Officially joined the hobby today!!!

[acrylic51]

Maybe I should have explained a little better on the upsizing of the plumbing....We are trying to get all our flow through the return pump. As Florida Joe stated flow in the DT should be done by other means.....I was just trying to reduce head pressure on the pump.
Here is what I mean for a strainer on the suction side of your return pump.....

Quote:
Originally Posted by gcgrad http:///forum/thread/383014/officially-joined-the-hobby-today/40#post_3348828
Ha Joe... books... read books? That's preposterous!lol Thanks for the input on the sump, I wasn't quite sure yet how I was going to determine the water level and the preventative measure to disallow the sump to overflow. And I may make the fuge slightly larger in the final build, good suggestion!
And Corey I think Shawn answered it best. He suggested to increase the intake and output on the pump to generate more water volume movement.
Thanks for all the input everybody!

 

[2quills]

I hear ya Shawn. He'll get maximum output from his pump and at the same time be less head pressure on the return. Flow inside the tank is best handled by other means just like you and Joe mentioned. IIRC the Mag5's at 4' of head put out something like 310GPH. On his 55g system pluss sump he should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-5 time turnover per hour. So it sounds like he's sittin pretty good.

 

[acrylic51]

He's done his homework!!!!!

 

[florida joe]

This is the prefiltration system I use, and one I would recommend. The pics are self-explanatory. The perforated plastic tube fits into the bulkhead in my overflow box I place that in and then place the sponge over the tubes and push it to the bottom. When the water level gets to the top of the sponge or at a water change I just remove the tube and sponge and clean them. The water from the overflows is directed to my sump and separate refuge and then pumped back to my DT

 

[florida joe]

 

[florida joe]

 

[gcgrad]

I may have mistakenly used the wrong terminology for the flow. But I do understand the importance of water movement and will be using 2 koralia powerheads (1050 gph)in the DT. Thanks for the pics Joe! I shall be picking up a 20 gal high tank today to be my QT.

 

[gcgrad]

Thanks Shawn! I think this is the one I was looking at when you mentioned it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by acrylic51 http:///forum/thread/383014/officially-joined-the-hobby-today/60#post_3348955
Maybe I should have explained a little better on the upsizing of the plumbing....We are trying to get all our flow through the return pump. As Florida Joe stated flow in the DT should be done by other means.....I was just trying to reduce head pressure on the pump.
Here is what I mean for a strainer on the suction side of your return pump.....

Quote:
Originally Posted by gcgrad http:///forum/thread/383014/officially-joined-the-hobby-today/40#post_3348828
Ha Joe... books... read books? That's preposterous!lol Thanks for the input on the sump, I wasn't quite sure yet how I was going to determine the water level and the preventative measure to disallow the sump to overflow. And I may make the fuge slightly larger in the final build, good suggestion!
And Corey I think Shawn answered it best. He suggested to increase the intake and output on the pump to generate more water volume movement.
Thanks for all the input everybody!

 

[gcgrad]

Hopefully I will be sitting good Corey. I'm pretty much taking Shawn and Joe's techniques and employing them to my own setup. I'm excited to start the construction process!
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Quills http:///forum/thread/383014/officially-joined-the-hobby-today/60#post_3348975
I hear ya Shawn. He'll get maximum output from his pump and at the same time be less head pressure on the return. Flow inside the tank is best handled by other means just like you and Joe mentioned. IIRC the Mag5's at 4' of head put out something like 310GPH. On his 55g system pluss sump he should be somewhere in the neighborhood of 4-5 time turnover per hour. So it sounds like he's sittin pretty good.

 

[2quills]

Quote:
Originally Posted by gcgrad http:///forum/thread/383014/officially-joined-the-hobby-today/60#post_3349154
Hopefully I will be sitting good Corey. I'm pretty much taking Shawn and Joe's techniques and employing them to my own setup. I'm excited to start the construction process!
You're all aces, man! Those guys know their stuff and it sounds like you've planned things out very well. I'm just following along, can't wait to see you get it set up.

