What Should I Use As My Return Pipe End?

[gio28]

i have a 36 gallon tank w/ a 20 gallon sump. the return pump goes from 3/4" vinyl to 1" pvc. i dont know what to do at the end of the pipe that goes in my DT. i was thinking loc line? or something else...??? kinda like an additional powerhead..because i was going to use a 90 degree elbow that i could use as the powerhead thingy..but i figured that snails would go in it and travel down the return pipe to the pump and break it by clogging it. any ideas?

 

[cranberry]

I cannot picture what you are saying... my fault, not yours. Would you have a pic or a sketch?

 

[gio28]

lol it my fault...i cant think of the words to explain it. im like brain dead at the moment.
basically in this picture i found... how do i do the return part that is in the DT water? i wanted like loc line or the flow accelerator or something.

 

[jimmy40741]

You could set it up like your diagram and use some sort of covering over the end of the elbow, that would keep anything from going back up the line.
Another option is to do what I did and build a spray bar. Where K is on your diagram you would put a pipe tee, then off each side you would use equal lengths of pipe with end caps on them. Along the pipes drill holes, the smaller and less holes you have the faster the water will come out, so start out with just a few small holes and put more and/or bigger holes in them until you get the flow rate you want.
One handy variation of this design is to use a Tee (or 3way) Compression Coupling in place of the regular tee. By using this you dont have to glue the spray bar pipes to the tee and can rotate them to whatever angle you want and spraying the water more towards the bottom, more towards the front, etc.

 

[gio28]

thats a good idea. i have a center brace though so it might be a little uneven. but im gonna see how it looks. thanks.