Need help setting up 75 gallon flow rates

[jwalsh1]

Hi everyone!

I really need some help setting up the flow rates for my 75 gallon soon to be reef. I would like to set this tank up to eventually be able to handle sps and anemones.

Ill set up 2 systems, right? The first is the sump and its pump. So Ill need to drain 5x the system capacity (so say 100*5=500gph). This will be put back into the aquarium via its own pump. Whats the method for hooking up the skimmer to it? What do I look for in the skimmer/pump combo? Can you recommend a pump for this, and hell while Im at it, recommend a skimmer?

The second system will be a closed loop to create the correct amount of current. Ive heard people say go with 6000gph. This seems incredibly extreme. Is this correct? Is the gph additive, meaning will I achieve this via 2 3000 gph pumps? This really seems high.

I need opinions on the correct flow rate for this closed system. Not saying its wrong, but 6000gph but that just seems to be really high to me. How do I achieve this sort of crazy flow rate? Any pumps you would recommend?

Thanks!

Jason

[missionsix66]

I think a general rule of thumb is 10x the tank size for gph turn-over rate.

[wildreef]

Most will sit the skimmer inside the sump "depending on the room availible"
but you can pull the water for the skimmer from the sump and return the same back to sump.
general rule of thumb is 10X turn over rate of full water cpacity in one hour(60 mins)
Of course, more the better.
I should think walsh , a good 1000 to 1200 gph pump would do just fine.
But keep in mind of pumps, the more line you have to lay for it to return to the tank , it will lose head pressure (meaning it loses it's volume over time/and pressure )
A pump that puts out 1000 gph at the head may only put out say 800 if a person adds 6 feet of line to the pump.
best to check out all the pumps availible, some have higher pressure, some have higher volumes.


So lets say for instance you have 75 gal. tank and a 30 gal. sump =105 total gallons you want to acomplish at least
a turn over rate of 10 times an hour of total water volume.
So> take any gph pump say a 900 gph. and divide by 105(water volume)= is only 8.5 times of total water turn over .
lets bump the pump to atleast a 1200 gph. which would give you a total of 11.4 of turn over per hour
Now that's acceptable.

( p.s check my math it's 3am in the morning and the wife has insisted i take a sleeping pill, LOL )

[aquaboy]

if you dont mind having powerheads in tank, id check out the maxijet mods. They pump out about 2000 gph each. And yes, you will need ALOT of flow. I learned that just recently.

[Tangster]

I think many people get all to confused with the term flow or turn over rates .. The best or average turn over rate is 4 to 5 times tops thats the amount of the aquarium that actually passes through the sump and past the skimmer So for a 75 gal about 300 to 350 GPH through the sump.. Now with the internal recirculating rates 10 to 20x's is fine .. This is averaged by the amount of GPH the recirculating pump or pumps if powerhead or such devices are used . If you are dealing with SPS corals then as long as it is not blasted by the direct strong flows of circulation water then you can not really have to much. Not nay Reef ready 75 I ever saw would flow 750GPH anyways through the 1 inch bulkhead..

[jwalsh1]

And that 10x turnover rate is for the filtration only, correct? Does this count toward the circulation of the tank too (ie closed loop system) or is it advisable to run both the flitration at 10x turnover and a separate closed loop at much higher turnover rates?

[jwalsh1]

Thinking something like the mag 18 for the sump pump. Im guesstimating a 4-6 foot head. Thatll give me roughly 1300 - 1100 gph at that head.

Good?

[Tangster]

A mag 1800 would over run that small of a tank a mag 9.5 will fill your needs well unless you wanted to manifold the return and run the skimmer and a few reactors off of the mag 1800 thats the only way you ever use that pump to its full potential . A mag 9.5 is all you will need

[Tangster]

Originally Posted by jwalsh1

And that 10x turnover rate is for the filtration only, correct? Does this count toward the circulation of the tank too (ie closed loop system) or is it advisable to run both the flitration at 10x turnover and a separate closed loop at much higher turnover rates?

The flow you want from the tank and through the sump is 4 x's is about perfect 5x's is pushing it s bit now as for a recirculation system thats another animal all together.. 10 to 20 x's would be fine . As for what many call a closed loop LOL its anything but a closed loop per the true definition of a closed loop ..

[jwalsh1]

Man alive. Im so confused. So many are saying huge numbers, others are saying lower numbers...
I totally appreciate and need the help but man, its so confusing.

Ok lets say I do the mag 9.5 on the sump. Then a genx70 for the circulation then. That woudl be approx 1300gph total through a manifold type system I would build.