I need some help setting up the 180 gallon aquarium I'll be ordering.

[aaronb]

I'm getting a 180 gallon aquarium with overflows set up for a sump. I'm going to use a 40 gallon breeder to make my sump with. I'm going to set it up with a herbie and use ceramic media, so it'll be a higher flow sump such as jc119 used on his 300 he recently set up. I'm curious what pump/pumps everyone would recommend for return pumps from the sump.

I'm also going to have an fx5 on it I have already. I'm also curious what size of circulation pumps you'd recommend I use. Also where to place them for sure. I'd like to have circulation on the bottom to keep stuff from settling on the bottom instead of going to the filter.

I'm going to be keeping a jag and flowerhorn in it. Along with a few other cichlids if I can.

Thanks for the help.

Aaron

 

[groovylime]

I'd recommend a Mag-Drive 1200 for your return from the sump.

 

[swk]

I use a sump with a mag 12 and an eheim 2262 on my 180. Works great even with my high stocking level

 

[aaronb]

Thanks for the replies. Yeah I'm thinking of using the mag drive 1200. I was considering having bulkhead holes drilled in the center of the back, one of them 6 inches from the bottom and one a foot above it for the fx5. I'd connect the intake to the lower one to help keep the bottom clean by sucking stuff in from down low. I was also thinking of putting a koralia 750 in the bottom of each corner to help keep everything circulated.

I guess if the mag drive is pumping approximately 1100 gph, the fx5 around 500 gph, and the 2 koralias 750 gph a piece that'd be about 3100 gph or 17.2 times an hour circulation. Maybe that's way too much. I don't want the fish exhausted from too much current. What does everyone think?

 

[buddha1200]

on my 180 i have a mag-drive 1200,fx5,ac110,and a marineland power head and my fish seem to enjoy the circulation.alot of the circulation is broken up by decor(large driftwood)so there is a few spots that they can chill in.