FOWLR tank underneath a Reef tank..?

The Reef Addict · 12/21/2018, 05:23 AM

Hey guys,

Long story short - I'm thinking about stuffing a 180g 6' fowlr tank underneath a 240g 8' reef tank in a custom made stand.. And running the plumbing through the floor into the basement, where my sump would be.

My reasoning for this is, for one - limited space. And two - being able to keep coral chomping fish (like my flagfin angel) and still be able to keep/enjoy a flourishing reef.. Also less maintenance would be a huge plus.

My thought process is to run the return to the 240, which then overflows/drains into 180, and overflows/drains down into the sump tank in the basement. My 2 major concers are: "overworking" the 180's overflows AKA - FLOODING, and a s#!+ ton of microbubbles in the 180.

Ok - thoughts/opinions!?
Has anyone already done this!?

Dsekula · 12/21/2018, 08:37 AM

Haven't done this exactly but my tank and sump are set up with a vertical insted of horizontal sump. So instead of a bunch of baffled sections the sump is a bunch of tanks set one over the other similar to what you described. I set it up this way because I professionally design water and wastewater treatment systems and this is how these types of large systems are set up. Each section is plumbed to be by passed or run independent of the rest of the system if necessary. Cleaning and emergency quarantine is no problem. As far as overflow is concerned just ensure that the pipe size is sufficient for flow and you have emergency drains. I'd also personally plumb it so you could have the return pumping to the reef, Fowlr, or both and drain the top tank to the Fowlr or sump so that during maint of the reef if you wanted to stop flow to the fowlr from the reef it's possible. Other things that I'd consider would be ensuring the area the tanks are going is structurally sound and can carry the load your considering and protecting the lights and other equipment on the bottom tank from splashes and other water issues from above. Here's the front of my sump to give you an idea what I'm describing.IMG953790224.jpg

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

The Reef Addict · 12/22/2018, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dsekula

Haven't done this exactly but my tank and sump are set up with a vertical insted of horizontal sump. So instead of a bunch of baffled sections the sump is a bunch of tanks set one over the other similar to what you described. I set it up this way because I professionally design water and wastewater treatment systems and this is how these types of large systems are set up. Each section is plumbed to be by passed or run independent of the rest of the system if necessary. Cleaning and emergency quarantine is no problem. As far as overflow is concerned just ensure that the pipe size is sufficient for flow and you have emergency drains. I'd also personally plumb it so you could have the return pumping to the reef, Fowlr, or both and drain the top tank to the Fowlr or sump so that during maint of the reef if you wanted to stop flow to the fowlr from the reef it's possible.

This is an interesting concept, Ive never seen anything like that before. I could see building a floor-ceiling(ish) cabinet to conceal everything.. Only drawback I see there is excessive heat, and the minor inconvenience of having to use a stepstool to get up to my skimmer, etc.

Would your system work with tanks pre assembled with corner overflows? Just wondering how you connect your pumps/drains.

Dsekula · 12/22/2018, 03:54 PM

That entire photo is the sump in my basement so I'm not really worried about closing it in. It was auctually left open intentionally for ease of maintance. Here's the back side where the uv and return pumps are. I don't see why you couldn't do this with a pre built tank as long all all the flow through the overflows etc are appropriately rated. Right now I auctually don't have a dt set up, I'm still working on the build. But the dt will be on the floor above (4th level of tank). Here's a pic of the dt so far, aside from the odd shape there is a standard corner overflow and bean animal drain (three hole) drain system.

IMG_20181211_162637.jpeg

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

Dsekula · 12/22/2018, 03:56 PM

Oh and it's placed right in front of the basement stairs so I can sit mid way up to reach the top area and all the electrical is mounted under the stairs for a little extra splash protection.

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

The Reef Addict · 12/22/2018, 04:03 PM

I dont love the idea of cutting holes through the floor, but I figured it would be the easiest way for what I was thinking of. Having the sump in the basement would have the benifit of keeping the tank cooler, and not having to hear the return pump/skimmer.

My original plan was to reinforce the floors down in the basement with 4x4's, and running stringers between the beams (50's built house) around where the tanks would reside.. Easy enough with an open "finished" basement. Then on the 4x4's I could build a shelf to hold my sump at a nice accessible level.. Which would also contribute to less head height for my pump. Im dreaming a bit here, but Im hoping to atleast have my 240 and build a stand within the next couple months.

Dsekula · 12/22/2018, 04:08 PM

Ya, I mentioned the weight bc I have a 200yo farm house. The beams are whole felled trees but I added house jacks at the load points where the tank would sit and didn't intersect a load bearing wall. Just keep in mind water weighs 8.34lb to a gal. And make sure your not going to end up tilting the room

over doing it a bit ahead of time will save a lot a hassle rather than trying to auctually jack up the house and then install jacks with the tank in place.

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

The Reef Addict · 12/22/2018, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dsekula

Oh and it's placed right in front of the basement stairs so I can sit mid way up to reach the top area and all the electrical is mounted under the stairs for a little extra splash protection.

