I had a reef tank for years, but always used biocubes with their handy built-in plumbing. Now I'm living the dream and getting a PhD in marine biology, but some plumbing stands in my way.
I have a long 7'x3' fiberglass tank (1.25' deep) that I am taking over for a 6 month experiment, but it needs some upgrades. Currently ocean water comes in to the tank through a basic garden hose and exits via a simple overflow (and eventually back to the ocean). I will be keeping about 150 coral nubbins in this tank and need them to be as happy as possible with the conditions, so I need more flow. Running power to the tank won't be easy (outdoors), so I don't think powerheads are the right option, and I can't permanently alter the tank. I was thinking about some flow accelerators. Does anyone have experience with those?
But I need some basic plumbing design help. I know NOTHING about this stuff. I'm guessing working with pvc is going to be easiest and cheapest for me. How do I attach the hose to the flow accelerator manifold? How do I make a flow accelerator manifold? Is there any way I could build in a simple filter to cut down on sediment between the water coming out of the hose and entering the flow accelerators?
Thank you in advance for your advice, I really appreciate it.
Tori
I have a long 7'x3' fiberglass tank (1.25' deep) that I am taking over for a 6 month experiment, but it needs some upgrades. Currently ocean water comes in to the tank through a basic garden hose and exits via a simple overflow (and eventually back to the ocean). I will be keeping about 150 coral nubbins in this tank and need them to be as happy as possible with the conditions, so I need more flow. Running power to the tank won't be easy (outdoors), so I don't think powerheads are the right option, and I can't permanently alter the tank. I was thinking about some flow accelerators. Does anyone have experience with those?
But I need some basic plumbing design help. I know NOTHING about this stuff. I'm guessing working with pvc is going to be easiest and cheapest for me. How do I attach the hose to the flow accelerator manifold? How do I make a flow accelerator manifold? Is there any way I could build in a simple filter to cut down on sediment between the water coming out of the hose and entering the flow accelerators?
Thank you in advance for your advice, I really appreciate it.
Tori