Simple tanks 180 or over. My head is spinning.

[pmrossetti]

Let's see or hear about your 180g or greater tanks run as simply as possible. I can't take the systems with miles of plumbing, chambers, equipment,etc.I feel they're accidents waiting to happen and in many cases ridiculous. Let's see what success you've had with simplicity, please. I love KIS. Keep it simple. Love to all.

[pmrossetti]

No one on the same page?

[boilermaker1]

How simple is simple?
I run a skimmer, 2 phosban reactors (one GFO, one carbon)... all three of those are in sump, a return pump and a second pump on an OM 4 way for flow. Other than that, its just the essential lights and an ATO.

[sedor]

But complicated is so fun I have to disagree with the accident waiting to happen thing. In many cases they are set up to avoid accidents and tank crashes where the regular tank probably wouldn't catch a problem about to occur.

Not saying that simple isn't good, but all that fancy equipment isn't for nothing

[pmrossetti]

Hi b, Sounds great. I just mean these systems with plumbing as for as you can see, electrical wires that look like webs, seperate rooms for this and that, etc. Like classical music and rock, things get more and more complex, then all of a sudden minimalistic (as simple as possible) I think as simple as possible is best. Thanks b.

[Sitarangi]

I assume your talking about the sump and the 'guts' of the fish tank. Honestly their pretty simple. I use a very simple 3-chambered design and plumbing on my 29g and 150g (10g sump, 60 gallon respectively). Both have been rousing successes.

Basically you have a tank divided up into 3 sections. You can see the pretty well on the 2nd picture.

- The 1st chamber is the entry/drain/skimmer. I flows in from the overflow. I use a durso standpipe and strait PVC and a bit of that flexible pool hose right into the sump. The only real fancy plumbing I have is a gate valve and a sealed off T valve. The gate valve is in case I need to shut off all flow (common sense) and the T-valve in case I want to run something else later (i.e. kalk reactor etc.)

- The water goes from the skimmer over a baffle (wall used to keep the water level) into a fuge. Generally, the fuge i like to have be 2/3 of the sump. Through mud, sand, cheato, snails, etc. They keep tanks happy and healthy.

- THe water flows over another baffle and right into the return pump. Usually I put my dosing bags for carbon and the whatnot in here. The water flows back up into the tank via 2 returns already built into the tank when I got it. I don't mess around with closed loops and all those powerheads makes the tank look tacky. Just shel out the money for a vortech MP40. You won't be disapointed.

- My 150g has an ATO resivior but that does its own thing. You can see it in the 2nd pic.











The drain pipe from the overflow. You can see the gate valve and T-pipe. Nothing fancy at all.



THe Return (minus the pump)



The sump on my 29g. You can see the three chambers really well. It goes left --> right

[pmrossetti]

Looks great, thanks.

[Sitarangi]

My sump looks really intricate but trust me its not. Once you hookup all your electronics, and get your plumbing in working order it just starts to look like a rats nest ;D

[trexer]

Looks just fine to me.

[MacD]

O.K., but I think the true test of pmrossetti's question is:
is anyone out there running a 180 gal.+ tank sumpless?

[IridescentLily]

A 180 with no sump? If this were poker i'd be betting big.

[Lightsluvr]

For some great tips on large tanks, you might pore over the Large Tanks forum here on RC. There are dozens of threads over there posted by reefers who have walked the walk, fallen down and gotten back up...

When I was researching large tanks, that's where I found my thrill...

LL

[Lightsluvr]

Originally posted by pmrossetti
Hi b, Sounds great. I just mean these systems with plumbing as for as you can see, electrical wires that look like webs, seperate rooms for this and that, etc. Like classical music and rock, things get more and more complex, then all of a sudden minimalistic (as simple as possible) I think as simple as possible is best. Thanks b.

If you want it that easy, I'd suggest freshwater fish... there's a reason all that stuff is found in large saltwater tanks...

JMHO.

LL

[Imzadi]

Originally posted by Lightsluvr
If you want it that easy, I'd suggest freshwater fish... there's a reason all that stuff is found in large saltwater tanks...

JMHO.

LL

I was gonna suggest a Koi pond...

but that is my thinking, too. Simple set-up, easily maintained, and a reef in your house are not things that go in the same sentence. Less complicated, sure. You limit what you can keep, and the success of your tank by limiting the technology and aparatii. Think of it as a car, in a race. Simple car, right off the lot. Out ya go, have fun, and make some noise. Compared to a tricked out little import, way easier. (and cheaper) but you will go WAY faster in the modified rig. Time, money and learning is as much a part of this hobby as our little finned friends. If you understand the what and why of the components, it really is more of a logical flow thing, than anything, just follow the water. If all depends on your end goal, and what you MIGHT get into. I started off with a 33 with an eclipse hood, modified to be a wet/dry. It was all I would ever need. I aint getting into weird stuff. LPL and SPF and whole buncha other letters that really meant nothing to me. I wanted an easy, inexpensive salt water fishtank. I buy a fish, and another... cool. Oh, whats that wiggly looking rock there, thats cool. Oh, it needs better lights... oh, and my nitrate is too high? Where do you store your nitrate? Oh, the bio-wheel makes nitrate... and it's bad, I see... Oh, this Madarin thing is cool. Oh, it like a bigger tank... oh, cuz it likes bugs. Where do I get these bugs, oh, I see, they are in my tank already... WHAT? I got bugs in my tank?!?!? Oh, they are good bugs... and this guy eats them, but there isn't enough in there because it is a small tank.

LoL, wow, that went off on a tangent...

Point being, I limited myself. Now, with my new little tank, I have a simple set-up, but there is room to grow. I can add phosban, and reactors and other things. I can upgrade the lights, and skimmer. (old one was all in one) I would say if you go big, make sure it is capable of adding the other stuff to it. If you don't want a sump, drill the tank anyway, and cap it. Better yet, do a sump, but don't put anything in it, at the very least it will increase your total water volume. A 200g with a short long 50ish under it, is like 35-40g more for your tank. Then the overflows keep the maintanks water level a constant, and the variance is in the sump. Even if that is all you use it for, it will make things easier right off the start. Then, after you have a tank full of rock, dirt, fish and water, or aren't saying, "Crap, I wish I hadda...."

Then as your interest builds, and you get the bug for a new thing, like a coral, or something, you can build on that tank to make it work. You can start it off simple, but just don't handcuff yourself to that. Just my opinion.