Advice needed

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baileyburns

New Member
I have a 5.5 gal saltwater tank its not much but i have learned a lot in the 7m i have had it. Anyway i just bought 2 20 gal tanks one tall one long and plan to expand what i have. Im looking at pumps right now for the sump return and see that the mag pumps are popular and im thinking a 4 or 5. Any sugestions.
Thanks
Burns
 
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baileyburns

New Member
My first thought was a 3 but in talking im not sure. How much will i lose going 3-4ft up and i thought i would do two returns to the tank so i would be splitting with a T. I was looking at locline and maby two heads on each side.Is a 3 going to be too much??
 
yungreefer2410

yungreefer2410

Well-Known Member
i don't really know i plan on using a mag three. my stands are only two feet tall since i am short. as for the 20 gal i would go 20 gal long for display and 20 gal tall for sump. lets see a pic of the super nano!
 
mps9506

mps9506

Well-Known Member
I think you are right on with using a Mag 4 or 5. With the head pressure you will probably be around 2-300 gph and ~x10 turnover.
As far as splitting the outlets, I perfer one or two outlets, because with more outlets the velocity of the water leaving the outlets gets reduced a lot. With only 2-300 gph you don't have much to split up :) One outlet will probably be fine, point it at a powerhead or towards the wall to help break up and randomize the current a bit. That much flow should get into all the nooks and crannies of a 20G h pretty easily.
 
Intranick

Intranick

Active Member
I think as long as you spread it out so its not just one "outlet" the 4 or 5 would prolly be fine, um.. maybe go a little more towards the 4..
 
zeus_roush

zeus_roush

Member
I would probably go with atleast a mag 5. I have two mag 7's on my 16 gallon tank, with 5 foot of head pressure on each pump. i run bb.
 
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fatman

Has been struck by the ban stick
Using a 3/4" diameter return with one union and one ball valves, four 90 degree fittings at four foot distance between the pump exit and the top of the tank, you will receive the following returns:

Mag 2: 113 gph at a velocity of 1,13 ft/sec
Mag 3: 233 gph at a velocity of 2.33 ft/sec
Mag 5: 263 gph at a velocity of 2.62 ft/sec

Installing a "T" fitting at the top of the tank and running to opposite sides of the tanks and then reducing to 1/2" female fittings and inserting Loc-Line male threaded adapters with 1/2" swivel nozzles will actually increase your velocity as the area of two 1/2 inch diameter holes is smaller than the area of a hole one inch in diameter and flow = velocity * area, so velocity = flow/area.

You will have no appreciable increase in flow loss by branching down to two 1/2 nozzles as long as the reductions are not made in the pipe or fitting sizes prior to the last fitting that the nozzle fittings screw into.

Price wise and efficiency wise your best bet is the Mag 3. As the Mag 5 does not perform well at these parameters. The Mag 5 only provides abot 13 percent more flow but uses lmost 30 percent more power to do so. I do not have a pump curve chart on the Mag 4 so can not calculate those results. The Mag three will only be supplying a tank turn over rate of 11.65, but that is quite a large turn over flow rate to go through a small sump any way. The Mag 5 turn over would be 13.25 times per hour. I would use the Mag three and if I wanted more circulation I would use either a Hydor Koralia 1 for a mixed reef tank or a Hydor Koralia 2 power head if I wanted more SPS coral domination.

Running the Mag 3 flow rate through a 5 gallon sump instead of a 20 gallon sump would be a flow turnover rate through the sump of 46.6 times per hour. SPS corals would love that sump, but it would definitely not allow any particulates to settle out of the water without some sort of filter media being used.
 
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baileyburns

New Member
Thank you all for the help sounds like a 3 will be good, i was thinking of a Koralia as well but probably later. I bought the tanks on sale and the pump comes next. $s tight so one thing at a time. Is the Mag the way to go?

I want this tank to have potential for a nice reef. I wish i could go big but just had a little one and she comes first but some day i plan to expand a lot. here is some pics of what i have now it seems to be doing well the hair algae on top is only on that spot it hasn't grown or shrunk in like 2-3m even if i move it. Is it ok in my research it sounds like if it doesn't take over its not really bad is this true?
Anyway thank for all the help
0829081715a.jpg


0829081715.jpg
 
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fatman

Has been struck by the ban stick
Hair algae really only becomes problem in that it keep corline algae from growing in that spot and when you have corals. Nuisance lagae such as hair algae tends to grow and spread much faster than coral , there fore it crowds oot the coral and eventuallygrows right over the coral. Corals also actually utilize quite a bit of dissolved nutrients from the water and the alage tends to remove all those nutrientsso quicklt=y that the coral does not get their needs met.
The fact that the algae is stsying confined to that one a ea is a pretty good indiction that your tank is doing well and taht your fish are not being grosly overfed. Over feeding of fish and a lack of adequate partial water changes are probably the two largest problems with most troubled reef tanks.
 
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baileyburns

New Member
Ok so it sounds like its alright for now (as long as it isn't growing) i don't have any corals right now and will probably wait till the 20 is up now. Here is some things i have read and would like to know more about.

so it sounds like i may have rushed my first tank a little i did wait about 5-6m before i added any fish i added a hermit and brittle star maby 2m before that. I want to take my time and do this one right and i have herd that if done right uncured LR can be a good way to go i have also herd base rock mentioned. Whats the difference and what do you recommend?? or is the raw shrimp the way to go?
 
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fatman

Has been struck by the ban stick
Base rock is typically just a carbonate based rock that is used underneath better live rock. Usually base rock is not as pretty as livve rock ans is basically just porous small boulders. It can be old prehistoric reef rock or just dead live rock. Uncured live rock is rock that has just come from the ocean and been shipped to the states. It usually has a lot of dead and dieing life forms on it so when added to a tank adds large amounts of nutrients to the tank. This can be too many nutrients for a faitrly newly established tank to handle quickly so a registerable amount of ammonia may result. Therefore the rock should usually be scrubbed to remove dead matter and actually cycled/cured just like a tank is cycled. This is often done in a large trash can or an empty tank with mixed water, circulation and a heater. Many times people use uncured live rock when setting up a new tank and therefore cure their rock as part of cycling their tank.
 
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baileyburns

New Member
FISH1.jpg

CLEANERSHIMP1.jpg

FULLTANK.jpg

0829081715a.jpg

Thought i would posts some more pics. Tell me what you think. So is keeping the sally light foot as bad as i here, i havent had a problem yet (been maby 4 weeks) but iv been told that my fish might be short lived.
 
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funkpolice

Active Member
I'm not sure, but I think you would need a really big lightfoot, and some sick fish for them to get eaten. My sally lightfoot is kind of a pain when I'm feeding the sun corals, but that's my only complaint.
bill
 
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baileyburns

New Member
So i just posted this on the nano forum but haven't got much response decided now is not the right time to spend to much $.

Ok I got this tank with dreams of a super nice reef and apparently for got to buy the loto ticket. So i am now setting it up with what i have available.
20g tall aqueon tank
Red Sea Prizm Hang-on Protein Skimmer
Rena Filstar XP 1
lights i plan to buy in a few months after cycle
I thought i would get a Koralia or two
So.........what do you think any ideas
I am open to any suggestions and i am open to the idea of a 10g sump but have to keep cost down
This is my upgrade from the 5.5g i have now.
Heres some pics
P9070539.jpg


And heres my new addition
P9060531.jpg
 
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