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

I think your ideas pretty cool, and unique for sure.. But im thinking unless I did custom drilling on the side of my tank (like you have on yours), then it would become a lot more difficult to run plumbing on the 180 (lower level tank).. And I would have to build the stand taller to allow my hands/arms to reach into the tank if/when needed

Dsekula · 12/22/2018, 04:29 PM

If you build the tank you can drill it how ever you want

It's true, but just kidding, if you've never built a tank I'd recommend a lot of research and completely understanding the risk of it failing.
If you wanted something custom tho there are plenty of builders that do custom jobs.
You could also run the plumbing out the bottom and just put an elbow and a Barb fitting and run a hose down to the next floor, that way your bottom tank would only need to be set up 2× the id of your pipes so if you had 1 1/2" lines like I do the tank would only have to sit 3" off the floor.
Just some thoughts of you are still considering it.

Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

12/21/2018, 05:23 AM	#1
The Reef Addict Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Posts: 107	FOWLR tank underneath a Reef tank..? Hey guys, Long story short - I'm thinking about stuffing a 180g 6' fowlr tank underneath a 240g 8' reef tank in a custom made stand.. And running the plumbing through the floor into the basement, where my sump would be. My reasoning for this is, for one - limited space. And two - being able to keep coral chomping fish (like my flagfin angel) and still be able to keep/enjoy a flourishing reef.. Also less maintenance would be a huge plus. My thought process is to run the return to the 240, which then overflows/drains into 180, and overflows/drains down into the sump tank in the basement. My 2 major concers are: "overworking" the 180's overflows AKA - FLOODING, and a s#!+ ton of microbubbles in the 180. Ok - thoughts/opinions!? Has anyone already done this!?

12/22/2018, 03:54 PM	#4
Dsekula Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Sterling Posts: 271	That entire photo is the sump in my basement so I'm not really worried about closing it in. It was auctually left open intentionally for ease of maintance. Here's the back side where the uv and return pumps are. I don't see why you couldn't do this with a pre built tank as long all all the flow through the overflows etc are appropriately rated. Right now I auctually don't have a dt set up, I'm still working on the build. But the dt will be on the floor above (4th level of tank). Here's a pic of the dt so far, aside from the odd shape there is a standard corner overflow and bean animal drain (three hole) drain system.IMG_20181211_162637.jpeg Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

12/21/2018, 08:37 AM	#2
Dsekula Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Sterling Posts: 271	Haven't done this exactly but my tank and sump are set up with a vertical insted of horizontal sump. So instead of a bunch of baffled sections the sump is a bunch of tanks set one over the other similar to what you described. I set it up this way because I professionally design water and wastewater treatment systems and this is how these types of large systems are set up. Each section is plumbed to be by passed or run independent of the rest of the system if necessary. Cleaning and emergency quarantine is no problem. As far as overflow is concerned just ensure that the pipe size is sufficient for flow and you have emergency drains. I'd also personally plumb it so you could have the return pumping to the reef, Fowlr, or both and drain the top tank to the Fowlr or sump so that during maint of the reef if you wanted to stop flow to the fowlr from the reef it's possible. Other things that I'd consider would be ensuring the area the tanks are going is structurally sound and can carry the load your considering and protecting the lights and other equipment on the bottom tank from splashes and other water issues from above. Here's the front of my sump to give you an idea what I'm describing.IMG953790224.jpg Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

12/22/2018, 03:56 PM	#5
Dsekula Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Sterling Posts: 271	Oh and it's placed right in front of the basement stairs so I can sit mid way up to reach the top area and all the electrical is mounted under the stairs for a little extra splash protection. Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

12/22/2018, 04:03 PM	#6
The Reef Addict Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Posts: 107	I dont love the idea of cutting holes through the floor, but I figured it would be the easiest way for what I was thinking of. Having the sump in the basement would have the benifit of keeping the tank cooler, and not having to hear the return pump/skimmer. My original plan was to reinforce the floors down in the basement with 4x4's, and running stringers between the beams (50's built house) around where the tanks would reside.. Easy enough with an open "finished" basement. Then on the 4x4's I could build a shelf to hold my sump at a nice accessible level.. Which would also contribute to less head height for my pump. Im dreaming a bit here, but Im hoping to atleast have my 240 and build a stand within the next couple months.

12/22/2018, 04:08 PM	#7
Dsekula Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Sterling Posts: 271	Ya, I mentioned the weight bc I have a 200yo farm house. The beams are whole felled trees but I added house jacks at the load points where the tank would sit and didn't intersect a load bearing wall. Just keep in mind water weighs 8.34lb to a gal. And make sure your not going to end up tilting the room over doing it a bit ahead of time will save a lot a hassle rather than trying to auctually jack up the house and then install jacks with the tank in place. Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk

12/22/2018, 04:29 PM	#9
Dsekula Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Sterling Posts: 271	If you build the tank you can drill it how ever you want It's true, but just kidding, if you've never built a tank I'd recommend a lot of research and completely understanding the risk of it failing. If you wanted something custom tho there are plenty of builders that do custom jobs. You could also run the plumbing out the bottom and just put an elbow and a Barb fitting and run a hose down to the next floor, that way your bottom tank would only need to be set up 2× the id of your pipes so if you had 1 1/2" lines like I do the tank would only have to sit 3" off the floor. Just some thoughts of you are still considering it. Sent from my E6810 using Tapatalk