Size of holes and bulkheads

[JUnit]

Hi all,

I'm fresh to the Reef scene so please forgive me as I'm still rough around the edges so to say. I have a 70 gallon bow front tank with pre-drilled holes in the bottom corner. The wholes are 1.5" so I'm looking at 1" bulkheads I'm assuming. What I need to know is will I have enough flow (20 - 30 gallon sump) on a herbie setup to my sump? Also, I need to drill a hole (non-tempered glass, I checked) for my return. How big of a hole should I drill?

Thanks for the assistance!

[NAClFiSHy]

Could just use a couple elbows for the return and not drill it.

[JUnit]

Originally Posted by NAClFiSHy

Could just use a couple elbows for the return and not drill it.

I was thinking that as well. Save me some time and money on a bit. Now just to figure out the outflow holes...

[nereefpat]

A 1" bulkhead at full syphon can move plenty of water for a 70gal tank. What are you looking at for a return pump?

For the return, the easiest would be to go over the back. You are thinking of drilling the back of the tank, I assume?

[JUnit]

Originally Posted by nereefpat

A 1" bulkhead at full syphon can move plenty of water for a 70gal tank. What are you looking at for a return pump?

For the return, the easiest would be to go over the back. You are thinking of drilling the back of the tank, I assume?

Awesome! Glad to hear I won't have to make the current holes bigger. I have a return pump already. Can't remember which one off the top of my head. I'll check when I get home. How many gph should I be looking at for return?

And yes, I was thinking of drilling the back of the tank but I'm thinking I'll just go over the back now with a couple of 90's.

[mcgyvr]

Not all bulkheads are the same.. Find one and read the "recommended hole size" for it..

And in general you want 3-5X display tank size for the return flow through a sump.. Note include losses due to head pressure and a bit of safety factor to account for plumbing losses..

[JUnit]

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

Not all bulkheads are the same.. Find one and read the "recommended hole size" for it..

And in general you want 3-5X display tank size for the return flow through a sump.. Note include losses due to head pressure and a bit of safety factor to account for plumbing losses..

Great! Thanks for the advice.

[thegrun]

1-1/2" hole is for a 3/4" bulkhead, not a 1" which requires an 1-3/4" hole (there are slight hole size variations from manufacturer to manufacturer and also plastic thickness normally referred to as schedule) but a 3/4" pipe will still be fine for your tank. How many holes are there?

[JUnit]

Originally Posted by thegrun

1-1/2" hole is for a 3/4" bulkhead, not a 1" which requires an 1-3/4" hole (there are slight hole size variations from manufacturer to manufacturer and also plastic thickness normally referred to as schedule) but a 3/4" pipe will still be fine for your tank. How many holes are there?

There's 2 holes in the back corner.

[JUnit]

Originally Posted by nereefpat

A 1" bulkhead at full syphon can move plenty of water for a 70gal tank. What are you looking at for a return pump?

For the return, the easiest would be to go over the back. You are thinking of drilling the back of the tank, I assume?

Finally got around to checking my return pump. It puts out 370 gph. Should be enough for my tank I'm thinking.

[nereefpat]

Sounds good. Should be about 4x turnover after the head loss. The drain can easily handle that flow.

[JUnit]

Originally Posted by nereefpat

Sounds good. Should be about 4x turnover after the head loss. The drain can easily handle that flow.

Awesome thanks for the feedback!