 

[florida joe]

This may be a good time to post a detailed diagram of your complete piping setup from DT to sump/refuge and back to dt along with valves and couplings
One thing you must take into consideration IMO is that with going with a strainer on the influent side of the pump you pipe it to a position where you can easily monitor it for any impediment of water flow

 

[gcgrad]

This is a simple sketch of the setup I'm going for. The overflow box will be internal (not sure what type) but have to be more than 310 gph since the mag 5 im getting is 310 gph at 4 ft headspace. One question I have concerns the outlets in the overflow. I have seen some overflow systems and curious as to why they utilize two holes. I guess one is used as a backup in case one becomes clogged or obstructed and prevents the overflow from filling up and overflowing the DT. 1" pvc piping will be used on this system. A valve will be used to control water volume reaching the fuge (although I have seen a separate valve used to control water flow going to sump. Mag 5 will pump water up into the DT on the opposite side. The QT on the side is there simply because I will be building a custom stand and the sump and QT will be hidden in the stand for the most part. The overflow and plumbing is something I'm not very comfortable with so any suggestions or modifications would be appreciated. Thanks!
P.S. My name is Dean by the way for all of those helping me with this build. I really appreciate all of your input!

 

[scott t]

Dean,
Looks like a great set up.. I just sent you a PM about internal Overflow check it out and see what you think... Hope it helps you out...

 

[florida joe]

Dean remember water seeks its own level so you are not going to get the differential in water that you show in your diagram I would make the baffle all the same height. Make sure you add couplings to disassemble the system as needed the two holes you see on internal overflow boxes are for the feed and return piping .Post a pic of your overflow box when you get it

 

[gcgrad]

I already placed the order for the baffles at those dimensions Joe. Although they said they could not cut till Friday so I may be able to change them. I do plan to use couplings so I can disassemble. I have a question about the return pump plumbing. I have read to use a "Y" instead of a 90 degree elbow for the return plumbing to allow the water to flow easier. Is this a good practice?

 

[2quills]

People utilize overflow boxes with dual drains for a couple of reasons. One is to save space without having to go with one huge drain line to acheive more drainage capacity and the other is usually for a back up incase one does happen to get blocked up as you said. If you can actually find a true Wye (Y) for your return line in the size that you're looking for then I say go for it. Odds are you won't find a true wye under 1" even online. The 45 degree wye's are a lot more common. But there's nothing wrong with using a Tee as long as you account for a little extra head loss from the pump. The difference is not going to be that huge though either way IMO.
And I'm sorry for this but I have to dissagree with there being an issue with the height of your baffles. I've seen too many set ups done the very same way. Water does seek to find it's level, yes. But the only time that would ever be an issue is if you get too much backflow in your sump when the return pump is shut off. Infact here's a pic of a sump I made (very similar to yours) that has a taller fuge baffle than the rest. There was never an issue with water rising higher in any of the chambers than it was supposed to. I think you'll be ok leaving it as is. Just my opinion.

 

[acrylic51]

Looks good Dean.....You could also use spa flex tubing for your bends....A little extra work, but doesn't restrict flow, and you can make your turns nice and gentle......

 

[acrylic51]

Forgot to add...I'm in agreement with Corey on the baffle issue....Shouldn't be an issue.....

 

[2quills]

Hmmm...re-reading things, I don't know where I got the idea you wanted to use a Y instead of a T. You actually mentioned using a Y instead of an Elbow...that's probably what threw me off. If you use flexible pipe to run your return then you'll be just fine using an elbow at the top IMO.

 

[florida joe]

sorry guys i missed that he is feeding both ends of his refug.
He will need a valve in the vertical pipe going into the left side (as you look at his drawing) of the refuge to slow the flow and allow sufficient water to empty into the right side .
He can also install two fittings into the ends of the two verticals feeding the refuge and screw two strainers into them if he likes