Circulation for a 210 gal

[ed99]

Folks,

After a successful move and a successful wedding (hopefully!) I am ready for the next project, which is setting up my in-wall 210 gal aquarium. Once again I'm hoping the Canreefers can give me some advice in the design of the system. Here are a couple of pictures of my set-up:





The first thing I am working on is the plumbing and sump design. Initially I'm planning on just fish, some soft corals and a BTA or two though like most others I'll probably get sucked down the spiral and want to keep some LPS and SPS eventually- if I'm successful with the other creatures over time, so I want to keep some flexibility in my design.

After checking out a few threads, here is what I have come up with:

- a single 2" downspout drilled in (well, I'm stuck with that now)
- a reasonably large sump(I've got a reasonable amount of space)
- a refugium
- an Aquamedic skimmer and a Remora Pro skimmer (left over from previous set-ups)
- a Sequence Dart external pump
- a single water return to the main tank (rigid PVC pipe)
- a Tunze Turbelle 6060 Stream pump with a single controller

The basis for this design is to minimize head losses and not worry about flow in parallel returns. I would then set the Tunze up in the opposite direction of the prevailing flow from the return to get some good mixing.

Any comments on this design? Insights on to the number of flow returns to the main tank (velocity too high?) and the pump choice in particular is much appreciated. Also, does anybody try to run other equipment such as an UV sterilizer or a Ca reactor off their main pump, and if so, how much head loss occurs? And finally, is Spaflex type pipe good for the long haul? It would give less pressure loss but I'm concerned about the durability of the flexible pipe and connections over time.

Thanks,

Ed