Controllable Return Pump Options?

[SaltWaterTank_Noob]

There's 4 pages of things here to say:
don't vary your return
Run a gyre or wave powerheads or 2
It's important to tune your flow to the overflow. It's basic physics n plumbing.
That's it.
On my 55 gal reefer 250, I run 2 gyres 2 small jaboea wavemaker and a single return pump.
Flow is chaotic and thorough.

Yeah, I'm thinking I might have to get 2 gyres or a gyre and powerhead.
Yes that's correct about tuning it.
Ohhh ok but dang! That's a lot, 2 gyres AND 2 wavemakers! You have a video or pics of your setup?

 

[Featherweight]

Here's a shot. Gyres on side walls.
Powerheads aimed forward along side walls are basically to keep detritus from building in corners and back.
Some spots on top might be high flow for softies. This is an sps and zoa mainly setup

 

[SaltWaterTank_Noob]

Here's a shot. Gyres on side walls.
Powerheads aimed forward along side walls are basically to keep detritus from building in corners and back.
Some spots on top might be high flow for softies. This is an sps and zoa mainly setup

Aaahhh ok, that's a 55gallon???? Yours looks way taller and wider than my 55 gallon.

 

[Featherweight]

Aaahhh ok, that's a 55gallon???? Yours looks way taller and wider than my 55 gallon.

It's 36 x 20 x 20 or so

 

[noobreefer2]

It's 36 x 20 x 20 or so

(ran some calculations), this is roughly 62.34 gallons of total capacity, probably filled to 58-60 gallons

 

[Lasse]

Wait, so those are wavemakers or those are the return pumps making that movement???

It is as I describe it wave makers in my own tank. The return pump is only one and it runs in a constant mode

Sincerely Lasse

 

[SaltWaterTank_Noob]

It's 36 x 20 x 20 or so

Oh wow, I didn't know they had that size. It looks massive.

 

[SaltWaterTank_Noob]

(ran some calculations), this is roughly 62.34 gallons of total capacity, probably filled to 58-60 gallons

Yeah it didn't look like a 55gal

 

[SaltWaterTank_Noob]

It is as I describe it wave makers in my own tank. The return pump is only one and it runs in a constant mode

Sincerely Lasse

Aaahhhh ok.
I thought you were saying that you had 2 return pumps in a wave pattern.

 

[Lasse]

I thought you were saying that you had 2 return pumps in a wave pattern.

Yes I have had that in a another tank that I describe in post #64 - My bold

I have done a similar set up for a Sea Horse tank at one of my jobs. I convert the controllers of the very old jebao pumps in order to accept 1-10 V. Connected this to a pump program in a Profilux controller. Function permanent opposite and Sine Wave. If first pump runs at 90 " - the second runs on 10; first 80% - second 20% and so on - the flow to the sump was constant - no problem with top of water or whats ever.

Nowadays - there is rather many options with return pumps that can be controlled by a 1-10V signal. I use CoralBox DCA serie (A jebao drop off) but GHL have their versions of SICCE, I´m sure that APEX have the same possibilities with their pumps. I know that Reef Breeders in the US sold Coral Box before but seems to have their own Jebao drop off in Nautilus but the controller is ver alike the one I have to my Coral Box return pumps.

I hav a CB DCA 4000 and 2 CB DCA 2000 (Skimmer and rector pumps) - nema problema for many years.

Sincerely Lasse

And I describe how ir works in post #70

I thought that you want a variation of flow from each pump. In the case I desctibe we had two pumps on opposite short sides. When it was 100 % flow from the left pump - it was 0 % flow from the right and when it shift in a continuous manner in form of a sine curve - the total flow from the two pumps was always the same but it varied from which direction the main flow came - it was like a slow swell. 1-10 V control makes this possible.

Like this

I´m sorry if I misunderstand your intention.



Sincerely Lasse

In the beginning of post #76 I describe further why you can have a constant flow out from the tank even if you have 2 return pumps that makes the waves - I also describe that it would be rather slow waves

If you have two identical pumps and pipe construction and each give - let us say 1000 L/H - and you can control them the way I can with my GHL profilux computer - its possible because the sum of the two pumps flow will be almost the same. hence it is possible to adjust your Ben Animal overflow. The intervals can vary between 1 - 60 seconds in my case but lesser than 10 seconds may not be useful.

you asked

It would be possible to do faster intervals between eachother and create faster /shorter waves and it still shouldn't affect the overflow/sump right?

In the rest of post 76 I describe a better way to make real waves with help of Wave makers because you want a faster/shorter waves. The solution for the Sea horses is not the best for faster/shorter waves even if it works

If you want another type of waves. short and fast you need to use two 1-10 V controllable wave makers set on permanent opposite . Or 2 app controlled wavemakers with a permanent opposite option. Jebao have wavemakers (and probably other brands too) with a app there you can set two wavemakers to do this without using a aquarium controller. With a wavemaker you can set a very fast switch between the different pumps flow, you can indeed create a standing wave. Below you can see a 8 years old video of my aquarium with a standing wave created by two old Jebao RW8 placed in opposite corners and controlled to permanent opposing drive by a special controller from Coral Box. Today, several of their app-controlled wavemakers can do the same. The controller was set to a frequency of 0.7 sec and short wave length of the aquarium - 1200 mm



Today the aquarium is very overgrown and now I have 5 different wavemakers to allow a similar wave movement.



Hope this help you

Sincerely Lasse