javajaws

I've got the larger of the 2 Tunze pumps (the .040 model) and it's dead silent - quitest return pump I've ever used. I think it's a perfect size for a 120g tank so long as you aren't relying on your return pump as your only circulation. At 42w (haven't verified this yet) it's incredibly energy efficient. I also haven't done any measurements or anything to see if it's transferring heat, but overall I'm happy with my temps considering the ambient temps and the fact I'm not even running a single fan.

Hey guys and gals of ARC. A few of you may recognize/remember my from the photo below. For those of you who never saw my old tank, I'll introduce myself from scratch. My name is Jason, and I'm addicted to reefing. Back in 2005 I setup my 3rd reef tank. It was my biggest and most successfull tank yet. But like all good tanks it came and went with the current - here today, gone tomorrow. It ran for about 3 years before I took it down for several different reasons. One of those reasons was cost - mainly the monthly operating costs incurred because of the equipment choices I made. A secondary reason was noise. Being an in-wall tank viewable from 2-different rooms, I really wanted the tank to be quieter than it was. Another big reason was automation, or the lack of it which prevented me from leaving town and sleeping soundly at night. The last reason was the content of the tank itself. It had really started to become overgrown with some species of SPS that were just too hardy and fast growing (monti caps, digitata, etc.) At any rate, I broke the tank down and sold off almost every piece of reef equipment I had except my refractometer and RO/DI unit. But earlier this year, I made the move to rebuild and start a new tank from scratch. The only thing I would re-use in addition to those items was most of the cabinetry I had built the previous tank into (all built by myself for the first tank). The tank itself I had built by A.G.E. in Dallas (thru Bruce at AquaTek) and is 47.5 x 23 x 23 with an external overflow. Front & back are low iron glass. The sump is a DIY monstrosity I custom designed to accomodate the cabinet and tank. The primary goal was to have minimal plumbing lines Lighting is provided by an ATI 8x54w Powermodule Flow is provided by 2 VorTech MP40es Skimmer is an SRO XP-2000i Supplementation will be done by 2-part dosing w/BRS dosing pumps. Command & Control is handled by an Apex controller Tunze Silence return pump I changed the strategy of almost every major piece of hardware on the tank from the 1.0 version to the current one. I went from: Cheaply built tank (glasscages) -> high end (A.G.E.) MH -> T5 Closed loop w/Oceansmotions -> Vortechs External skimmer -> Internal Noisy, hot, external return pump (relatively high turnover) -> Internal pump w/low turnover CA reactor -> 2-part Minimal ATO control -> Apex In every case my newer equipment choices run with less electricity, less noise, less heat, and take up less space (especially the plumbing...never underestimate the cost and space requirements of 1-2" plumbing running everywhere). Even with this 103 degree heat the tank hasn't hit 79 degrees yet with all equipment running and a full light cycle. So here's the tank from Day 1 - July 24, 2011. I still haven't finalized the aquascaping, and I do still have a list of TODO items. But its up...it's cycling...get your frags ready (SPS only)! For more pictures/info, you can find my complete build saga over on RC here.