SPS and softie tank plumbed together?

[dasstheboss]

Would it be better to have two systems: one with sps and one with softies and macro algae to be plumbed together or kept as separate systems? The reason to plumb them is using the same apex probes and increasing live rock volume. But would the water chemistry be an issue?

[VW_TDI_02]

I don't see a problem with plumbing them together. People have mixed reefs all the time. The only thing is that you are going to need to keep both tanks at the same water parameters.

[FishI]

Yeah VW TDI is right you can definitely mix them.

 

Although I would make it so you could shut them off in case of disaster etc....

[HarryPotter]

Yeah VW TDI is right you can definitely mix them.

 

Although I would make it so you could shut them off in case of disaster etc....

+1 on the "Isolation Valve". Simple ball valve on both inlet and outlet

[dasstheboss]

That sounds good. I'm just trying to weigh if the fact that sps prefer pristine water while soft corals like dirty water factors into this. If they're better off separate no harm in that. Are there any advantages other than shared equipment?

[VW_TDI_02]

That sounds good. I'm just trying to weigh if the fact that sps prefer pristine water while soft corals like dirty water factors into this. If they're better off separate no harm in that. Are there any advantages other than shared equipment?

Shared equipment keeps the cost down and having a larger water volume is always good. The only issue is that you have only one system so if something goes terribly wrong, it will be difficult to contain it to just one tank. The whole pristine vs dirty water thing is a bit overblown in my opinion. There are so many people with mixed reefs with SPS, LPS, and softies growing incredibly well so I wouldn't worry too much about it.

[dasstheboss]

Alright cool. Thanks for the input. I'll likely plumb them together.

[dasstheboss]

Just realized that by overflowing the back chamber of my rimless JBJ 30 gallon (the softie tank), I can actually add a MAME overflow if I want. So it looks like I'll hold off on to keeping them separate for now.

[Benny314]

My idea to this concept would be.........

 

Have the SPS tank drain into the softy tank, then to the sump. Instead of both tanks draining into the sump and then sharing a return.

That way any nutrients created in the SPS system go by the softies that love that slightly 'dirtier' water then into the sump, you can feed the softy tank heavier to keep them happier. Set the sump up to do some real heavy skimming and PO4/NO3 control (big algae scrubber or over sized reactors) so the water returning to the SPS system is as 'clean' as you can get it.

Really it's like having a display refugium.

 

The emergency isolation plan would work with this too, but cost a little more at initial setup due to having to add a largely redundant drain to the SPS system (only needed if you were shutting off feed to the softy tank) and a spare or moveable return so the softies could be supplied direct from the sump if the SPS system was isolated/not running.

 

But as already mentioned, basically your looking at mixed reef which is done all the time. SPS can cope with some nutrients (some SPS seem to do better in dirty tanks) and softies can survive in low nutrient systems with no problems.

[dasstheboss]

The Softie tank is actually taller than the SPS tank so I can't do the idea you mentioned. My initial plan was to make the softie tank my refugium area with macro-algae and soft corals. The sump would be purely for equipment and if allows some extra live rock. As far as reactors go, I'm using only baking soda and pickling lime to keep levels up. And will do 5 gallon water changes (50 gallon system) weekly.

[Benny314]

You'd only need the softy tank water line 2 or 3 inches below the SPS tank water line.

 

I would build a custom stand with the tanks next to each other, SPS system fairly high and the waterline slightly above the desired waterline in the softy tank.

Then have an internal ghost style overflow box with a bulkhead in it and a pipe and ball valve linking the softy tank to the overflow of the SPS tank. The water height in the softy tank would then set the water height in the overflow box so that's why you would need the water level in the softy tank slightly lower to allow the overflow to surface skim. This link pipe would also have to be pretty large bore, 40mm or so to make sure you didn't overflow the SPS tank because water wasn't changing tanks fast enough.

I'd put the sump under the SPS tank so there is plenty of head room for lifting in and out equipment and maintenance down the line.

