Large Tank Design

I've noticed a slight trend away from the wet/dry sumps. Many aquariasts I know are going with canisters. A tank as large as you want to do (from your previous post-250+) would require a couple if not three. Personally I don't see a problem with the wet/dry's---never used them, but always saw great results on systems that did. And they are certainly still in use widely. I don't see a problem with your design idea either--it should work fine. Just make sure your pumps are up to speed for the needed flow rate. I would use prefilters (sponges or other) on the inlets to keep the solid wastes out. The arguments against the sumps I have heard is in regards to wastes getting in the sumps. The biological activity gets out of whack then cleaning is an involved process.

Be sure and posts some pictures of your setup when it's done--sounds very cool.

Here is a site that has a lot of good DIY info you might find handy and a great money saver with a systm so large:
http://www.kingvinnie.com/aquaria/diy/

sorry---i had to go look at something real quick---i finished the reply

Unidirectional flow can be great for some fish, not so good for others. Basicly, you're creating a little artifical river in your home. Water goes one way, and you control the speed with the size/rating of your pump. Fish that enjoy current are going to love it, fish that need still water are going to look for the spots of least flow. You can ensure these by aiming your return to run center, or one side, giving your more placid fish a break. Meanwhile, fish that come from fast moving rivers will crowd the speed lane, frisking and wiggling in the space that gives them best current.

Example. Vampire plecos, commons, bristlenose, clown loaches, all enjoy high current. I can usually find one or more sitting in front of a powerhead, or the return for my cannister. Wataugachick uses a sump, and her baby BN's live at the sump's return checkvalve. She's seen her rubberlip trying to swim INTO her powerhead's outflow... All depends on your fish


Just caught your big tank design with notes on what fish... not sure about some of them, but the hillstream loaches will be overjoyed. That weird body shape of theirs is designed just exactly for life in constant current.

IME any way you go you wont have a problem with having too much flow. How many times are you planning on turning the tank over an hour? Sumps are fine as filters, and you don't have to go wet/dry, you can go with fully submerged media as well. As for canisters, you will need a lot to filter a tank that big, but they have the added benifit of being quite energy efficent. What kind of sump did you have in mind?

TetraBotia said:

Turnover... not really sure yet. I don't want to overdo it either... 5-6 times, maybe a sidge more?

As to what kind of sump, I am not sure... never kept Marine fish, and never have asked much about or read about sump designs... just have seen pics.

Click to expand...

If you go with 5-6 times turnover and hour you wont have a problem with too much current. 5-6 times an hour should be enough to handle quite a big bio-load if the filter media is sufficent. I turn my 400g over 6 times when I was using a bio-filter.

As for the sump, it is not only saltwater that use them. You can go wet/dry which will require bio-balls or just wet(media submerged) which will require a media that will allow a lot of bacteria to grow on a big as possible surface area. Make sure you make the sump big enough to support a lot of filter media. And when chossing a pump always go a little bigger than the flow that you want, b/c there are things like friction and height that will slow the flow down.

If saltwater is the way you want to go then there is a range of decisions you need to make as to what you want to keep. IE: do you want a reef or just fish? What you want to keep in a saltwater set up dictates a whole gamma of necessities in your setup--from lighting to current/water flow, more or less surface agitation, the need or lack thereof for a protein skimmer, etc, etc, etc. Decide what you want to showcase. If you want to watch a trigger fish rip a lobster apart to eat, then a reef is out--triggers are not reef freindly. Personally I think a healthy thriving reef out shows any fish. Watching a clown hangout in an anenome is awesome.

I've never seen a uniderectional saltwater tank--but I am NOT the person to give advice on marine topics.

SO---nail down your inhabitants. Then post your questions in the saltwater forums. You'll get much better advice and exposure to your specific needs there.