140G New Build

[Gregory]

Hello everyone,

After just 4 months with this planted tank addiction I am already upgrading from a 72g bowfront to a 140g starphire aquarium.

I’ve been madly researching everything on this forum as well as other planted tank and reef sites. I’m impressed with the level of expertise and enthusiasm with which advice is provided to novices like me on this forum in particular. Therefore I am creating this build thread hoping to get some input from some of the planted tank gurus.

My ideas are mainly borrowed although there’s a few innovations of my own – I’m sure they’ve been tried though, just haven’t seen it online personally. So feel free to let me know what will work and more importantly what won’t!

Tank: 70x21x22 inside dimensions, ¾” starphire rimless – have preliminary quote from Miracles. Will be looking for feedback from members here before I firm up design and price.

Rear overflow: 24” Calfo toothless with BeanAnimal 3 silent standpipes – one full suction, one part, one emergency. Rear box 24x4x6. The back aquarium glass in this section will be ground down 1 ½” for overflow and this will set the water level in the tank.

Interior weir: Okay this is something I came up with… Size 24” x 1 7/8” x 21 ½”. It will have 1/8” x 2” slits across face starting 4” from aquarium bottom to allow for substrate. 1 7/8” depth of weir allows for insert of 2” filter foam.

Returns: 1” line from pump split into two 0.75” lines which enter near top beside overflow box. From there I will run them towards the front for 4” and then attach both to one full width spray bar about ½” below water level with most holes drilled for spray towards front at a downwards angle and a few angled up to cause some surface rippling.

Water circulation idea: Typically this style is used by reef keepers without the internal weir. The water comes out over the top and back in at the top. Since they require massive water movement they also build in closed loop systems so water is being pushed in all directions. Since it’s a planted tank and I won’t add these additional closed loops I need to create flow throughout tank. So the spraybar pushes water across the front, down and then across the bottom where water is being sucked in. Note that the height of the internal weir is such that if the bottom suction is blocked, water will flow over the top of this weir and into the overflow box without flooding.

The main reason for going through this complicated setup rather than sticking with canister filters is to allow for a sump in my basement. The sump will be 14’ below and I intend to build a continuous water change system and auto dosing system into the sump.

Sump: 125 gallon, long. I’ll buy the tank and build the rest myself using glass which I can cut and silicone in place. In addition to the usual features I’ll have a 30” planted section which can also serve as a nursery, hospital tank etc.

Filtration: Several filter foam inserts and wet/dry – sealed with tape thanks for the idea! I may add a canister filter to the sump as well since I have it.

Pump: Iwaki MD100RLT or Pan World 200PS. Leaning towards Pan World since reviews are great and so is price. I realize I’m comparing the biggest Iwaki to second biggest Pan World Pump but the flow charts seem to support this for my 14’ head setup.

CO2: Smith dual stage with AquaticLife PH Controller. Currently using Atomic CO2 diffuser although honestly I was using half the CO2 when I was putting it through the canister intake. May switch to reactor style and with output through ½” hose ending right in front of 1” pump intake on sump.

Auto Doser for Ferts: Not yet determined. Will be dosing daily using EI.
P.S. Any Canadians having problems getting potassium nitrate, check your local hydroponics shop – 1lb for $7.00. here in Mississauga.

Auto water changer: Simple drip run through FilterGuys activated charcoal dual stage filter to remove chloramines. Output will be at beginning of sump so filter will take care of the resulting minimal ammonia.

Overflow for sump: Here’s the best part for me. My sump overflow required for continuous drip system will run into a 30-40g quarantine tank. No more hauling buckets from my main to the quarantine daily for new rainbow fish additions. Quarantine tank will always be ready and be receiving approximately 75% water change with aged water from main every day. Will have overflow in quarantine tank as well to remove excess water – about 24g per day I think.

I realize if there’s a power outage (fairly rare here) that I will lose 5-7g from the system as the top layer of water from main and water from standpipes and return drain into sump and go out the sump overflow. By placing the sump overflow drain well above the return outflow I figure it would take 3 power outs in a row before the return line starts sucking air. I can always add automatic battery backup at a later date if this feature turns into a problem.

