...are closed loops becoming obsolete?

[143MPCo]

I now wonder what Bill Wann uses on his tank?

That makes two, his name was brought up during the MACNA presentation, although energy conservation might not be something he's overly concerned with.

 

[Saltgator]

Thought I'd share this with y'all.

So I'm sitting here trying to figure out my decision on still going CL or capping the bulkheads and using pumps for flow (which I've always done), when I decided to ask my wife about which she'd go with IF she was in the hobby. Her response, how many nems and or curious fish have I or other reef junkies lost to a powerhead or other pump? She said that she'd rather spend the $ each month on the bill to ensure the safety of the livestock. I can account for multiple nems and 3 fish that pumps have had a way with.

 

[SPotter]

I am running closed loop on my 360g display and love it. I have it set up with two pumps, each with ocean motion 4 way and 4 outlets. So I have two 2" drains and eight 1" outlets...of which four of the outlets are on the bottom panel in the front of the tank and four are on the back located 6" up from the bottom. I think there is a lot of great information in this thread and arguments for both approaches. I was using two Dolphin Amp Master 4750 pumps and they are amazing pumps. I put a watt meter on them and they only pull 188w's. My biggest complaint with the closed loop approach was lack of control over the flow...either on or off....until recently! I recently swapped out both of my Dolphin pumps for two Vectra L1's and they have been running for 3 weeks now. I absolutely love the program capabilities with them and immediately noticed a difference in my corals. I also decided to add two MP40QD's to the mix and now have the ultimate flow in the tank. I turn down the closed loop pumps to 50% at night and run the MP's in the Nutrient Transfer Mode at night.

 

[143MPCo]

@SPotter Thank you for sharing that information, if I may ask, since the change out to the new pumps how much percentage wise have you dropped your energy cost?

 

[SPotter]

@SPotter Thank you for sharing that information, if I may ask, since the change out to the new pumps how much percentage wise have you dropped your energy cost?

Its only been about 3 weeks since I made the switch and it will be really hard for me to distinguish the savings as electric usage on my tank has gone down a little with the cooler weather coming in now and my chiller not going on as much (MH user). I would imagine that there would be a decent reduction since I was running two pumps at @ 188 watts 24/7 and now the L1's range from 30w to 127w thru out the day based on the program selected. My desire to switch was all about being to control different flow schedules. If I save a few bucks on the energy bill....I am sure the tank will figure out a way for me to spend it on something else!

 

[143MPCo]

I am sure the tank will figure out a way for me to spend it on something else

but of course it will, more coral!

seriously, you bring up an interest point and that's the fact that the DC pumps are controllable allowing you to place the reef into, dare I say it (this is the I.T. in me speaking), "sleep-mode" and conserving even more power consumptions during the intervals it's not needed... that also has additional benefits to its inhabitants and something to be considered when looking for a pump.

 

[SPotter]

I had been waiting for a quality controllable DC pump that wouldn't break the bank to come along. One of my biggest concerns was the quality of the pumps and the threaded fittings. I was going to use jebao pumps on my closed loop but after reading a few stories about the housing cracking I had to go with the traditional external pump. A crack on a pump in that application would be a disaster for me. I can't stress enough how much I'm loving the closed loop setup with mp40's that I have now!

 

[dbl]

...I recently swapped out both of my Dolphin pumps for two Vectra L1's and they have been running for 3 weeks now. I absolutely love the program capabilities with them and immediately noticed a difference in my corals...

The very pumps I mentioned last week...thanks for sharing your experience here. It's good to hear they are working out for you (albeit for the short time you've had them). You may have convinced me to give one a try for my CL.

 

[ballroomdude]

I'm also considering the vectra L1 pump as an alternative to a couple of big reeflo pumps.

I'm kicking around the idea of using 2 as return pumps fro my sump to DT and one with a diy external protein skimmer as a feed for a large mazzei venturi injector.

