Abominable Reefer
03/18/2004, 02:25 PM
Please tell me if this makes sense for a reef ready set up:
I figure it's better for your drains to outstrip your return pump, because if your sump is large enough, it will never overflow (given your standpipes are designed to match your sump size). So therefore, if you are going to regulate flow with valves, you should do so on the drain pipes. I would think this would also make the pump last longer. I'm a little nervous about adjusting valves on the drain lines, because it seems like it would make it more likely that they would clog up, which would overflow the tank. Any thoughts?
With my pump (MAG 18) and my estimated head pressure, I anticipate getting about 1121 gph of flow. Putting this into the drain size/overflow calc, I got a drain pipe size of 1.38 and a linear overflow size of 17" Rounding up, I would need a 1.5 drain line right? And if I want two drains, I would go to 2 x 1.25" right? So if I give myself a couple extra inches of linear overflow, and 2x1.25" standpipes, I'm guessing I'll be OK *gulp*
Finally, I'm putting this together for a 100 gallon tank. I think I'll be able to fit a 20 or 30 gallon sump under the stand. Assuming I get the 1121 gph above, can I make up the extra 100 or so gph I need with a closed loop? Or are the flow recommendations for flow through your filtration system only?
I think I'm close to being able to put this baby together, just want a little reassurance and feedback from the pros.
I figure it's better for your drains to outstrip your return pump, because if your sump is large enough, it will never overflow (given your standpipes are designed to match your sump size). So therefore, if you are going to regulate flow with valves, you should do so on the drain pipes. I would think this would also make the pump last longer. I'm a little nervous about adjusting valves on the drain lines, because it seems like it would make it more likely that they would clog up, which would overflow the tank. Any thoughts?
With my pump (MAG 18) and my estimated head pressure, I anticipate getting about 1121 gph of flow. Putting this into the drain size/overflow calc, I got a drain pipe size of 1.38 and a linear overflow size of 17" Rounding up, I would need a 1.5 drain line right? And if I want two drains, I would go to 2 x 1.25" right? So if I give myself a couple extra inches of linear overflow, and 2x1.25" standpipes, I'm guessing I'll be OK *gulp*
Finally, I'm putting this together for a 100 gallon tank. I think I'll be able to fit a 20 or 30 gallon sump under the stand. Assuming I get the 1121 gph above, can I make up the extra 100 or so gph I need with a closed loop? Or are the flow recommendations for flow through your filtration system only?
I think I'm close to being able to put this baby together, just want a little reassurance and feedback from the pros.