Lighting: Following the lead of a couple of rookie ATI users from this site, haha. Looking to use two 36” SunPower dimmable 6 light fixtures. Just trying to figure out how best to hide the cords. Based on Tom’s experience likely will hang it 12-14” over aquarium and am guessing 40-50% dimming if using 6 bulb fixtures.

Substrate: Confused by an overdose of information. Not sure whether to go with ADA or Eco. My water parameters out of tap are GH 8, KH 6, PH 7.8. I use the PH controller to bring PH down to 6.8 which puts the drop checker into the green. Plant types below.

Plants: Looking for somewhat low maintenance. Mainly going with Staurogyne, Blyxa, Anubias, ferns and perhaps a bit of Vals in the back as the rainbows seems to like that area of existing tank best as I trim and pull to keep the Vals from growing too densely. Sump will have Rotala Nanjenshan and java moss.

Livestock (present & future) – praecox,boesmani, turquoise, and millennium rainbows, bristlenose, otos, amanos, may try cherry shrimp too as I can use the sump as a nursersy to replenish.

Lid: Will be insetting a diy ¼” clear mesh screen inside lip of aquarium. Just attaching a few clear bumpers with silicone ¼” down inside lip and can place the screen frame right on these. Tired of dealing with the watery mess everytime I need to remove current glass lids and feel they’re blocking out a lot of light due to condensation.

Questions:
1. The big one – does the internal weir design and my water flow assumptions make sense?
2. Should I add a few slits in the front of the internal weir at water level to allow for a bit of surface skimming?
3. Other considerations for CO2 diffuser?
4. Is the ATI 6 bulb width okay for my 21” tank or do I need 8 bulb?
5. Substrate. Still confused with this – ADA or Eco?
6. Autodoser for ferts – any suggestions?

All comments welcome, Greg

Mockups of aquarium design ideas on post 14 and 24.

 

[Gerryd]

Hi Greg,

Welcome aboard...

These are just my thoughts and opinions based on my experiences.

Questions first:

1. Your wier design make sense but IMO takes up valuable real estate in the tank. I am unsure if the vents/teeth at the bottom will provide the type of inflow you expect.

2. If you have an overflow and sump, you should have surface skimming as it is a prime benefit.

3. Yes, how about a rio 1k or similar size with a needle wheel impeller? Place this in the sump, and run the outlet of the NW pump to where the main sump pump can pick it up and deliver to the tank. Out of site, effective, etc.

4. Yes, 6 is okay but 8 will provide better spread and more even PAR on the substrate. The cost differential is not that much.

5. Up to you and cost/availablilty. Both have fans but I have only used the ADA and flourite. The ADA is nice.

6. None, sorry

In general....

Dims: Why not go a bit wider front to back on the tank and the length to a std 72x24? I have seen tons of nice tanks from Miracles. I used Coast to Coast and Tom has used Lemar, so many choices. Shop around.

Plumbing/pump/returns - I have used the PS and it was a nice pump. I would totally suggest increasing your pipe diameter from the pump outlet to the splits more like 2" diameter. 1" pipe will not flow as much water as you will want, and the pump will run hotter for sure. If you go from the 1" PS outlet to even a 1" split with a wye, you are then only splitting a single 1" line to two, which is no gain. However, going from 2" pipe to 1 or 3/4 will flow much more water and prevent the pump from burning out.

If the pump will be in the basement it needs to be powerful to overcome the head height. Maybe 1.5" pipe will do, but go bigger than 1" and reduce at the last possible connection point.

Buy a spare pump (and other parts), no matter which one you choose.

How about an additional intank powerhead for flow while c02 is on? I am unsure if two outlets pointing in a single direction will provide the flow you need. You want to see every leaf sway ideally, but not crushed by the current either A Vortech MP40 is a nice unit...the hydor koralias are also very good...

Hope this helps some.

 

[Gregory]

Hi Gerry,

Thanks for the warm welcome. I’ve learned a lot from your build last year. Currently bookmarked on page 72. Still a little ways to go…Love the design you and Tom came up with – yes I know he took charge but he was working in accordance with your wishes I’m sure. The biggest insight for me on the hardscape was not to treat individual pieces like stand alone objects of art. You really have to mix them in together, pile them, overlap them etc. to get an overall natural and appealing look as you have done. Love the heavy reliance on anubias and staurogyne - inspiration for me.

