Help with return flow design in 500 G. tank

[ChrisColumbus]

Wondering what everyone's ideas are on best way to return flow to display tank from the sump?

I'll have a 500 gallon 90" x 36" x 36" mixed reef tank with sump located one floor down so I'll need a high-head pump. I don't want to do closed loops, so plan on using 3 Vortech MP60s and the return from the sump (gold barracuda/hammerhead hybrid) to generate current. Roughly, I will have about 3,000 GPH returning from the sump. This will bring me to around 35x to 45x total turnover rate.

So...some say just return from the sump with one line down into the tank and let the internal powerheads/water pumps take care of current. I'm thinking I'd like to use some of that flow from the sump return to generate some movement in the tank IF the added expense really makes a beneficial difference.

My thoughts are to branch the 2" return off and do one of the following:
1. Create a manifold that wraps around the top perimeter with multiple "T"s and 45's discharging around the tank perimeter.
2. Use two sea-swirls along the middle back of the tank next to each overflow (there will be two trapezoidal overflows near each end but offset from the ends a bit) plus a stationary return at each rear corner discharging flow toward an MP60 at each end of the tank.
3. One stationary return each rear corner...or maybe one in each rear corner and two along the middle back as well (total of 4)
4. Call it a day and just get the water into the tank as simply as possible and let the MP60s do the rest.

Please let me know your thoughts.
Thanks.

[marty9876]

My thoughts-

1, yuk too complicated
2, sea swirls always good. One more cord, one more thing to break
3, not bad
4, pretty much my thoughts

I'm doing a 450 now, my plan is just to T the return and shoot it out each angel piece of my center trapezoid

I have some swirls, just need to fix them for myself. I'm just keeping it simple

[ChrisColumbus]

Originally Posted by marty9876

My thoughts-

1, yuk too complicated
2, sea swirls always good. One more cord, one more thing to break
3, not bad
4, pretty much my thoughts

I'm doing a 450 now, my plan is just to T the return and shoot it out each angel piece of my center trapezoid

I have some swirls, just need to fix them for myself. I'm just keeping it simple

Thanks for the feedback. I think you and I are on the same page here.

I'm leaning toward option 3 with four stationary returns along the back (1 in each rear corner plus 2 in the middle) Then 3 MP60s, one on each tank end plus a third on the back middle. Might change the two middle stationary returns to seaswirls though.