I've seen display refuguims under tanks, but this way they're both at a nice eye line sort of height and if you got clever with your aquascape you could make it look like a drop off system.

 

I'd maybe fit a canopy around the top of the tanks to hide the water level difference.

 

I have a lot of time at work, here's a quick paint knock up of what I'm talking about lol.

 

[vlangel]

I like benny's idea but I have a 2 tank system sharing 1 sump and it's working great. Mine is a 36g reef and I added a 30g XH seahorse display fuge. They are side by side. The reef had 2 returns so I just moved 1 of them on the seahorse tank. I have both drains running into the sump. I have just 1 return pump that Ys off to each return. One return goes through the chiller and the other through the UV, which is why I hooked the systems together. The reef had a chiller and the seahorses needed it. Anyway, it's been running a year without a hitch.

[VW_TDI_02]

I'm not sure how I feel about the two tanks being plumbed together directly (going from one tank directly to the other). Why not just drill both tanks normally and run the drains down to a single sump? You can go with two return pumps (one for each tank) or you can run a single return pump with a Y so that you can pump water into both tanks at the same time.

[Benny314]

Yeah my idea is to utilise 'dirty' water leaving the SPS tank for the softies and have supper 'clean' water returned for the SPS as I explained in the post before. But either set up works.

[VW_TDI_02]

Yeah my idea is to utilise 'dirty' water leaving the SPS tank for the softies and have supper 'clean' water returned for the SPS as I explained in the post before. But either set up works.

I just wonder how much of a difference that's really going to make. I would worry more about that connection between the two tanks getting clogged or slowing down and causing the SPS tank (or whichever is first) to overflow. With a regular overflow, you typically have some sort of emergency drain while the full siphon does most of the work and does so silently. Since the connection is starting with an overflow box, wouldn't there also have to be a gate valve between the two tanks in order to dial the siphon in perfectly? In that case, you don't have any sort of emergency drain in case it slows down for any reason. If you don't have a siphon going, I would think that you would get a lot of noise as the water goes over the overflow and then the water and air travel through the connecting tube.

[Benny314]

I have a lot of time at work, here's a quick paint knock up of what I'm talking about lol.

 

 

No the water level in the overflow box would be set by the water level in the tank it was draining too (see picture) based on both tanks being next to each other at nearly the same height. No ball valve regulation required, but a ball valve is fitted to isolate the second tank if required (I'll get to that).

I also said you'd need a big bore connection, at least 40mm you could even run 2 if you fitted a big enough overflow box to put them in.

 

My original description also suggested setting the system so either tank could be run independent if one had a problem by plumbing a standard type overflow drain as well to the first tank allowing you to run it independently by closing the link valve and opening the standard overflow, if you plumbed it to run herbie you would have the emergency in place all the time in the unlikely event a 40mm connection pipe clogged.

 

My idea to this concept would be.........

 

Have the SPS tank drain into the softy tank, then to the sump. Instead of both tanks draining into the sump and then sharing a return.

That way any nutrients created in the SPS system go by the softies that love that slightly 'dirtier' water then into the sump, you can feed the softy tank heavier to keep them happier. Set the sump up to do some real heavy skimming and PO4/NO3 control (big algae scrubber or over sized reactors) so the water returning to the SPS system is as 'clean' as you can get it.

Really it's like having a display refugium.

 

The emergency isolation plan would work with this too, but cost a little more at initial setup due to having to add a largely redundant drain to the SPS system (only needed if you were shutting off feed to the softy tank) and a spare or moveable return so the softies could be supplied direct from the sump if the SPS system was isolated/not running.

 

But as already mentioned, basically your looking at mixed reef which is done all the time. SPS can cope with some nutrients (some SPS seem to do better in dirty tanks) and softies can survive in low nutrient systems with no problems.

And over all not a lot of difference. But it's an alternative way of basically running a display refuguim.