Weir design. Yes flow is a bit of a concern for me too. In theory the surface area of the openings should be more than enough but friction from all the grates would impact it strongly.

I could go with straight calfo overflow without the internal weir and then add a Vortech as you suggest. This would provide lots of flow throughout the tank. I’ve read that it’s the density difference that causes organics to rise to the surface in marine tanks which is why overflows and skimmers work so well. However for planted tanks I thought drawing water from the bottom was important. Could I really just go straight overflow and not worry about removing water from bottom – just count on Vortech to circulate the water well? This is one of the big questions I wrestled with while trying to design the tank.

Will look into the needle wheel impeller. I guess all the talk of modding the impeller threw me off. Will do some more research on this – thanks.

Re. size yes I’d like bigger. Will need to give it some thought. A little concerned about weight although tank is running perpendicular to joists and due to split level nature of my house the back side is against a railing and actually has a few inches of overlap on the wall in the basement so maybe... I could also reduce height to 20 or 21” and add the weight back in width.

Spare pump for sure!

Thanks for taking the time to help me out.

Greg

 

[Gerryd]

Greg,

More later but bosemanis will devour any small shrimp. They have HUGE mouths and will stuff the most amazing things in there The large amanos will be okay, but the rule of thumb with fish is:

"if it fits in the mouth, it may well be eaten'.

I have lots more to reply on your original post, but there is a lot to cover..

Among them.... A green drop checker means NOTHING in terms of c02 measurement. It only states that the water in that locale as many as 2-4 hours ago had an APPROXIMATE ph of X. Please do not get caught up on drop checker color...

 

[Tom Barr]

You can have the overflow box built in but on the outside of the tank itself.
This gives a very clean look and is done on most public aquariums.
If the tank is built in cabinetry etc...........then this is a must.

I am disappointed to see many larger tanks not done this way.

ADA's two most recent large tanks were done this way.

 

[Tom Barr]

The main reason for going through this complicated setup rather than sticking with canister filters is to allow for a sump in my basement. The sump will be 14’ below and I intend to build a continuous water change system and auto dosing system into the sump.

I have client with this same type of set up.

You need to make sure you have an oh crap overflow drain in the main tank and obviously in the Sump below, his tank is a 220 Gal.
The way it is set up, it can NEVER overflow on the floor unless you break the tank etc.

Automated water changers, we trim it once every 6 months, that's about all.
Before the tank looked pretty scary, now it's amazing.

CO2: Smith dual stage with AquaticLife PH Controller. Currently using Atomic CO2 diffuser although honestly I was using half the CO2 when I was putting it through the canister intake. May switch to reactor style and with output through ½” hose ending right in front of 1” pump intake on sump.

I'd not bother with the pH controller, just use a pH meter and observe, this will serve you better over time.
You can feed the CO2 into the Iwaki pump and by the time it makes it to the tank, it'll be mostly dissolved.
Or run a loop in the sump and then feed that to the return.

Auto Doser for Ferts: Not yet determined. Will be dosing daily using EI.
P.S. Any Canadians having problems getting potassium nitrate, check your local hydroponics shop – 1lb for $7.00. here in Mississauga.

Gone this far, might as well plunk down another 150$ for the bulk reef supply dosing pumps(you will need 2).
Fill one with Excel, then add some MgSO4 and Trace mix.
The other can be the macros.

Lighting: Following the lead of a couple of rookie ATI users from this site, haha. Looking to use two 36” SunPower dimmable 6 light fixtures. Just trying to figure out how best to hide the cords. Based on Tom’s experience likely will hang it 12-14” over aquarium and am guessing 40-50% dimming if using 6 bulb fixtures.
[/quote


Go ahead and get the 8x39W.
The spread for your tank will find it useful and more colors can be used.

Substrate: Confused by an overdose of information. Not sure whether to go with ADA or Eco. My water parameters out of tap are GH 8, KH 6, PH 7.8. I use the PH controller to bring PH down to 6.8 which puts the drop checker into the green. Plant types below.

