Some Plumbing help (guidance)

[xdunaticx]

So I've recently acquired this decent 110 Gallon acrylic tank, pretty nice, came with canopy and stand.

I'm getting ready to plumb it. I have a 15 Gallon tall that I want to use mainly for baffles, skimmer, and return pump. I also am going to put a biocube (with none of the filtration in it, just the tank) as a fuge. I have drawn up a little plan, obviously this is very very vague and just an idea. There will be ball valves and all kinds of unions involved too!


Let me know what you think of this idea,

I think if I ran the fuge through the biocube, I would run a 50gph pump into it, as well as a 50 gph pump out of it. just to keep even flow.

[mcgyvr]

nope.. you cannot rely on 2 pumps like that..
They will never pump the exact same amount.

[xdunaticx]

even if they're the exact same brand new pumps? I'm talking 20-50 gph pumps, very low flow


If not then does anyone else have any suggestions?

[rocsec1]

I think that might work if you drill them. So that the water enters one side and flows to the other where the return pump will be. So one tank drain and one return.Search for separate fuge and sump designs. I know that I've seen threads with that discussion but like I said I think but don't really know. I've read it but I haven't done it

[zachfishman]

Originally Posted by xdunaticx

even if they're the exact same brand new pumps? I'm talking 20-50 gph pumps, very low flow

Yep. You'll never get exactly the same flow.

[slief]

Originally Posted by rocsec1

I think that might work if you drill them. So that the water enters one side and flows to the other where the return pump will be. So one tank drain and one return.Search for separate fuge and sump designs. I know that I've seen threads with that discussion but like I said I think but don't really know. I've read it but I haven't done it

You are correct. I run a two sump system below the tank. I went that route because I did this as part of a sump/pump upgrade and wanted as big a solution that could still fit through the door openings below my tank. A two tank solution was the only way to do it while the tank was fully stocked.

One is the sump where the water enters. It has my filter socks and skimmer. The second one is the refugium which is downstream. It houses a deep sand bed and a very large mass of chaeto as well as other macro. It's also where my external return pump draws from. I run a large (Reeflo Hammerhead) return pump and use a pair of 2" lines between the sumps. There are union ball valves between the two that allowed me to assemble it below the tank and remove it easily if I ever needed to.

I also have a second refugium which is a display refugium. It's fed from my manifold off my return pump. It drains back to the return section on my downstream refugium. If you can elevate your refugium, you could feed it from a manifold and have it drain back to your sumps return section.

This may give you some ideas. Here was the design I came up with for my below tank sump and fuge. It works so well I wouldn't change a thing.


The finished product before I installed it.


There is also a bypass line that allows me to completely bypass the refugium without shutting down the return pump or sump if I need to do maintenance on the fuge. I open the valve closest to the sump on the bypass line and close a valve at the bulkhead on the refugium that leads to the return pump. The bypass line is the 2" PVC line running in front of the refugium.

[xdunaticx]

Thanks for sharing that, what a beautiful set up you have there!