plumbing (piping)?

[rainingshots]

I just wanted to know what are good to use in terms of pipes for plumbing my sump & Mag 9.5 return to my AGA Mega overflow? I have seen the fexible tubing/pipes which look alot easier to install then actula PVC pipes which take so long and you have to get them cut out absolutely perfect to fit it all together. Any suggestions?
thanks

[cordell]

I like to use regular PVC, but the flexible is probably easier to work with. My problem with the flexible is that it always wants to stay rolled up after I buy it. I get impatient with that stuff. Cutting PVC isn't very hard (get a hack saw) and getting the right fittings to get the pipe to go where you want isn't hard if you just plan ahead. Usually I figure out what I want to do, where I want the water to go, and then go from there. Sometimes I even draw up on paper so I can figure how many elbows and reductions and pipe I will need. It isn't hard and I think it looks better :p ...

I always use two 45° elbows instead of a 90° to reduce the pressure that is lost on the turn. You can also use 45° elbows to change the direction of the pipe. You really just got to figure up how you want to do it; there are many ways with PVC.

All I like about the flexible is that once you get it straigtened out, you have some flexibility with getting it to line up just right. And since you can bend it to change direction, that might save on lost head pressure due to using PVC elbows and such.

Usually, one of my plumbing projects starts out like this after I've figured out how I want to do it
http://www.mycordell.com/images/sumpstuff.jpg

Then I start to put it together.. you don't always have to put it together in place. You can put a majority of it together in a place that is easy to glue and stuff, then put it in place and glue
http://www.mycordell.com/images/dscf0029.jpg

Just do it peice by peice and keep working to what you planned at the beginning and it will fall into place...
http://www.mycordell.com/images/dscf0034.jpg

hth
cordell

[Chrisrush]

Cordell,
Are you running 2 10 gallon tanks under your 75? That's what I was planning on doing under my 58. One 10 gallon for the sump and the other for macro/mangroves. Can you write out a quick description of what PVC parts you used. Also, is your tank RR or did you drill it? Did you drill the 10 gallon as well?

Chris

[cordell]

Chrisrush, yes that is two 10gal tanks under my 75. I couldn't fit one long tank through the small doors on my stand, so by using two smaller tanks, I could put one in at a time. I could have set them side-by-side probably, but I didn't want to use a pump to pump the water from the fuge to the sump, so I raised it up about 5-6inches (I think) and drilled and placed a bulkhead in the 10gal to be used as a refugium.

My tank is not drilled, so I used a Lifereef HOB overflow. So far, this works flawlessly - never lost syphon. From the overflow box, the water drains down to a PVC "T" fitting. From the "T", the water goes either left or right. To the left, the water goes to the sump where it is skimmed and returned to the main tank. To the right, the water goes to the fuge. Inside the fuge, I made a little spraybar for the incoming water so it would make nice even flow throughout the fuge, but without blowing everything around. I placed a ball valve on each side of the "T" to control how much water goes in each direction. I let just a little water go to the fuge, with most water going to the sump to be skimmed and returned.

From the fuge, the water drains down the bulkhead (that I drilled) and it drains right near the return pump so that most of it is not skimmed. I don't know if this makes any difference, but it makes me feel better.. :D

On the return, I had to make the pipe go up out of the sump tank, then angle it back some so that it would get out of under the stand, so I did that with two 45° elbows. One elbow gives it the initial bend to get it behind the stand, then I used the second elbow to straighten it up and run it up the back of the tank. From here, it goes through two 90° elbows that loop it over the rim of the tank, then to a removable coupling (is that what is it called?) then down to a spraybar made of Sil-O-Flex pipe from Lowe's. This runs along the inside top back of the tank.

To control how much water flows into the tank from my return pump (which is just barely too strong for my overflow to keep up), I put a "T" fitting on the return line just above the pump. One side of the "T" has a ball valve and goes to the tank (which is usually left wide open), and the other side of the "T" has a ball valve and I just barely open it to allow some of the flow from the pump to go back to the sump instead of the main tank so my overflow can keep up. This is better than just putting a ball valve on the return line and slowing the pump down. I figure it puts less pressure on the pump so the pump will last longer and make less noise.

