New Tank advice.....please??

[medic29]

Hi, I have a crude drawing that I will post below. I'm looking at trying to create decent flow in my new tank (the 120 gal). I really don't want to put any pumps inside the display tank if I can help it. I'm hoping I can get by with just the plumbing I am planning.

I'm going to try to explain what I am thinking of for the plumbing of the flow. The tank is drilled and has 2 overflows, one in each corner. Each overflow has a hole for a 1-inch bulkhead and 3/4-inch bulkhead. Now I'm considering drilling 2 holes in each overflow (1 1-inch & 1 1.5-inch).

Now, I made Durso overflows using 1 1/4" PVC, that reduces to 1 inch at the bulkhead and I am planning on this being the return to the sump. I was thinking of using 1 1/4 inch PVC after the bulkhead as well the rest of the way to the sump. Now for the return I was considering plumbing 1 inch PVC to the 3/4 inch bulkhead, then adapting the from the 3/4 bulkhead to 1 inch PVC up as the standpipe to the top, then connect loc-line to the standpipe and point the nozzels toward the center of the tank (see solid lines in the drawing below)

http://medic29.home.insightbb.com/bnarc/tankdrawing.gif

Now for the closed loop I was going to plumb 1.5 inch PVC to the bulkheads and possibly Tee them in to either a 2 inch or 3 inch pipe that will connect and feed the pump for the closed loop. Now the return for the closed loop I was going to connect 1.5 inch pvc or vinyl hose to the 1 inch bulkhead. Then connect from the bulkhead to 3/4 inch PVC that runs around the top of the tank. (see drawing) The 3/4 PVC will run around the top of the tank and will have 1 tee on each side that will have possibly a plug in the tee with a 3/8 inch hole drilled in it. In the front corners will be a 90 connector that has an output in the botton that will have a street 90 in it. There will be 3 tees along the front as well. None of this PVC will be glued so that each tee can be adjusted in order to change the direction of the flow. The street tees will also be able to be moved to adjust the flow as well.

This setup is planning to have includes the 120 gal tank, 40 gal sump, 10 gal fuge. After all the live rock and live sand, I figure I will have a total of 140 gal in the system.

I'm not sure what size pump to use to use as my return pump and/or what size pump to use for my closed loop. Any reccomendations?? I have a 1500 gph pump that I could use for my return pump. I have a RIO high flow pump that states it pumps 3200 gph that I was thinking of using for my closed loop. The question is should I look at a different pump like a Sequence Dart or similar. I don't know much about the various pumps and could definitely use some help in this area.

Sorry for the length. Any help, suggestions, ideas, etc. would be more than welcomed.

Thanks,
Rick

[medic29]

ideas??

[oncampus1]

Rick,

You gonna wait til summer, or is Vitaly about to win a bet? :D

I'm having a hard time visualizing the hole drilling you're talking about, so I don't have a lot of feedback at this time. It could just be the fact that it's Monday...

Ryan

[medic29]

On the back side of the tank, behind the overflows, where the standpipe and return pipes are is where I was considering drilling the additional holes, since the bottom is most likely tempered. If it wasn't I make the holes there, but I'm 99.9999999999999999% sure it is tempered and am not really interested in trying just to find out.

I don't know if I will make it until mid-summer like I had originally thought, but I think Vitaly said by Valentine's Day and I made it past then. Ron thinks it will be up by March Maddness. I don't think I will have everything worked out by then. I'm trying to figure out the flow issue right now. I want really good flow in the tank, but not a ton of flow through the sump. How did you have it set up??

By the way, are you coming on March 10th?

[epon]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9342041#post9342041 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by medic29
I want really good flow in the tank, but not a ton of flow through the sump.

you going with tunze streams or vortechs ?

I use an Iwaki MD40-RXT for my return and without the stream on it looks like there isnt a pump on in the display. I'm pretty happy with it and Iwakis are quality.

If I understand your diagram correctly, Andy Cook did plumbing similar to that on a 75g, so you may want to pick his brain.

HTH

[medic29]

I was wanting to keep everything out of the tank, pump-wise, so for now no. I am considering getting 1 or 2 of the new Hydor Koralia 4 pumps (pump 1200 gph), if I have to put something in the tank.

I would be interested in hearing what Andy did for his tank, does he check this web site or just the other?

[epon]

I dont know, heres his RC Info (http://reefcentral.com/forums/member.php?action=getinfo&userid=8036)

[jcavanaugh18]

at the rockford swap there was a speaker that talked about flow. One of the things he said that I thought was interesting is that randomness isn't as important as flow speed. So his idea is to have a pump basically creating a rotating flow, which will continue to gain momentum, which could be done with a closed loop. This would benefit one side of the coral more than the other, so to fix that problem you have a second closed loop that would rotate the water the other way. You could then just put some timers on the closed loops so that one goes for a couple hours or so, and then the other turns on, just swaping.

Something to think about.

[oncampus1]

I had a lot of flow through the sump. Not ideal, but it worked OK. I had my main return pump plus a Mag pump running a SQWD. The Mag was located in the sump, so all of that flow passed through the sump.

You may want to check on how much volume the tank's overflows can handle. When clean they managed everything I threw at them, but I wonder if they can handle the closed loop you're talking about or if you should drill your holes outside the overflows. Just a thought...

[medic29]

Yeah, I'm thinking about running some tests while I have the tank out in the garage. I'd like to get a couple of pumps with decent flow and use for the flow tests to see what the overflows will handle and what the standpipes will handle.

[medic29]

I would think the overflows would be fine; the concern would be the drains.

[epon]

I would cut your number by 20% to account for calcified crap that will restrict flow in a few years.

[Benny Z]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9342426#post9342426 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by epon
I use an Iwaki MD40-RXT for my return and without the stream on it looks like there isnt a pump on in the display.

ever consider penductors? i'm using a pcx-55 for my return (similar rating, i think) and when i added the penductors the additonal in-tank water movement was incredible...while at the same time significantly reducing the water flowing through the overflows to the sump.

my only complaint w/ the pens is that they are very directional.

[epon]

They are big and I dont think that Iwaki is pressure rated. I rely on the stream for the intank flow I need.

[Benny Z]

your pump is definately pressure rated...

Iwaki MD 40RXT - 4542 LPH at 4 feet head pressure

Note: IWAKI RLT are Pressure Rated pumps designed to pump into pressure canister filters or any situation that can create back pressure. IWAKI RXT models are for standard circulation such as return from sump. The pressure models are also suitable for standard return.

Model: : MD40RXT
# Inlet / Outlet : 1" / 1"
# Flow Rate @ 4' Head : 1200 GPH / 4542 LPH
# Max Head ft: 15.4

but you're right, they are pretty big. ...but not as big as a stream. :)

[epon]

good to know

[cioutlaw]

I have a 1200gph pump on my 120gal with 2 Wavysea's. No other pumps & I think the flow is pretty good & random. I have no dead spots at all.

[Benny Z]

i do have a few dead spots. :(

at some point i would like to try adding two more penductors and an oceans motions super squirt to alternate the pens such that two would blow across the tank from one end to the other at a time. kurt made me realize this will have the same effect as when i was using a seio pointng across the tank in my small 29g. it basically creates a big whirlpool (top to bottom) at either end of the tank. with alternating the pens back and forth i should have no more dead spots. i might even be able to unplug the dart.