Sort of depends on you mostly.
Chronic messy rescapers are not as prone to ADA, they need EC.
For water changes, non digging fish, etc, the ADA AS is pretty good.

Red Cherry Shrimp will easily colonize and the Rainbows will never get them if you add them first and allow the Starougyne to grow in 2 months prior.
They unless you remove most of the dense plant cover, you'll never get rid of the RCS.

Amano's do better work, but the RCS look nicer.

 

[Gregory]

Greg,

More later but bosemanis will devour any small shrimp. They have HUGE mouths and will stuff the most amazing things in there The large amanos will be okay, but the rule of thumb with fish is:

"if it fits in the mouth, it may well be eaten'.

I have lots more to reply on your original post, but there is a lot to cover..

Among them.... A green drop checker means NOTHING in terms of c02 measurement. It only states that the water in that locale as many as 2-4 hours ago had an APPROXIMATE ph of X. Please do not get caught up on drop checker color...

Thanks Gerry

Noted re. drop checker. I've also checked it via PH and KH. I guess the best way to know is the health of the plants which takes quite a bit of experience. So far everything seems fine. Nanjenshan growing 5" per week, vals 10", macranda 4" and fairly red, anubias adding lots of leaves and flowers and madagascar lace putting out new 15" leaves every few days. Not very much pearling happening though. After going through diatom cycle, staghorn algae, BBA and GSA everything seems to have been stable the last month. Just a bit of GSA to scrape off the glass each week.

I think I got out of the algae cycle by switching to EI system of ferts and upping CO2. Thanks to this site.

Greg

 

[Gregory]

I have client with this same type of set up.

You need to make sure you have an oh crap overflow drain in the main tank and obviously in the Sump below, his tank is a 220 Gal.
The way it is set up, it can NEVER overflow on the floor unless you break the tank etc.

Yes BeanAnimal system will be used so will have three drainpipes each capable of taking the whole flow. Only one will be choked back via true union ball valve so that it handles 90% of the flow at full suction which will make the system silent. Given the drop the other two will be capable of handling 4000+gph and my turnover will only be about 1000gph or so.

I'd not bother with the pH controller, just use a pH meter and observe, this will serve you better over time.
You can feed the CO2 into the Iwaki pump and by the time it makes it to the tank, it'll be mostly dissolved.
Or run a loop in the sump and then feed that to the return.

Have controller already on current system so am used to working with it. Will add a loop in sump and feed into the return. Gerry recommended needle wheel impeller to chop up CO2 so I'm looking into this.

Gone this far, might as well plunk down another 150$ for the bulk reef supply dosing pumps(you will need 2).
Fill one with Excel, then add some MgSO4 and Trace mix.
The other can be the macros.

Confused. Excel? Don't remember seeing this listed under the EI system when injecting pressurized CO2. Is this because of the continuous water change? If I need to add Excel how much assuming 50% water change over and total system volume of 250 gallons.

Regarding magnesium, with GH 8 and KH of 5 shouldn't there be magnesium in the water. Should I buy a test kit for this? I thought with decent GH magnesium was usually present in sufficient quantities.

Go ahead and get the 8x39W.
The spread for your tank will find it useful and more colors can be used.

Yes will do. I think I'm going to up the aquarium depth to 24" after thinking over Gerry's comment. Wife is also cooperative in this regard thankfully.

Sort of depends on you mostly.
Chronic messy rescapers are not as prone to ADA, they need EC.
For water changes, non digging fish, etc, the ADA AS is pretty good.

Will have to think on this. I would classify myself as a messy rescaper at this point but I think that was largely due to inexperience when I set up the current tank. Putting stuff in the wrong spot based on light or current, not anticipating the mature size of various plants etc. Hopefully I've learned a few things and the next layout will be better thought out.

Red Cherry Shrimp will easily colonize and the Rainbows will never get them if you add them first and allow the Starougyne to grow in 2 months prior.
They unless you remove most of the dense plant cover, you'll never get rid of the RCS.

Amano's do better work, but the RCS look nicer.

