Confusing myself----

[Nek]

OK....The more I read, the more I become confused.....:confused: :confused:

I am planning a new 120. I would like dual overflows and a sump, along with a closed loop system.

Is this redundant???

Can I have the overflows fill the sump via gravity, then suck the water from the sump and send it to the tank??? What is this disadvantage of this over a closed system??? Will the water be moving too quickly in and out of the sump????

The sump will be in the basment, pumping up one floor.

My original plan was to drill a hole in the tank floor at the bottom of the overflow and use that as an inlet for the closed loop, but the more I read, the more I think I will be sucking in alot of air as the overflow is pretty turbulent.


Thanks for your hlep. I had a 72 for 6 years and am finally upgrading, but this whole plumbing thing is killing me.......

[der_wille_zur_macht]

A sump and a closed loop may seem similar, but they serve vastly different purposes and are not redundant, IMHO.

Plan the total flow you want through your sump, then choose overflow(s) and pump(s) accordingly. For most reefers, about 10x tank volume through the sump per hour is appropriate. That would be about 1200 gph in your case.

However, most people with high-end systems designed for high-flow corals want at least 30x turnover in the tank per hour, so there's a large need for more flow than the sump is providing. This is where adding a closed loop is great - extra flow from a powerful and efficient external pump without a million gph rushing through your sump every minute.

[Nek]

Do you think I would have a problem pulling water for my closed loop out of the overflow????

[der_wille_zur_macht]

As long as your overflow weir is big enough to flow enough water and remain quiet, it won't be a problem.

Personally, I like that idea - then if you need to do maintenance on the closed loop intake (i.e. replace the bulkhead, etc) you can drain the overflow and leave the display intact.

[Nek]

That was my thinking. Im just not sure if the CL would pull too much air from the turbulence in the overflow. I guess if I keep the lvl of the water in the overflow high, and the intake is on the bottom, I wont have a problem........