New 220g Under Consideration Questions

[jdm01]

I currently have a 90 gallon and a 29 gallon tank. My intent is to shut down the 29g and convert it to a frag tank at best. I am committed/addicted to trying to start a 220g (give or take a few gallons). Right now my questions are simple. I have a spot in the basement picked out. Behind the wall is a great place for an equipment room. I am planning to use a 55-75g tank for a sump and a 55-75g tank for a refugium.

Does anyone have good diagrams for how to set this up? Questions include:

1. Presumably the sump must sit at a level lower than the display tank for reasons dictated by gravity.

2. Can I include the fuge above the sump?

3. Given that configuration, what would be the best way to plumb the return to the display tank?

4. At this size, is it better to have both corners drilled or have the tank center drilled?

These are my questions for now. I am sure there will be more.

[Wryknow]

1) Yes.

2) Yes.

3) Assuming that you want to plumb the entire system together you either put the fuge below the water level of the main tank and have the tank drain into the fuge, and then the fuge drain into the sump, or put the fuge over the main tank water level and have water from the return pump into the fuge and then in to the main tank. You could also just have wto return pumps: one for the fuge and one for the main tank and have them both drain into the sump (this would be my choice, say an E-heim 1252 for the fuge and a 1262 for the main tank.)

4) Whatever is best for you aesthetically but I would make sure that I had two drains on the tank though and that both of the drains are capable of handling the entire flow from the return pump. (Just a basic safety precaution in case one of the drains gets plugged up with something.)

Happy reefing!

[Steve Atkins]

I think I would try to put the fuge higher than the main tank and have it draining into the main tank. It would also have its own pump to get water from the sump to the fuge and the main tank would be fed directly from the sump by larger pump(s).

This way, any critter going from the fuge to the tank (i.e. food) does not have to go through a pump on the way.

Steve

Steve

[jdm01]

Thank you for the advice. I am still a little way out from the build, but the planning begins now.