Both together seem like a good compromise. I can breed the cherry in the sump planted section and so will have a steady supply if the Rainbows take a liking to them. Intend to fully plant the substrate however, so they should be able to get around without being too exposed to predators.

Thanks a lot for the thoughtful response,
Greg

 

[Gregory]

TO DO!

A list of items to buy, make, figure out etc. Will keep updated as I progress. Hopefully it will provide others some help for their future builds.

Main Tank: Design finalized on June 18th with Miracles. Just waiting for drawings and instructions for deposit. Estimated lead time about 7 weeks.

Light: outstanding - ATI 36: 8x39w Dimmable SunPower x 2. Still to buy. Marine Depot and Premium Aquatics both list these at $720.

Light Stand: outstanding - May try to have a combined stand and aquarium base made similar to Gerry's and I'll face it. Alternative would be to make stand entirely of wood myself and bend light supports myself.

Aquarium Stand/Base: outstanding - Wood made by me or 2" tube metal made for me and then I'll face.

Light bulbs: outstanding - still need to do some research. Have bookmarked a number of pages on these forums with ideas which I can review.

Bulkheads, Valves etc - outstanding - will likely go Schedule 80 for bulkheads and valves, regular 40 for rest.

Floor Alterations: Outstanding. Yes I need to cut a hole in my 3/4" oak hardwood floor for piping to go through to basement. Luckily I removed a non-load bearing wall in the same room years ago and was able to patch it seamlessly so my wife isn't worried about the hole. Its prefinished flooring and I have extra.

Sump Tank: Outstanding. Need to buy 125g tank, cut and install glass baffles and make or mod a bought wet dry to fit.

Light for Sump: Outstanding. Need a light for planned plant and nursery section.

UV Filter: Have TMC Vecton 15 watt which I plan to run 4-6 hours a day. Night and early morning before lights and fertilizer added.

Heaters: Have two Jager 150w submersible heaters. Will need to upgrade I think. Heaters to go in sump.

CO2: Have already. Have a Smith dual stage regulator with bubble counter along with a 10lb canister and 5lb for backup.

PH Controller: Have already. Have an AquaticLife which I got for a steal when local Big Al's was expropriated for a condo development - ouch. Luckily there's 6 or 7 others within 1 hour drive of home.

CO2 Diffuser: Have Atomic CO2 atm. Looking to change. Would like to go with Rio pump with Rio Plus wheel impeller conversion kit 1100-1400 1407-3. Still don't have a response from Taam as to whether I can purchase this. Otherwise will go with Danner Model 3 Supreme 350gp pump with fractionating impeller which will be run within sump with outlet near return pump intake.

Return Pump: Outstanding. Iwaki or Pan World.

Canister Filter: Have two Eheim 2076's so may as well add one to sump for extra filtration and to serve as a biofilter backup.

Quarantine Tank: Outstanding. To take overflow from sump due to continuous water drip addition and serve as an always ready quarantine tank. 30 or 40g basic tank.

Sump and Quarantine Tanks Stand: Outstanding. This stand may also serve as floor support as I'm looking at changing from 140g to 160g 70x24x22h. This means putting the sump system in my upper basement instead of lower (split-level house) so the return distance would drop from 14' to 9'.

Ferlizer Autodoser: Will go with GHL Proflux. Cheaper than Litermeter3 since the former comes with pumps.

Water Filter: Outstanding. Need to find out more about the water treatment here in Mississauga. Also want to find out whether chloramine filters strip out needed nutrients from water such as magnesium Also do they change KH.

Electrical: Need to get GFCI outlets installed in main tank area and sump area. May involve upgrading from 100 amp to 200 amp service as our panel is getting close to overloaded.

Thanks for reading. Greg

 

[Tom Barr]

Excel is back up in case something does not go right with the CO2.
But you can add just a small amount to the liquids for the autodoser.

Dose after the water change time frame.
Say the water is changed right at the lights on time period.
CO2 comes on.
Lights ramping up.

1 hour in and after the water change, the autodosing pumps kick in and dose over the next say 30 mins, 33 mls each of the 2 part solution.
Excel will prevent mold issues in the liquids also.

I think I got the dosing pumps for 74$ each.

Filters shoulod not remove the Mg.

