Temperate Coral Research - Tips for tanks/coral maintenance

[gradstudent1]

Hi everyone,

New member here. I'm currently a graduate student from Michigan looking to study temperate coral. The work is being done within a mesocosm lab setting, but this is my first time putting together reef tanks in general. However, my design isn't your typical coral reef aquarium tank. You can see a 3D model of this below.

Essentially, I'm looking to manipulate certain aspects of the tanks such as temperature, and need specific systems for each. Each shelf contains 8 tanks (3 gal each), connected to its own sump (30 gal each; each contains a heater and a protein skimmer), which are then pumped through chillers and then dispensed into each tank. With this being my first build and in charge of keeping coral alive, I do have some questions if anyone could help answer them.

1) What type of pump would you recommend for this type of setup?
2) With this setup, will water be evenly dispensed between all 8 tanks for each separate aquaria?
3) What are some things I should be paying extra attention to in terms of nutrients/algae buildup/feeding, etc. that is exclusive to temperate corals?
4) Other tips and tricks that you've learned that could be helpful in my endeavors

I would really appreciate any and all feedback/answers that will help me make this research a great success! If you need any more specific information, please reply and I'll respond as soon as I can.

Cheers,

 

[BestMomEver]

Welcome to the reef! I love your design and love that you are doing research. What you learn will help our understanding of our underwater world and, in turn, will help hobbyists to take better care of our ocean critters.

As for pumps, there are lots to chose from. If you plan on using a controller (such as Apex) use one of the pumps that’s controllable such as the Octo Varios or the Neptune Cor. Sicce makes great pumps too.

As for water distribution, that’s something you’re just gonna have to play with. One thing to consider... if you turn off a pump or a pump dies, make sure you allow for the volume of water that will flow back to the sump. You may want bigger sumps.

Algae, etc will happen in any new setup. You’ll just have to take it as it comes. We can help you with each phase.

 

[RJinPV]

Assuming you are running controls and want flow parameters to be controlled. If so, then the return lines need to be the same length and diameter to each of the 8 tanks in order to balance flow among them. Don't plumb them so that one tank is at the end of the line from the other 7 or that tank will get the least flow. Also try to keep the number of elbows between the pump and each tank the same because elbows cause flow resistance If you are trying to keep the filtration flow between the 4 racks of tanks the same, then you should select oversized pumps that are DC controlled so you can adjust the flow rate for each rack to balance them out. You'll also have to have a gauge that can measure flow in each of the four return lines. This is because the head pressure for the higher racks is higher, and all things equal, the higher the head pressure the lower the flow rate.

I think the lines that carry overflow to the sump don't have the same limitations because they are typically oversized and flow out is limited to equal the flow in.

Go Blue!
UM Engrg, Class of '77