2x 130 watt pumps vs 1 pump at 1065watts running 24/7 = a noticeable enough difference in $ for me to have to give it a look.

I was also going to use the aqua medic ecodrift 20s for DT flow as a closed loop system just isn't feasible with the amount of flow I'm hunting.

 

[SPotter]

Feel free to message me if you have any questions about the pumps.

 

[TriggerThis]

I just got a used tank with a closed loop already in it powered by a reeflo barracuda and an oceans motion.

I cut it all out and am running two DC Jebao return pumps instead.

I came up with the same calculations as you electricity wise
Plumbing was going to be a small fortune, not to mention how many connections had the possibility of leaking.
All holes being plugged except now the intake for it will be my new water change drain.

 

[SPotter]

I just got a used tank with a closed loop already in it powered by a reeflo barracuda and an oceans motion.

I cut it all out and am running two DC Jebao return pumps instead.

I came up with the same calculations as you electricity wise
Plumbing was going to be a small fortune, not to mention how many connections had the possibility of leaking.
All holes being plugged except now the intake for it will be my new water change drain.

where on the tank is the drain line located? only reason I ask is because we sometimes walk away from the tank and forget what we just did. if the drain is on the bottom and you accidentally get distracted and forget about what you are doing....disaster could take place.

 

[TriggerThis]

It is on the bottom, and I don't think I'm gonna forget I'm draining a 220gal tank in my living room.
But yeah some redundancy safety's might be nice.

 

[SPotter]

It is on the bottom, and I don't think I'm gonna forget I'm draining a 220gal tank in my living room.
But yeah some redundancy safety's might be nice.

Never say never [emoji3] stranger things have happened. I wanted to do that on my last tank and the tank builder refused to put a hole in the tank on the bottom panel knowing that's what I wanted it for.

 

[ballroomdude]

I'm doing water changes via another small pump in the final chamber of my sump feeding into my janitors sink. My kids....or my dog would end up opening the drain on accident if it were on the DT

 

[Saltgator]

Hey fellas, any ID on this old beast?https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/need-a-closed-loop-pump-id.218174/

Also, it'll be running on a back center drain and 4 returns. My sump return is a tunze pro 1073.11 All came with the used build I'm planning. Anything I should do differently other than looking to swap out the old beast CL for a DC ?

 

[Larry L]

....this might be a really dumb question but what exactly is a closed loop system and what makes it different than a normal tank w/sump?

Hi Shep - Not a dumb question! A closed loop is just a setup where you are taking water from the tank and pumping it right back into the tank, as opposed to e.g. letting the water overflow down into a sump and pumping it back up. The plumbing going to and from the closed loop pump can either use bulkheads in holes drilled in the tank walls, or it can be plumbed up and over the edge of the tank. In general the pump itself sits at the same height as the tank, so there is no head pressure and you do not need a pressure-rated pump to run one.

 

[Paul Carpenter]

Hello @Helenareefer can you give an example of what you mean by this, most if not all the "closed loops" I have seen take water directly from the DT (normally from the bottom of the tank) and return it without draining via an overflow.

DON'T FORGET the heat generated by powerheads.....part of the equation. Buy 110v pumps directly under a tank also heat the tank.

 

[Paul Carpenter]

Following! I'm building a peninsula, so a closed loop is in consideration just to keep powerheads off the other 3 panels (I don't really care if they're on the back wall).

I've had a 500 gal peninsula tank for 20 years, 8x3x3ft. I originally had closed loop but with the technology of powerheads now communicating with each other , high volume, programs, etc, they are far superior to closed loop. I have just one Maspect Gyre 180 on one 3 ft end viewing panel and it looks fine and actually attracts some interesting questions from novice friends. They like it! I don't mind it.
FYI I also have another Gyre on opposite end and an MP-60.

 

[chill86]

This is just a thought but what if you had a pump that was installed inside of the overflow box with the return line pointing out of a hole made into the overflow. That way you would have a great deal of flow and the only thing you could see would be the cord.