High GH with low Mg is possible and often in MANY cases, the way it is.
Adding a little extra will do no harm. Do not assume that the Ca/Mg due solely to higher GH's.
Often the tap is lacking in Mg, I've never heard or seen a tap lacking in Ca.

The larger return pumps will suck some serious juice.
Might need a 30 amp breaker for that and the heater, the lighting will draw a fair amount also.
I'd use a pair of 300 W heaters in the sump,.

Instead of cutting through the flooring, can you cut and run the drain into the base board and then down through the wall?

 

[Gregory]

Thanks for the additional info Tom.

Water change will be continuous drip of about 1 gallon per hour to system which overall will contain about 240-250 gallons. This works out to 50% water replacement per week. Can adjust this rate up easily if needed. Will also install a drain line in aquarium for easy one-time water changes, example for start up period if using ADA AS or if I need to vacuum bottom etc.

Thanks for info. about Mg. Jim from The Filter Guys also confirmed via email that "the carbon filters doesn't change the mineral content of your tap water it just breaks down the chloramine and chlorine. With chloramine carbon filtration you do have a residual of ammonia..." which he indicates is minimal. Regardless biofilter will ramp up to handle this and fish won't be going into tank for at least a month after its setup.

Noted re. Excel to prevent mold in ferts I premix into a solution.

Haven't had problems with CO2 so far. Had some algae issues initially but fixed it by increasing CO2 and using EI per your system. Had no issues with plants other than UG not growing well but was in front middle of bow and got least light I think... I keep on top of CO2 levels by checking bubble rate daily, checking KH/PH regularly, seeing how far down my CO2 brings PH (about 1.0), using drop checker and trying to monitor plant health although due to my inexperience this is the hardest aspect for me. Didn't lose any plants other than UG and the rest all grew slowly initially and then rapidly once I upped CO2 and changed to EI. Substrate is fine to small natural gravel mixed with some Eco in current tank but will switch to ADA or Eco for this build.

I'm automating everything for fun, not because I don't love working on the tank. I've seen quite a few members describe themselves as plug and play. I guess I'm "build it then plug and play". I like things simple but enjoy figuring out the complex methods needed to make them simple - for example water flow in my system of three connected tanks (main, sump and quarantine) requires careful consideration because if I design it wrong water will go everywhere in a power outage or conversely the return pump could run dry. So its fun brainstorming trying to design a system to avoid this, a system which must be simple and straightforward in order to be reliable. Automation will also allow me to go away on vacation now and then with no issues, which is crucial for the support of my wife.

Noted re. Mg. So I will dose it as well as I've read on this site its important for iron uptake among other things.

Also noted re. 300w heaters. Yes lots of power demands. I guess two or three new dedicated circuits are in order.

Flooring will be cut because main tank backs onto a railing. No wall on that side of room at all. Not a big deal to remove a single piece of the floor using a rotozip - just burns out bits fast. Hole will be hidden inside aquarium stand. I'll actually cut the replacement piece at same time and just leave it in stand. That way if they have to carry me out in a box someday it won't be a big deal for kids to replace, haha.

Greg

 

[Gregory]

Magnesium -Mississauga lists hundreds of chemicals on their water quality report but doesn't specify Mg, just GH overall. So inquired about Mg test results and they just got back and said it averages about 9ppm here. Actually 9.232 - a little more accurate than a cheap test kit.

Also found out that the chloramines are only added for an adjacent city we supply since its a longer lead time between addition and use. Not added at all in Mississauga so continuous water change just became a little easier.

 

[Tom Barr]

Yea, then I'd not worry about GH at all then.

 

[Gregory]

Aquarium Designs

Still trying to decide the best design. The aquarium can be viewed from all sides in its location. Viewing while seated is through the front and also the right side. Viewing through the back is from front hallway which is 5' below (split level house) and viewing from left is just in passing.

So will probably decide based on which design can achieve best water flow in tank.

Option A
Water would flow out of the far left bulkhead and far right. Would like use vertical spray bars with most holes near top. Right spray bar would flow to the right. Current would be picked up by power head attached to right side (located mid height towards left) to push water across length of tank. Left bulkhead spray bar would also be vertical pushing water to the right. So hopefully flow would be clockwise with top to bottom mixing.

