Plumbing help / ideas

pmauro

pmauro

Member
Need some Ideas on how I can improve circ in my 450. the biggest prob is blowing the DSB around. Currently I use 6 powerheads and an Iwaki 40 for circ and it just doesn't cut it. too many ded spots and of course in those spots some cyno. also all of those powerheads = heat. So I bought a dophin 5200 to get some real movement. currently the Iwaki pumps through 12' of pipe with a ststic head of 7' and then into a spray bar that not only delivers water to the far end of the tank horizontally but vertically through 3/4' pvc. the pipe was drilled with holes along the length the size of a pencil. the horizontal bar has these holes pointed across the top of the water for areaition and also 90 deg pointing straight down but there is not enough flow, partically because of the head pressure. Don't get me wrong there is flow from both tubes but not enough for this size tank.
ok now here is where I need help. the new idea is to use the dolphin to power the vert and horz spray bars using 1 1/4 pvc across the top of the tand and down the back behind the LR,
and using the Iwaki to run a verticle 1" pvc bar in the front of the tank and run 1 or 2 powerheads to get any dead spots that is going to be moving about 6000 gallons per hr through the tank.
now how do I do it without tearing up the DSB and blowing it all over the place? any ideas on the size of the holes and length otf the spray bars?
BOOMER I could use your help with this.
just alittle more background the return has 2 1" return pipes and 2 3/4" returns that flow into a 120+ gallon sump / ref
 
krux

krux

Member
i wish i had experience with flow in a 450, unfortunately my only experience coms from no flow problems in a 29 :)
i think weats has some fancy water return system in his tank, maybe if you can dig around for some of his posts, or maybe someone remembers better than i do...
 
pmauro

pmauro

Member
I already tried something simular to what you have suggested and I do use a wave maker but the problem is heat that many powerheads creat alot of heat 80-82 deg worth and with summer coming I need to reduce that as much as possible.
 
robn70

robn70

Member
How about a closed loop system. where you have a large external pump pulling the water from the aquarium and then returning back to the tank. you can make the return out of a pice of pvc that goes along the back of the tank use a couple tee's to make outlets at differn't locations which would have an elbo on the end of each to direct the current into the tank. for a tank that size you may want to use 4 or 5 tees space evenly across the back of the tank.
 
pmauro

pmauro

Member
the tank is already plumbed for the overflow and 1 1/4" returns on all 4 corners. the problem is returning that much water without tearing up the DSB, yet not having any dead spots. I think the secret lays in the spray bars and how they are constructed. I just don't know how it should be done, BUT I THANK all of you who have given their ideas and I just know there is someone out there who has the answer
 
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