Remote In-Line Heating, cooling and other equipment Questions

[rpgraff]

First off, I have about 6 years reef keeping experience in the early days, but it ended in 1996 when i moved across country and never got around to it again until now. I am in the process of planning a Smallish reef tank for my Condominium, total system water volume of 90-124 gallons depending on which system I go with. Because the interior cabinet space will be limited, I am looking at what equipment I can place in a storage closet about 15‘ from the tank and will include 8‘ verticle head pressure since I am on a slab and have to run pipes through the ceiling.

Even though I won’t get to this for about 6 months, I want to run rough-ins ahead of time because I am redoing my bathrooms and need to open the ceilings for that. In order to decide pipe sizes and wiring needs for power and controls, I am making decisions about equipment, and wondering if there are any considerations I should be thinking about regarding size of chillers, in-line reactors and other remote equipment with the head pressure I will be dealing with.

Equipment outside the tank next to it, even in a cabinet is not an option according to my wife (she is a designer). There has to be as minimal visible equipment at the tank location, only the Tank, cabinet and lighting can be visible.

Questions:

1. I am assuming a remote skimmer is out of the question because the water supply and return lines will have too be higher than the skimmer, is that correct?

2. Do I still size a chiller on total system water volume regardless of the distance from the tank (I can easily insulate the tubing if need be).

3. Would you recommend more than one inline heater or is sump placement better?

4. Is it ok to install a single closed loop for heaters, chiller, reactors etc.?

5. Would it be safer for a closed loop to be installed sump to sump, aquarium to aquarium, or sump to aquarium?

6. The RO system, makeup water storage and saltwater mixing system will be in the storage closet, Any recommendations based on past experience regarding how to best setup a direct water makeup in the sump (not a water makeup tank at the sump) or is it better/safer to fill an ATO tank in the sump?

7. For automation, which in your experience is more flexible, the Neptune system or the Coralvue Hydro system?

8. I am assuming dosing equipment needs to be in the sump at the aquarium stand?

9. When sizing the sump pump, how many times per hour should the tank volume be circulated, for a mixed SPS, LPS system with wave makers in the tank.

10. Anything you can think of I haven't mentioned that I should?

 

[DopamineKata]

For 4,6 and 8 dosing pumps can pump a HUGE distance and fairly high up. I've heard of folks running auto water changes from 30 feet away or more. You could split the output of your RO system so that one line goes to your mixing station and another into a small ATO tank near your sump instead of trying to use a dosing pump for ATO.

For 9, a lot less than you might have used in the past. 6x the water volume is plenty, even 3x is fine. Most of the flow in your tank will be coming from wave pumps not the return. You're really only concerned with the enough flow through the sump to handle filtration.

 

[rpgraff]

For 4,6 and 8 dosing pumps can pump a HUGE distance and fairly high up. I've heard of folks running auto water changes from 30 feet away or more. You could split the output of your RO system so that one line goes to your mixing station and another into a small ATO tank near your sump instead of trying to use a dosing pump for ATO.

Hmmmmm, I wouldn’t mind dosing pumps remoted.