Just get a stand to put the fuge tank on so that it is raised above the sump tank, drill a bulkhead hole in the fuge (I did with a dremel and diamond bits), place bulkhead and run pipe from bulkhead to the sump. It will drain all by itself of course...

To do this, I just drew up how I imagined it in my head. From this, I counted every elbow, every "T", every valve that I would need. And I got a good idea of how much pipe I would need and of what sizes. It is so much easier to go into Lowe's or Home Depot (blah!) with a list of what you need and just get it. I have went in there before not knowing what I wanted and stayed well over two hours figuring it out. That's no fun... The guys at Lowe's always ask me if I need help, I say "Naa, I got it thanks", they say "Well, what are you trying to do?" and I say "Well, I'm plumbing my fish tank and the design is all in my head" and they just look at me funny and tell me to ask if I need any help. Haha...

Oh and don't forget PVC cement and teflon tape. And a hack saw with a good blade (lot of cuts to be made!).

Need any help or pictures of anything, just ask. I may not have been very exact in my description. Wew, sorry for long post. I got carried away again :rolleyes:

hth
cordell :cool:

[Chrisrush]

Cordell,
Thanks for the description, that's exactly what I needed. Funny how you mentioned that about HD, that's what I did tonight, except it was only for 30 min. but the same guy kept walking by asking me if everything was ok. I just told him sure, it's all in my head. He just walked away shaking his head.

I'm thinking about running the overflow from the tank and spliting it to a mangrove tank that feeds via gravity to the fuge which feeds via gravity to the sump. Same setup as your but with the addition of a mangrove tank. It may be more work, but I really like the looks of mangroves.

I have a metal 10 gallon stand that I used to use years ago that I plan on sitting next to the tank, from there, the overflow will be split and run into the mangrove tank. The flow will go across the tank and drain from a bulkhead into the fuge under the stand. The fuge will be set up a few inches higher than the sump (like you said 5-6 inches) which will drain into the sump near the return pump.

The only thing that I can't figure out is how to divide the flow from the overflow into the mangrove tank and into the sump. I was thinking of a upside down "y" but there is no way to restrict the flow. Got any ideas?

Chris

[fishdoc11]

I had the same experience at HD today, "no thanks, I got it". Then I got that look. Same look I get when I buy all of the superglue gel.
Chris

[cordell]

To divide the flow from the overflow from the main tank, I just used a "T" fitting. You could use a "Y" in the same way. You will have to put a ball valve on both sides so that you can control how much of the flow goes to each side. You may find that the water naturally flows more to the left than to the right of the "T" or "Y", so you put a valve on both sides to create the pressure to make the water go the other way, whichever way is open more. You would have the mangrove tank closed probably about half way or a little more, and the side that goes down to the sump might have to be closed a little bit to create pressure for the water to backup and go over to the mangrove tank. Know what I mean?

The mangrove tanks sounds good and that would work as long as you have enough space. I was actually doing to do that with my fuge at first because I couldn't figure out how to fit a big enough tank under my stand to do it all.

cordell

[cordell]

Usually I tell the guys at Lowe's that I appreciate the help, but what I am doing is in my head and I will have to figure it out on my own. I try to let them down easy... haha :D

cordell

[Chrisrush]

Cordell,
What type of pump are you using for your return? Looks like a Mag Drive 9.5. That's what I was thinking of using.

Most of the time the people are very helpful in HD, but whenever you need someone, they are never around.

Thanks for the help on the flow. I think I'll go with the "Y" and the two valves on either side after the "y"

Chris

[cordell]

Yep, Mag 9.5. It is just barely more than enough. You might could even make a "T" off of the return and let the rest of the water that the overflow can't handle from the 9.5 flow into the mangrove tank. Just an idea.. go from there

hth
cordell

[rainingshots]

cordell, sent you a PM.