Option B
Water would flow from two the left end top via two loc-line pipes attached to return bulkheads located each side of overflow. I would add two power heads on the right panel near each bottom corner. So hopefully flow would be to the right across upper half and then to the left along bottom half. Top to bottom mixing would be significant I think. Am leaning towards this design just not sure that flow would work the way I'm guessing. Concerned that the two flows from each end would block one another so I'd have two independent currents - one just top to bottom rotation left side of aquarium and a similar thing on the right side.

Thoughts?

Thanks, Greg

 

[Tom Barr]

B looks like the best to me

 

[Gerryd]

B looks like the best to me

I would set it up this way as well. How would you feel about a small outlet bulkhead or two on the other end in lieu of the an intank powerheads? Run the lines under the tank and have the bh towards the bottom of the tank. That way the outlet tube does not climb the end wall too high.

Or......simply have two addtl bh on the same end but on the bottom area...so 4 outlets going one direction but from all 4 corners so to speak and top and bottom...I think if you did even a 3/4 outlet, that can be hidden more easily than 2-4 x 1" bh for example. If you are going to drill the tank anyway, then perhaps a series of 4-8 smaller outlets will provide a better pattern? Via gate valves on each, you could really have some nice control....Just a thought, as this was an option for me at first...

My 220 has a 3/4 hob/locline wide/flat nozzle outlet on each end but on opposite sides (lf and rr) and c02 flows from both as c02 is in sump. The vortech mp40 is underneath the 'back' (rr) outlet and flows the same direction. I get an excellent around the tank motion and good overall flow. The outlets provide surface ripple from both ends and are directed at an angle towards the other end of the tank, so from surface to substrate in a long gentle downward trend, if that makes sense.

This has been setup for approx 2.5-3 weeks so far and is working quite well based on plant response and observation... Fish like it too...

I have to admit that the overflow in the middle has never been a favorite design of mine Looks much better at the end.

Hope this helps.

 

[Gregory]

Agreed on B since you both think flow will be fine. Also lets me increase width of aquarium a bit. Now thinking 71" x 26" x 23" with overflow set to 20" so I can leave it open top in day and just put a mesh screen on at night. Perhaps I'll eliminate rear return on left panel or convert it to a safe drain for water changes. Just use front top return on left panel then power head lower rear on right side panel. Good counterclockwise flow. If needed I'll double up return outlet by adding another power head on bottom of that corner similar to Gerry.

Not sure I follow regarding bulkheads on bottom Gerry - it won't be a closed loop so during a power outage the tank would start to empty. Check valves on larger pipes are pretty unreliable from what I read on the reef forums. Perhaps I misunderstand...

 

[Gerryd]

Sorry, I forgot you were sumping it only for a moment there

72x30x20 is my vote

Remember, too late to change once they build it. You will have for a long time and are expending time, $, energy for it, so ensure it is what you want.

Could you explain/show the lowered overflow design? I think I get it but not totally sure.

 

[Tom Barr]

Since you plan a screen top, if this is built in to the wall on the filter end....and like a 3 sided viewable peninsula with an open top, you might be able to use an auto window blind screen that rolls in/out automatically.

That would be cool.

It would have a pair of small plastic roller wheels that are the width of the glass lip, these just roll out from the filter intake side and back again on a timer.

I have not seen anyone with one of those to date on an aquarium, nor a moving HQI MH light on a rail.

 

[Gregory]

Hi Gerry. Water will be drawn in primarily through bottom slots which will be 4" off bottom to allow for substrate. Water will then flow up and over aquarium side which will be ground down 3". This should set water level at about 2 3/4" below rim. Water will then flow through BeanAnimal style drain setup to sump in basement. I can add a sponge inside the internal weir for some pre-filter. I can also silicone a piece of glass on the external overflow to raise it and the water level in the future if needs change. I'm thinking I'll also add a few slots at top of internal weir for a bit of surface skimming. If internal weir slots get plugged up the height of it is set so that water will overflow the face of the internal weir and then into external overflow box, rather than onto my floor.

Here's a closeup.