Need advice on 300g

[TeQ]

Hello everyone, I've recently relocated to the South Austin area and came across your banner at River City. (What a cool place!)

I am in the process of designing a ~300g reef for my living room and need some advice to help me meet a few goals. My biggest concern is trying to keep the tank as quiet as possible while still maintaining an overflow system. I am not partial to closed loop filtration.

Ideally I was hoping to have an open top tank/euro braced and no canopy but I'm afraid the overflow will make entirely too much noise.

The plan is to have it as a room divider and visible on 4 sides.. although I could give up one of the sides if necessary. I'm really liking the idea of having dual island style overflows, but I figure that won't help with my noise concerns.

Are there any great techniques for silent overflows? Should I just get a canopy?

Also should I be concerned with evaporation with a tank this size? Would you install some ventilation in the room?

I've had a few tanks over the years, but it's been awhile.. now that we're finally settled I'm ready to jump in big. I'd appreciate any and all comments on the subject.

Additionally if anybody could recommend a stand/cabinet builder that can do some custom work for me..

Thanks!

TeQ

Edited September 24, 2008 by TeQ

[Robb in Austin]

Welcome!

You absolutely must make a build thread!

We have some members who have/had big setups so I'm sure someone will chime in soon. Also, have you checked the large tank forum on RC?

Robb

[GKarshens]

There are different types of overflows designed to silence the water. I think Durso's have been around the longest but I have found mine is not very silent. BMWAaron has a newer design in his RC thread. It is called the Hofer Gurgle Buster. There are more photos on page 17.

You will definitely have evaporation with a tank that size. I really think you will only notice it during Winter though. An exhaust fan may not be a bad idea.

[landfish]

if you use a durso your overflow will be silent. Here is a link on how to build your own and you can buy one there if you do not want to build one. http://www.dursostandpipes.com/

Also check out a horizontal overflow or a claflo overflow as they are silent and I think are a better design if you do not already have the tank.

[Mike M.]

For help in building a quiet tank/sump, I have a little help to offer. My tank is in my living area adjacent to my couch and television. Sound is a BIG issue for my wife and I. I had used a Mag 18 return pump and a Mag 12 for my two returns. The Mag 18 had a very audible hum to it which made it a tad annoying. I recently became frustrated with that and purchased an Ocean Runner 6500 to replace the Mag 18. It is much more quiet and actually, I don't even notice it running in the cabinet where the Mag 18 was undeniable. So if the 1000gph at 4 feet of head is enough to power your returns, then you might want to consider the OR6500. Now, it you are not trying to build on a tight budget, the Red Dragon pumps might offer you more flow, less energy consumption, and low noise.

So that's my two cents worth!

Mike

PS. I use the Durso stand pipe and find that with some modification to the overflow pipe ends in the sump, they are quiet. I was talking just today about fashioning the style overflow standpipe the BMWAaron wrote about at Reef Central.