Plumbing confusion

addonnis242 · 08/09/2006, 04:00 PM

I have been told that when using a wet dry filter on your reef it is best to have the water flow through the protein skimmer prior to the bio-media also I have been told to circulate the water 10+ times per hour. With that said my tank is 100 gal. which by the above method the water should flow at 1000 gph however the pump on my Berlin turbo runs at 550 gph so how do I accomplish this. If I use a pump at 1000 gph on my protein skimmer I fear it won't work properly and if I use 2 Berlin turbo skimmers I may over skim. So what do I do, I have never used a wet dry set up before and I prefer to do things right the first time rather than continuing to do them over and over. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

bertoni · 08/09/2006, 05:25 PM

To Reef Central

I think you might be misinterpreting the advice. 10+ times per hour is fine, but that doesn't all have to be through the sump, and definitely not through the skimmer.

Personally, I wouldn't use a wet-dry on a reef. Live rock, live sand, or a refugium are better options, in my opinion. Wet-dry filters are higher maintenance and sometimes lead to higher nitrate levels in the tank.

ppurcell · 08/09/2006, 05:57 PM

Skimmer flow rate and turnover rate for the tank are independant of one another. Typically the pump you use for your return is not the same pump you use to drive your skimmer. You skimmer should be sized according to the volume/loading of your tank and the pump for the skimmer is determined by the size and capacity of the skimmer. If you intend to have a 1,000 gph turnover on your tank, in addition to having a circulation pump that can deliver that flow rate, your overflow must be able to allow at least that volume as well.

da_freak · 08/09/2006, 06:37 PM

I think what you are looking for is having close to the same flow rate for the sump as the skimmer can handle, any more would not be a big help. So if my coral life supper skimmer has a mag seven on it pushing about 700 gal an hour through the skimmer I would whant my return pump to be doing about the same, a mag seven pushing the water back into the tank from the sump. You whant the flow as stated above in the tank not so mutch in the sump. Do this with a closed loop or with power heads. Im new to but this is my understanding of it.

bertoni · 08/10/2006, 12:38 AM

Well, the pump in the skimmer ends up moving mostly air, so its rating isn't all that important. People target anywhere from 2-10x the tank's volume through the sump per hour, so 200-1000 gph for the 100g tank in question.

08/09/2006, 04:00 PM	#1
addonnis242 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 177	Plumbing confusion I have been told that when using a wet dry filter on your reef it is best to have the water flow through the protein skimmer prior to the bio-media also I have been told to circulate the water 10+ times per hour. With that said my tank is 100 gal. which by the above method the water should flow at 1000 gph however the pump on my Berlin turbo runs at 550 gph so how do I accomplish this. If I use a pump at 1000 gph on my protein skimmer I fear it won't work properly and if I use 2 Berlin turbo skimmers I may over skim. So what do I do, I have never used a wet dry set up before and I prefer to do things right the first time rather than continuing to do them over and over. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

08/09/2006, 05:25 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	*To Reef Central* I think you might be misinterpreting the advice. 10+ times per hour is fine, but that doesn't all have to be through the sump, and definitely not through the skimmer. Personally, I wouldn't use a wet-dry on a reef. Live rock, live sand, or a refugium are better options, in my opinion. Wet-dry filters are higher maintenance and sometimes lead to higher nitrate levels in the tank. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/10/2006, 12:38 AM	#5
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Well, the pump in the skimmer ends up moving mostly air, so its rating isn't all that important. People target anywhere from 2-10x the tank's volume through the sump per hour, so 200-1000 gph for the 100g tank in question. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/09/2006, 05:57 PM	#3
ppurcell Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 2,911	Skimmer flow rate and turnover rate for the tank are independant of one another. Typically the pump you use for your return is not the same pump you use to drive your skimmer. You skimmer should be sized according to the volume/loading of your tank and the pump for the skimmer is determined by the size and capacity of the skimmer. If you intend to have a 1,000 gph turnover on your tank, in addition to having a circulation pump that can deliver that flow rate, your overflow must be able to allow at least that volume as well.

08/09/2006, 06:37 PM	#4
da_freak Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 12	I think what you are looking for is having close to the same flow rate for the sump as the skimmer can handle, any more would not be a big help. So if my coral life supper skimmer has a mag seven on it pushing about 700 gal an hour through the skimmer I would whant my return pump to be doing about the same, a mag seven pushing the water back into the tank from the sump. You whant the flow as stated above in the tank not so mutch in the sump. Do this with a closed loop or with power heads. Im new to but this is my understanding of it.