Sun polyp tank

[cjtabares]

I am in the planning stage of setting up a new tank. It going to be a 135gal (36x36x24) LPS tank. I also want to set up a small maybe 10-15gal sun polyp tank, maybe some other larg polyp nps corals too, in the same system. I was wondering if this would be a good idea? Will I need to feed it much more then i feed my LPS, 2 or more times a week, will it work as a filter or will it be fine? If i do set it up would it mater what order I set it up. I was thinking of having the water from the 135gal flow to the sunpolyp tank, then from the sunpolyp tank into the sump, and from the sump back into the 135gal. Would that be way to much flow for a 10-15gal?

Thanks for any help
Christopher

 

[Amphiprion]

You will need to feed it more often than 2 days per week if that is where you'll be housing most of the non-photosynthetic species--3-4x is more realistic for these corals. That may work to your favor, however, since you could shut off flow to the main tank while feeding this one to keep food concentrated. It will not be able to function as a filter from the main tank and get all the nutrition it requires. You will have to feed it separately. As far as flow, you can always divert some of it, but these corals like fairly strong flow.

 

[cjtabares]

Thanks. I was thinking and I have glass that I was going to make a 30gal 24x24x12. I might just finsh that build and use that tank. I read that they like moderate to high flow. I think the 135 is going to have a bean overflow, how much flow can this overflow handle? I know someone in my local club was playing with one and had a 1200 gph pump and one herbie nad no proble with keeping up. I was going to keep my flow in the 135 moderet to low for my sps. Idk what the overflow rate will be but I have one mp40 that's going to go in and I wanted to look into one other power head. I guess what I am getting to is what would a good amount of flow through the 30gal

 

[fsn77]

I'm not familiar with a bean overflow, so I can't comment on how much flow it can handle.

Moderate to low flow for your SPS? What type of SPS are you referring to?
IME, SPS are usually kept in areas of at minimum moderate flow, more typically in somewhat higher flow.

I would personally route your plumbing a little different, but this is simply my preference. I'd have the main tank drain straight to the sump, as well as having the non-photosynthetic tank drain straight to the sump (on separate drain lines). I would then split the return line from the sump and install valves to control the amount of flow both the main tank and the non-photosynthetic tank receive from the return pump. This way, the flow through each tank can be individually controlled by adjusting the valves and does not rely on water draining from the main display tank to drain into the non-photosynthetic tank before draining into the sump. Depending on the amount of flow within the non-photosynthetic tank, there's a risk of it becoming a settling point for detritus if it receives water draining from the main display, instead of the detritus making its way to the sump to be worked on by a protein skimmer and/or the other filtration methods you plan to use.

 

[cjtabares]

Sorry there will be no sps in either tank the 135 will be an LPS with some soffties.

Thanks for the input. I didn't want to have 2 return pumps, I didn't think about spliting the return. And from what I read and what amp said the non-photosynthetic corals like a lot of flow