Help with plumbing

chase0830 · 10/29/2009, 05:12 AM

Hello to all,
I am totally new to the hobby and am in the progress of doing my plumbing on my first tank. Please do not yell at me but my tank is freshwater. A fellow coworker turned me on to this site due to this site and his love for reef tanks. I am just a bit intimidated by a reef tank for my first setup. Anyway, I have a 75 gallon AGA standard tank which has a built-in overflow. My bulkheads are 1" for the drain line and 3/4" for the return. I built a Durso standpipe which is 1 1/14" but reduces to 1" at the bulkhead. My questions are: Do I use a 3/4" return pipe inside the overflow or do I use a 1" return pipe with a 3/4" reducer at the bulkhead? Also, I will be using vinyl tubing for plumbing below tank, so do I stay with 1" tubing for return to wet/dry or do I increase size back to 1 1/4" like the Durso. Same question for the return, should I stay with 3/4" from pump to bulkhead or do I use 1" tubing with reducers at pump and bulkhead. I apologize for being long winded here but I am trying to be as detailed as possible to give a good visual. Thanks in advance.

PRDubois · 10/29/2009, 05:18 AM

To Reef Central
I think most of us started with fresh water. sooner or later the bug will hit you!

I would just use the 3/4" for the return all the way and 1" for the drain

chase0830 · 10/29/2009, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PRDubois

To Reef Central
I think most of us started with fresh water. sooner or later the bug will hit you!

I would just use the 3/4" for the return all the way and 1" for the drain

Thanks Paul, my buddy at work keeps telling me to just do saltwater. He says it really isn't that hard once you get it cycled. I did want to buy a tank that could support a reef tank for the future. I guess I just need to get my feet wet with freshwater first-No pun intended. Thanks again.

billdogg · 10/29/2009, 06:27 AM

I agree with the above advice, but if it were me, I would go ahead and plumb with regular pvc or spaflex (flexable pvc) rather than vinyl - the vinyl is admittedly easier to work with, but will eventually kink at any bend, and will grow algae on the inside that will constrict flow. I would also consider using both the 1" and 3/4" as drains, and then bring the return up over the back of the tank. This will allow you a little more wiggle room as far as drain capacity goes - a 1" drain using a durso (a great setup IMO) is good for a max of about 350gph, and that will slowly reduce as gunk builds up on the inside.

HTH

zezeta · 10/29/2009, 06:43 AM

I agree with starting with PVC. At first I thought of flexible tubing but I then went with the PVC and I'm glad I did. After realizing how much water flows through the pipes I don't think flexible tubing would be as hardy. Here is a picture of my plumbing when I first set it up. I have the exact same tank you do.

Also if you are even remotely interested in saltwater I would go ahead and do it now. It will save you money in the long run. I have never had a tank before but decided to dive in and have been pretty successful so far. The key is research, research, research. I spent about 3 months researching saltwater tanks before I even purchased a single piece of equipment.

Here is my latest full tank shot (taken yesterday). My tank is a little over 2 months old.

I'm going to be away from my computer for the next few days so if you have any more questions you can always message me or post here but it will take me a few days to respond. Good luck!

Ruskin · 10/29/2009, 06:46 AM

Pvc is nice to use as a drain line. Its easy to run for that application. The vinyl stuff is good as return plumbing as there is no noise/vibration from the pump. I did a mix of both as they each have there own uses.

chase0830 · 10/29/2009, 01:07 PM

Wow, so much help so quickly. Thanks everyone. After reading your posts I think I will plumb w/ pvc. I always like to be prepared for changes such as saltwater down the road. It seems this hobby more often than not leads to a reef tank. Thanks also for making me aware of possible problems with tubing kinks. If I use 2 internal drains and an external overflow over the back of the tank do I need 2 Durso's?

