Closed Loop

[anal fin]

I have been recomended to run a what " a closed loop " i think im going loopy HELP HELP so confused powerhead closed loops its all to much....

[Pies]

Hehehe.

You know what a power head is? I explained it on the other post in case there was some confusion between power head and filter.

Closed loops - Simple but effective. Its just a pump used to circulate water. However insted of putting the pump in the tank, were heat exchange is a problem, as well as it looking ugly and being hard to clean the pump is fixed out of the tank. Plumbing is run from the tank into the pump, then again from the pump back to the tank.

It doesn't matter if the pump is on the floor, no power is lost as the 'closed loop' pumps as efficiently as if it was in the tank (not quite but almost!), but with none of the in tank disadvantages. Also pumps are often much more powerfull than any power head.

Many people also used closed loops as they are safer for the live stock (anemones especially).

Check out www.reefcentral.com for more information. This is the best site on the net for information from some of the worlds formost experts on reef keeping, and lots of helpful articles and pictures.

Hope this has helped.

Pies

[lduncan]

Ha... Just wait, there are so many different, sometimes confusing, debates going on in this hobby, it is still very much a work in progress in terms of different theories and methods. However current conventional thinking in maintaining reef tanks inparticular revolve around the following key points.

1. Major filtration is taken care of by a high quality protien skimmer, (If you don't know what this is please ask).

2. Biological filtration is taken care of by live rock. Currently due to MAF regulations on the importation of live rock it must be stored dry for the quarantine period of 3 weeks. This means that it is generally only available as a white "base rock". Redwood Aquatics in ChCh has a large amount of this rock available. Traditional freshwater canister filters are generally no longer used (as a biological filter) in marine tanks due to the efficiency in which they convert nitrites into nitrates, and their inability of them to then reduce nitrates into gaseous nitrogen.

3. Lighting, I argue that Metal Halide is the only choice in lighting for successfully keeping corals, even soft corals, which tend not to need as much light, but they definatly benifit from it. If you only want to keep fish, lighting is not really an issue.

4. Water Flow, i would say that 15x tank volume per hour is an absolute minimum for soft corals. Not such an issue with fish only, but they will definatly appreciate some current in the tank.

Again i don't know how much research you've done in terms of modern methods, but there are quite a few people here who own very successful marine tanks. Pies, reef, jetskisteve and others. I think the one thing all of us have learned, some the hard way, is the following,

1. Research and Planning are critical, plan as much as you can BEFORE buying anything, you may regret it otherwise.

2. Do it right the first time. Marine tanks can be expensive, don't skimp when it comes to equipment, you get what you pay for. In the long run, it will be cheaper to buy the $600 skimmer now than buy a $100 one and end up upgrading to the $600 after you realise it's crap. Same goes for lighting, if you want to keep hard corals, don't even bother with fluoro's get Metal halides from the start.

Now to answer your question, and really to give any practical advice on what type of flow you'll need, or would be acceptable, we really need to know a little bit more about your intended system, such as:

What size tank you plan on using

Are you going to run a sump or not?

Do you want to keep hard, or soft corals, or just fish only?

I hope that I haven't confused you more, but all of this is important info. No doubt, Pies will chime in with his thoughts and questions. If you are looking for a more comprehensive source of information, check out www.reefcentral.com they have many faq's and many recognised experts in they hobby posting there such as Eric Borneman (coral expert), Randy Holmes Farley (reef chemistry expert), Dr Frank Marini (marine fish breeding expert), and other individuals with many years experience.

Layton

[anal fin]

You guys are the FIZZ " Fizz = wicked great etc etc " just to keep you in the LOOP hee hee bloody loops.....

I have a tank that has become free for my next project ( marine ) its only a little one but I just want to get my feet wet and see how it all goes at this stage, I want to crawl before I do the hundred meter dash in under 10 seconds so to speek...

1, Tank size L = 30inches W = 15 inches and H = 15 inches

2, Filter method

1, via - aqua 230 about 400L p/h ( i have new in a box )

or

2, powerhead attached to an undergravel system with filter

wool in my uplift tube

3, I wanted wet rock with fish only system at this stage of the game untill i get the hang of things

I not very keen on having things in my tank such as filters heater etc etc is rather ugly so i also thought about a sump with the skinner in that

But anyway let me know what you think so far your input have been great i would rather keep my fish happy and alive than kill them..

[Pies]

Small tanks are 'HARD'. Larger tanks are easier.

30 inches by 15 inches by 15 inches is very small, but you mentioned a sump, this helps. I would strongly reccomend that a 3ft fish tank for a marine tank would be a minumum size for a first time tank owner, but I would go as big as you can. Same with sump, make it hold as much water as you can.

Saltwater doesn't have to be any harder than freshwater, and its a GREAT hobby and IMO far more rewarding. However water chemistry needs much more attention than with freshwater.

Good luck.

Pieman