Plumbing question.

pandimus · 06/21/2011, 10:47 AM

Right now i am finishing up my stand, so up and coming is drilling my tank, I have a 125 long tank and currently a 20gal sump( probably going to upgrade this), I have a few questions. If i was to get a 1200gph pump such as a iwaki 70rlt, what kind of diameter pvc would i need? Would i need to split it off into two so i can have a section of locline on both ends of the tank or would one be sufficient? I wanna do a bean animal overflow, how far from the top of the tank would i have to drill my holes and what size tubing and bulkheads should i buy?

thank you much

Pandimus

jon99 · 06/21/2011, 09:01 PM

The 70rlt has a 1" output (I'm pretty sure) so this is the diameter of the pvc you want to use, to keep things simple. However, something to consider, if you ever decide to convert your sump into a refugium (many people do), 1200 gph will be waaaaay too much flow through the 20 gal. If your using your sump as a fuge you'll have to find other means of adding flow to the display tank other than the return pump... just a thought.

You want to create random current throughout the dt so two opposing streams from a split return pipe would be better than one return pipe blowing water in one direction across the tank. IMO one return line would not create sufficient random flow throughout the tank. However, it may be easier to only plumb one return line (rather than splitting) and add a powerhead on the other end of the tank.

Not sure about the beananimal overflow, check out youtube tho, there are some examples on there. As far as the size of the bulkhead, it all depends on the amount of water your return pump pushes back into the dt, your bullkhead has to be large enough to keep up with it. Use the calculator on reef central... http://reefcentral.com/index.php/dra...flow-size-calc
Whatever diameter bulkhead it says you need, round up and install two of them. You never know when one may get clogged and you'll have to depend on the other to drain the water out of your tank long enough for you to notice there is a problem and clear the blockage.

06/21/2011, 10:47 AM	#1
pandimus Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Palmdale Posts: 2,556	Plumbing question. Right now i am finishing up my stand, so up and coming is drilling my tank, I have a 125 long tank and currently a 20gal sump( probably going to upgrade this), I have a few questions. If i was to get a 1200gph pump such as a iwaki 70rlt, what kind of diameter pvc would i need? Would i need to split it off into two so i can have a section of locline on both ends of the tank or would one be sufficient? I wanna do a bean animal overflow, how far from the top of the tank would i have to drill my holes and what size tubing and bulkheads should i buy? thank you much Pandimus __________________ ~SFVR Member~ 125 Gal Long/50 Gal sump, 2xMP40QD,Aquamax CONES CO-03/Speed Wave dc return 4x AI Sol Blues/Director + 2 80w T5 retrofit/Apex Controller Current Tank Info: 125 gal 72X18X22

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06/21/2011, 09:01 PM	#2
jon99 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Atl Ga Posts: 817	The 70rlt has a 1" output (I'm pretty sure) so this is the diameter of the pvc you want to use, to keep things simple. However, something to consider, if you ever decide to convert your sump into a refugium (many people do), 1200 gph will be waaaaay too much flow through the 20 gal. If your using your sump as a fuge you'll have to find other means of adding flow to the display tank other than the return pump... just a thought. You want to create random current throughout the dt so two opposing streams from a split return pipe would be better than one return pipe blowing water in one direction across the tank. IMO one return line would not create sufficient random flow throughout the tank. However, it may be easier to only plumb one return line (rather than splitting) and add a powerhead on the other end of the tank. Not sure about the beananimal overflow, check out youtube tho, there are some examples on there. As far as the size of the bulkhead, it all depends on the amount of water your return pump pushes back into the dt, your bullkhead has to be large enough to keep up with it. Use the calculator on reef central... http://reefcentral.com/index.php/dra...flow-size-calc Whatever diameter bulkhead it says you need, round up and install two of them. You never know when one may get clogged and you'll have to depend on the other to drain the water out of your tank long enough for you to notice there is a problem and clear the blockage.