10/29/2009, 05:12 AM	#1
chase0830 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bensalem, Pa Posts: 7	Help with plumbing Hello to all, I am totally new to the hobby and am in the progress of doing my plumbing on my first tank. Please do not yell at me but my tank is freshwater. A fellow coworker turned me on to this site due to this site and his love for reef tanks. I am just a bit intimidated by a reef tank for my first setup. Anyway, I have a 75 gallon AGA standard tank which has a built-in overflow. My bulkheads are 1" for the drain line and 3/4" for the return. I built a Durso standpipe which is 1 1/14" but reduces to 1" at the bulkhead. My questions are: Do I use a 3/4" return pipe inside the overflow or do I use a 1" return pipe with a 3/4" reducer at the bulkhead? Also, I will be using vinyl tubing for plumbing below tank, so do I stay with 1" tubing for return to wet/dry or do I increase size back to 1 1/4" like the Durso. Same question for the return, should I stay with 3/4" from pump to bulkhead or do I use 1" tubing with reducers at pump and bulkhead. I apologize for being long winded here but I am trying to be as detailed as possible to give a good visual. Thanks in advance.

10/29/2009, 05:18 AM	#2
PRDubois Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chester, VA Posts: 3,626	*To Reef Central* I think most of us started with fresh water. sooner or later the bug will hit you! I would just use the 3/4" for the return all the way and 1" for the drain __________________ http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2534403 Current Tank Info: 225 gal Reef, 60 gal reef & 40b frag tank

10/29/2009, 06:27 AM	#4
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	I agree with the above advice, but if it were me, I would go ahead and plumb with regular pvc or spaflex (flexable pvc) rather than vinyl - the vinyl is admittedly easier to work with, but will eventually kink at any bend, and will grow algae on the inside that will constrict flow. I would also consider using both the 1" and 3/4" as drains, and then bring the return up over the back of the tank. This will allow you a little more wiggle room as far as drain capacity goes - a 1" drain using a durso (a great setup IMO) is good for a max of about 350gph, and that will slowly reduce as gunk builds up on the inside. HTH __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

10/29/2009, 06:43 AM	#5
zezeta Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Orlando Posts: 119	I agree with starting with PVC. At first I thought of flexible tubing but I then went with the PVC and I'm glad I did. After realizing how much water flows through the pipes I don't think flexible tubing would be as hardy. Here is a picture of my plumbing when I first set it up. I have the exact same tank you do. Also if you are even remotely interested in saltwater I would go ahead and do it now. It will save you money in the long run. I have never had a tank before but decided to dive in and have been pretty successful so far. The key is research, research, research. I spent about 3 months researching saltwater tanks before I even purchased a single piece of equipment. Here is my latest full tank shot (taken yesterday). My tank is a little over 2 months old. I'm going to be away from my computer for the next few days so if you have any more questions you can always message me or post here but it will take me a few days to respond. Good luck! __________________ "The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step." Link to my 75 gal build: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1671093 Current Tank Info: 75 gal AGA pre-drilled tank w/ stand & canopy. Sump with a NWB 110 Octopus Skimmer and MagDrive 9.5 pump. 4x65 watt powercompacts with Powerbright LEDs. Koralia 4 & Koralia 3 for circulation.

10/29/2009, 01:07 PM	#7
chase0830 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bensalem, Pa Posts: 7	Wow, so much help so quickly. Thanks everyone. After reading your posts I think I will plumb w/ pvc. I always like to be prepared for changes such as saltwater down the road. It seems this hobby more often than not leads to a reef tank. Thanks also for making me aware of possible problems with tubing kinks. If I use 2 internal drains and an external overflow over the back of the tank do I need 2 Durso's? Last edited by chase0830; 10/29/2009 at 01:13 PM.

10/29/2009, 06:46 AM	#6
Ruskin Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 373	Pvc is nice to use as a drain line. Its easy to run for that application. The vinyl stuff is good as return plumbing as there is no noise/vibration from the pump. I did a mix of both as they each have there own uses.