One word - overkill.
With all of that technical stuff and gadgets everywhere, he puts the returns on the bottom of the tank under the rock and sand - with only a siphon break hole to keep 270 gallons of water in the tank, should the power go down. Murphy's Law will eventually drain this thing down on his kitchen floor - while he is on vacation. Some guy named "Patrick" had to point that out to him.
If you want a long thread to read, this is a similar type of overkill project from our reef club. This tank is a 600 gallon tank / 1300 gallon system. Pics start on page 2, I think. He lives in New Orleans and claims he is paying for this with FEMA money from Katrina. Your tax dollars at work....
600 Gallon Reef