Plumbing Question

[dcsg]

I have a Oceanic 200 gallon tank with ETS sump. I was wondering if I should use PVC or flexible tubing for the drains? The drains are 1". It seems to me that I will loose alot of water flow if I use 1" I.D flexible tubing to connect to the drains of the tank. Any suggestions?

 

[mr . salty]

You can get smooth walled flexible vinyl hose at lowes.Or you can use the courogated stuff.Both have thier advantages.The courigated tubing actually adds oxegen to the water as it passes through it by aggitating it.And it's cheap and easy to find....The clear smooth tubing looks better,and has a tendancy to be quieter.Plus it's clear so you can see if it is dirty.But it is pretty stiff and will kink if you try to turn it too sharply...PVC is nice,but all the cutting and gluing can be a chore.Also every elbow you add reduces the flow rate...Personally I like the courogated stuff.It's under the tank in the cabinet so no one sees it,and I think the aggitation is a definate plus...
[ October 30, 2001: Message edited by: MR . SALTY ]
[ October 30, 2001: Message edited by: MR . SALTY ]

 

[sonny]

For drains, I like to make them as big as possible. The type of material you use isn't that important, just so it's safe for water contact. I usually use flexible tubing, since it's easy to work with and can bend a little. Elbows aren't as big of a deal in drains, since they are bigger pipes. It is more important for the return, since you are trying to get the most out of your expensive pump. I recommend using a union on all of the pipes out of the tank, so you can get them loose easily.
Sonny