Return Pump/ Plumbing questions

Jeff120reef · 11/23/2012, 10:34 PM

I am currently running a 120 gallon reef ready and Mag Drive 12 pump (setup is about a year old) and as an oversight I just ran soft tubing for all of my plumbing, hindsight 20-20, I am now looking to replace with the white PVC or Schedule 80 and glued fittings. I am feeling like the flow might be a little less than adequate on my return pump. Any suggestions? After going with the clear tubing I'm noticing A LOT of green algae and nasty junk building up in the tubing. An of course after coming to the forum and seeing everyone else's tank, secured fitted plumbing looks A LOT more organized and professional.

My questions:
Is this return pump adequate for proper filtration and circulation?
-Can you over do the size of a return pump? (Have a mainly fish only tank with some Kenias and ricordias)...Running 2 Maxijet 600 Powerheads also.

What are pros and Cons of white PVC vs. Schedule 80?

What would the best/ most safe cemet/glue be for the fittings?

Any help would be greatly appreciated and sorry if I'm asking redundant questions that could be found in other threads (SOOO many to look through)
Thanks again!

spankdog · 11/23/2012, 10:45 PM

You don't need to use schedule 80 unless you just want gray pipe. I used a combination of flexible PVC from http://flexpvc.com/ and then I ordered gray schedule 40 from http://www.usplastic.com. The schedule 80 pipe has a smaller ID than schedule 40 so you will have a little more restriction if you use 80. Your pump should be fine but there are quieter pumps available if noise is a problem.

Jeff120reef · 11/23/2012, 11:00 PM

Thanks! What is your recommendation for a quieter pump because the Mag drive pretty noisey...

blanden.adam · 11/23/2012, 11:50 PM

Is the noise intrinsic to the pump itself or is it because it's vibrating up against the bottom/side of the sump?

I use a mag drive 5 in my 29 gallon reef, and a lot of the noise came from it vibrating against the sump. To quiet it down, I used double-knitted nylon tubing to run from the pump to the main plumbing (which is schedule 80 because the dark gray looks way cooler) to dampen it's vibrations up against the pipes, and I used silicone caulking on the bottom of the "plate" that the mag drive sits on to dampen it's vibration against the sump/cabinet. This really quieted the pump down. It's now quieter than the gurgling water from my durso pipe falling into the sump.

11/23/2012, 10:34 PM	#1
Jeff120reef Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Washington, MO Posts: 31	Return Pump/ Plumbing questions I am currently running a 120 gallon reef ready and Mag Drive 12 pump (setup is about a year old) and as an oversight I just ran soft tubing for all of my plumbing, hindsight 20-20, I am now looking to replace with the white PVC or Schedule 80 and glued fittings. I am feeling like the flow might be a little less than adequate on my return pump. Any suggestions? After going with the clear tubing I'm noticing A LOT of green algae and nasty junk building up in the tubing. An of course after coming to the forum and seeing everyone else's tank, secured fitted plumbing looks A LOT more organized and professional. My questions: Is this return pump adequate for proper filtration and circulation? -Can you over do the size of a return pump? (Have a mainly fish only tank with some Kenias and ricordias)...Running 2 Maxijet 600 Powerheads also. What are pros and Cons of white PVC vs. Schedule 80? What would the best/ most safe cemet/glue be for the fittings? Any help would be greatly appreciated and sorry if I'm asking redundant questions that could be found in other threads (SOOO many to look through) Thanks again!

11/23/2012, 10:45 PM	#2
spankdog Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Atlanta Posts: 108	You don't need to use schedule 80 unless you just want gray pipe. I used a combination of flexible PVC from http://flexpvc.com/ and then I ordered gray schedule 40 from http://www.usplastic.com. The schedule 80 pipe has a smaller ID than schedule 40 so you will have a little more restriction if you use 80. Your pump should be fine but there are quieter pumps available if noise is a problem.

11/23/2012, 11:00 PM	#3
Jeff120reef Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Washington, MO Posts: 31	Thanks! What is your recommendation for a quieter pump because the Mag drive pretty noisey...

11/23/2012, 11:50 PM	#4
blanden.adam Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Manlius, NY Posts: 1,666	Is the noise intrinsic to the pump itself or is it because it's vibrating up against the bottom/side of the sump? I use a mag drive 5 in my 29 gallon reef, and a lot of the noise came from it vibrating against the sump. To quiet it down, I used double-knitted nylon tubing to run from the pump to the main plumbing (which is schedule 80 because the dark gray looks way cooler) to dampen it's vibrations up against the pipes, and I used silicone caulking on the bottom of the "plate" that the mag drive sits on to dampen it's vibration against the sump/cabinet. This really quieted the pump down. It's now quieter than the gurgling water from my durso pipe falling into the sump.