Moved up

[fishtankrob]

I just moved all my stuff from my 75 to a new 200. has anyone used a closed loop system. what are the advantages/disadvantages to this? how is it plumbed so that there is not a blast of water coming out?

[JesterGrin_1]

I have been using a closed loop system for four years and because of that fact my new tank I am setting up is going to have a refugium.

Closed loop . Bad points. when you do water changes it can make a large effect on any corols that are out of the water and recieve the new water comming in and cause stress. Also everything has to go into the tank which is unsightly I am sure there are others but that are just two that come to mind real quick lol.

Refugium :) you have a place to put a heater , skimmer if using one, filter pads and any type of media you wish to use for what you need it for. you also have a place for the refugium which helps maintain the tank along with extra water to help stabalize the tank, also changing water is a much simpler task and does not effect the tank nearly as much . And another good point is you do not need as many power heads in the tank . you can add a closed loop to it for more water circulation as needed and it will look much cleaner.

[Henry]

I think that having a closed loop is great. This is a great way to add circulation and not have a bunch of powerheads in the tank. Of course this would be in addition to your regular returns from your sump/fuge. As for the blast of water. you can have multiple outlets with loc-line nozzles or a spray bar.

[TexasState]

If you dont' mind bulky powerhead, you can use a Tunze STream pump instead. 11Watts of electricity will give you 1,600 GPH. There's more powerful Stream version too.

[captexas]

Rob -
Closed loops are good if you need more flow through the tank as you only want so much flow through your sump and fuge. I am setting up a 75 currently and it has two drains on it. One will go to the sump and the other will be used for a closed loop. I'm going to have it connected to a return pump and then to two SQWD units that connect to 4 locline returns drilled through the back of the tank. I plan on having this pump on a timer so that it will shut off at night making the tank less turbulent for when fish are sleeping.

As far as "blasting" water goes, it all depends on the size of your pump and what you use for returns. You can make the pump any size you want to get the flow you desire. I'm splitting my return and then going to SQWDs which reduce the flow even more. The blasting affect is also a result of the size of the return pipe to the tank. The larger the pipe, the less the pressure will be.

Hope that helps.

[::pete::]

A closed loop (http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/tank/closedloop.html) that isnt in the tank.

Pete

[TexasState]

Do you have any picture of your big tank yet?

[MikeP]

You can do over the back closed loop also if you don't want to drill your tank - look at Melev's reef on reefcentral he has a nice DIY guide for it. I considered closed loop and while there are a lot of benefits I ended up going with two Streams for flexibility - they have a nice , even laminar flow and are adjustable so you can move them around easily depending on your needs. The bulky size is a drawback but it is hard to find anything that moves so much water for so little electricity.