200gal growout build

Hey, guys. I am planning on a new grow out. Approximately 200gal total. including 8 of the 20tall tanks and a 75gal sump(holds 40~50gal water). Some details havent been decided yet. Suggestions will be appreciated.!!!
the system including 3 layers. First two have 4 of the 20talls each. the bottom layer holds the sump. im planning to pump the water to the first layer, then connect first layer's drain to the middle layer, then from the middle layer to the sump. the reason i designed it like this has two reasons. first, with the same size pump, i can have more water flow through each tank. second, any uneaten food from the first layer can go to the middle layer, not directly to the sump.
for now, my main concern is the sump design. im going to put at least 1000~1500 fish in it.(not all sellable size fish, including 1~2 month old fish small fish).
here are my questions about the sump. 
1. what type of filter media. Was planning to use ceramic rings plus rubble rock and live rock, but not sure if these are enough for that many fish
2 all my previous sump designs are with the same order. first section: skimmer/ second section: media, rock, refugium / third section: return pump. however, i have seen a lot people put bio media at first, then the refugium and the skimmer at the end. my question is, which one is better, and why!!!?
3. i know i will be needing a larger skimmer. since, i have never had a tank with that many fish, i have no idea what size skimmer will be large enough. was looking at SRO5000int. but not sure if its good enough.
 
any suggestion / input are appreciated!!!
thanks!

Sponge filters. Make sure to have eXtra air stones running. The only issue you may have with the top to bottom flow is the water will get dirty as it goes down - so the bottom is never truly "clean".

Post a diagram of what you're talking about. It should help with clearing up ideas.

ok, here is the sump.
water from left to right.  skimmer is at the first section. so the dirty stuff will go through skimmer before any rock and media.
middle section has around 40lb of rock with algae growing on them.
a couple of ceramic ring packs (total 10pounds) are placed at high flow spots.
this type of sump seems doing fine for my broodstock system.
but not sure, what will happen if i use it for couple thousand fish system.
 
http://s1288.photobucket....s9d69060e.jpg.html?o=0

Personally, I think you're making it too complicated.  Is that 9 drain lines going into you sump?!  Why?
 
First, every piece of "extra" equipment you put on the system has to pay for itself, or it is not worth it.  So, the electrical consumption of a skimmer and light for Chaeto has to save you a certain amount of money in salt for waterchanges to be worth running either one of those.  In my experiments, neither a skimmer nor a macroalgae light pay for themselves.
 
Second, the reason biomedia is often put before the skimmer is so that you can use the aggressive water movement of the overflow drain to feed the biomedia.  The more flow the biomedia has the better it works (within reason).  My sumps all run like this:  filter pad, bioballs, skimmer (if used), return chamber.  I do all of this in 40-gallon sumps.  Fwiw, I've found (cheap) bioballs work just as well as ceramic rings/hexes/etc.  In my systems, 4 gallons of bioballs is enough for 12 heavily stocked 20-gallon aquariums provided flow through the bioballs is thought out so there aren't dead zones and the bioballs aren't packed tight. 
 
I put 100-150 fish per tank doesn't matter what size they are.  They are transferred from larvae tank to growout, and they aren't thinned out when they are bigger.  I don't have any rock in my growout systems.  I have a measly, cheap Quiet One 6000 pump on each of my 12x20gal growout systems, and it pumps up just under 7 feet.  The Quiet Ones add a lot of heat to the system, so they help keep temperature up.  I do bottom vacuuming during twice weekly waterchanges, but the bigger fish churn the water enough that not much settles.  The smaller fish need the bottom vacuuming more.
 
Also, think about waterchanges.  Design your system so that waterchanges are easy.  If you pack that many fish into your growout you will be doing 75% waterchanges twice a week.  My tanks are all drilled in the bottom.  I pull the stand pipe and the tank drains to the sump.  There is a "tee" on the return line just above the return pump and ball valves to control which way the flow goes.  The "tee" goes to a garden hose that goes to a (septic) drain.  I also have a siphon hose to a floor drain for bottom vacuuming.  I don't pack any buckets, and a 160-gallon waterchange takes me about 35 minutes.
 
The simpler you keep it, the less money you spend, the more money you could make.  My way isn't the be all end all.  I'm no expert, but my way works well, and doesn't cost a fortune.

Don't let fear and common sense stop you! =]

So I have a few questions for you, as your experience is waaaay more than mine when it comes to grow-out tank setups.  How do you refill your tanks?  Push the standpipe up and manually refill?  Or do you pump in new water via return pump/sump with a salt water reservoir?  ATO's, or are your evaporation rates low enough to just top off during water changes?  Are you running just regular foam filters w/ a surface skimmer or are you running tee'd-in overflows and a sump?
 
I've always considered running somewhat extensive sump/refugium combos for grow-out tanks to support the live food supply and complete biological filtration, but I never considered the expense of running the lights for the macro's, but I know that skimmers can be considered a non-crucial item.

-Matt
-Avid supporter of the Laws of Nature-

first, thanks for you experience!
now, im considering not  to buy new larger skimmer and just simply do water changes. lol
 
abut the 8 drain, i know it looks bad.haha. but, actually its the "simple and cheap" way to me. at least, i don't have to measure the length and do it very precisely to connect them all into one drain. also, i don't have to buy extra fitting or even soft tubing to connect them.
 
i was doing about 50% water change weekly for my other grow out, and the water condition is ok. compared to ur 75% twice a week, i think the skimmer and the algae did some work for me. but may be it is only because i don't have as many fish as you do.
 
 
 

 
Use silicone for drain "glue".  Then you can take them apart and reuse in the future if needed.  It's not that bad to get them all into one drain line, plus you end up using a lot fewer fittings which is cheaper. 

Don't let fear and common sense stop you! =]

Ref, to filter medium, check out Biohome, shown on You Tube, at least one dealer in the US, its made in England. Its far more efficient then any form of plastic media. One ad I saw said $ 6.45/kilo. I plan to use it in my filters. 
Good start on your system, you'll tweak it a lot.
 
 

Jake
We are all in this together