive and they have done a good job with warranty claims (at least for me), but you need to have the exact same one nearby.
 

Jubei2006

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 1, 2021
Messages
640
Reaction score
1,019
Location
Hickory
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi, i am setting up a Herbie style overflow could send me pics of how you have it setup ? Appreciate it
Sorta difficult to show as it is a center overflow (so you can't see the plumbing on the back of the tank). My tank is 30 inches deep, so the siphon main drain is about 25 inches below the water surface to ensure full siphon. The emergency is about 1 to 2 inches below the weir and only runs a trickle through it. If the main stops working, the emergency tries to form a siphon, but sucks a ton of air and sounds like a toilet flushing to alert me to a problem.
 
Back
Top