First Giant Aquarium Questions

[David R]

I don't think I've ever hand near 10x turn over on any of my tanks, it may be ideal for these "JDM" style tanks, but for the average FW tank it simply isn't necessary. With biological filtration you need to strike a balance between exposure time to the media and enough flow to circulate the water through the system. I'll be shooting for 4-5x on my 2000L tank.

As for the mag drive pumps, I understand they are very hungry in power consumption, have a look at Laguna if you want a quality alternative that will be more efficient at moving the same volume of water. I don't think you need anything with a speed control, have a look at this chart and figure out how much flow you need at what head height and find the pump that is the right size. If you want to buy something suitable for a bigger tank later on then just do so and use a ball valve to restrict the flow a bit.
http://www.azponds.com/laguna_maxflo_chart.htm

One thing to consider given that your tank is already set up with an overflow (sounds like a Bean Animal type set up with three drains) is how mush water the drains can handle. No point in buying a 4000gph pump if your drains can only flow 3000gph (though as I said you could use a ball valve on the return to control the flow).

 

[aldiaz33]

Nice tank!

It's interesting how large a range there is when it comes to turnover recommendations. I typically stay out of these debates because I think there are too many variables (stocking levels, feeding regimen, bio media used etc) to give a precise answer to your question, but I would say that as low as 2x can work (I'm running only 2.5x) and as high as 10x can as well.

I like Zoodiver's idea of running two pumps...redundancy is always a good thing in this hobby. If one pump fails, the other should keep your tank running until you notice the failure.

I also 2nd Dave R's suggestion to look into Laguna pumps. The flow chart he referenced is for the 2011 and older models; there are still a lot of distributors that are carrying and selling these 2011 and older models (I have two of them) that are just a bit less efficient than the 2012+ models. Below is the flow chart for the 2012 and newer models...you will notice a different model/product number on them when compared to the 2011 pumps.

I would offer these pump recommendations:

1. Two Laguna Max Flo 2000s. At 1,360GPH each @ 6' head, that gets you around 2,760GPH (a little over 7x turnover per hour) on 160 watts.

or

2. One Max Flo 2900. That would get you 2,140GPH @ 6' head (a little under 6x turnover per hour) on only 112 watts.

Mag Drive's have a solid track record and have proven to be reliable pumps, but from the research I have done and in my own experience, the Lagunas are also reliable and in all cases shockingly more efficient. The new Waveline/Diablo variable speed pumps look promising, but they are a newer product with relatively short track records. If they prove to be reliable over the next few years (Rbarn, please keep us posted) I will definitely make the switch because they are even more efficient than Lagunas.

I apologize if the image is blurry...you may need to click on it to open it in a new window to see it clearly.



Good luck!

 

[Bderick67]

There's many other factors to consider besides turnover. Personally only run 5-6x on my 450g and it is very effective.

 

[Zanba01]

Thanks for all the input everyone! Glad I asked on this forum. I looked up "Bean Animal" filtration and yes that is what it is. I wasn't familiar with the actual name other than that it was coast to coast overflow and what the 3 pipes were ment to do. (seller had explained)

I like the idea of 2 pumps juuuust incase. As i will have high bioload fish in there (messy rtc x tsc) it would be best to at least have some flow if 1 pump fails. Moreover, I am def shooting for efficient and reliable as I do not want a crazy electric bill if I dont have to have one.

Thanks for all the compliments on the tank! I am dying to get it up and running as I've had it since Feb sitting there. I was waiting for OT to start at work before I started gearing up to get this one done! My poor catfish needs to be in there like...yesterday. At least once filtration is plumbed and all I can do the cheap part which is framing it and building the canopy!