plumbing help

[prez]

I am setting up a 75 RR. The only thing I could find that would fit the pipe from the tank is some plastic drain fitting but it is 1 1/2 inch.. Thats cool for the drain but was wondering, I am gonna use a Mag 9 for the return and it is only 3/4. How can i hook it up to the 1 1/2 also do i use tubing? I imagine im gonna have to un hook the pump sometime so do i just use pvc on it without the glue?> How does everyone do it) pic of the fitting this is safe to use right? Also should i use a union for both sides for future cleaning?

 

[scsinet]

I've read your post 3 times and I'm not sure I understand what you're asking.
It almost sounds like you are trying to hook the drain from the tank directly to the pump's intake, then the pump's output directly back to the tank's return. Is this what you're trying to do? Because if you are, it won't work. Before I explain why, let me know if I have this assumption correct or not.
The answer to your last question is yes, the fitting above will work - I ended up using this exact fitting on my new setup because of some unique space constraints.
Generally though, you don't want to go around the outside of the bulkhead. The threads on the outside are not a standard pipe thread size, it's there for the bulkhead nut only. Instead, the inside should accept a pipe or a threaded fitting, depending on the style of bulkhead.

 

[scsinet]

Oh yeah, and yes, you should have unions and valves on both side of the pump so the pump can be removed for maintenance.

 

[prez]

lol yeah my post was kinda screwy.. Im gonna have the fitting on the drain, then put the pvc into the fitting, go about a foot then add union, pvc is gonna go straight down into the LR basket I have not made yet.) Return I am not sure how yet. Thinking about doing this, return is 3/4 was thinking i could hook up some tubing, then add some sort of (reducer)? then run the 1 1/2 pvc or to a tee and a ball valve have pvc going straight to the fitting on the return of the tank, one going to the fuge) Hope you can understand that) Will that work or is there an easier way to do this? Thanks for the help

 

[scsinet]

I'm still not sure where the 1.5" pipe is coming from.
Okay, so you are going from a bulkhead fitting through some unions, etc and then to your sump. It does sound like you are doing a sump so that's good.
Then it sounds like you want to come off your pump, through a "T" so you can send some of the flow back to the fuge in your sump, and the rest of the flow back to the tank.
That will work, but why waste pump power?
Assuming I've gathered correctly, that you have a reef ready tank, a sump, fuge (or the fuge is a compartment in the sump), and a mag 9.5 return pump.
What I'd do is come from the tank's drain into a "T" fitting. Then off each outlet of the T, run a valve, then run one valve to the fuge, and one to the return section of your sump. By jockying these two valves, you can regulate the flow though the fuge.
Then, go from the return pump straight up into your tank, of course with valves and unions as necessary to regulate flow. Does that make sense?
If I'm getting it wrong, any way you could draw a diagram?

 

[prez]

The 1.5 piping I bought, it fits inside the fitting from the pic. As for the pump my tank is rated at 700gph, after headloss and etc the mag 9 will still be putting about 800gph, figure that extra has to go somewhere? Yes i have a sump, i made it like this... skimmer>>>fuge>>>return. So i cant tee it off, then regulate fuge like you were saying? Should i just go straight to tank from return still. Thanks

 

[scsinet]

You can do what you were doing with the pump. The other thing you can do is just stick a ball valve on it's output and partially close it. You won't hurt the pump doing this.
You can still "T" the drain if you want. Feed one of the outputs of the "T" to the skimmer section, the other to the fuge section.

 

[prez]

Cool, thanks for the help)