In order to kick off this build thread, I'm going first to go a few years back and show a freshwater tank that was kind of a "proof of concept" that lead to the system that makes the basis of this build thread. First, to give credit where credit is due - Stumbling across video footage of Panta Rhei's "Stream Tank" was the genesis of the underlying concepts I tried to emulate in generating massive, tidal like, reef face flow. It wasn't until after seeing Sebastian (a friend of YT's accomplished aqua-scaper Jurijs Jutjajevs) present his scaled down replica stream tank on YT in a living room friendly size, that I finalized the mental blueprints for the adaptation of this lateral "stream-type" flow for a marine reef setting. (Please check out "20.000 l/h River Stream Flow Tank Aquarium - Double Bottom Aquascape explained" and "Aquascaping a DBL bottom Aquarium - Step by Step River Stream Flow Tank aquascape tutorial" on Jurijs Jutjajevs' YT Channel )
The flow I sought to replicate would mimic tides which, unlike a FW stream, will often reverse direction as a result of cyclical lunar gravitational influences. Therefore, I set out to modify the "stream tank" and and give it a reverse gear. In short, it's akin to a closed loop system that uses a false bottom (aka double bottom) for directing and controlling flow as opposed to the typical exterior PVC plumbing joining two bulkheads. The false bottom is an integral component of the closed loop circuit and segues nicely into another yet another area of build homage - Tyree's cryptic and semi-cryptic zonal systems.
But first, a few build shots of the Mr. Aqua 12L freshwater stream tank -a proof of concept
The flow I sought to replicate would mimic tides which, unlike a FW stream, will often reverse direction as a result of cyclical lunar gravitational influences. Therefore, I set out to modify the "stream tank" and and give it a reverse gear. In short, it's akin to a closed loop system that uses a false bottom (aka double bottom) for directing and controlling flow as opposed to the typical exterior PVC plumbing joining two bulkheads. The false bottom is an integral component of the closed loop circuit and segues nicely into another yet another area of build homage - Tyree's cryptic and semi-cryptic zonal systems.
But first, a few build shots of the Mr. Aqua 12L freshwater stream tank -a proof of concept