125 build return plumbing question

tangtang clown

tangtang clown

New member
I plan on drilling two holes in the back of my 125 for return lines. I plan on using a MAG12, maybe two.
Should I use 1/2" or 3/4" plumbing for the return?
I am going to order the kit today from gh.com with loc-line.
Thanks for the help.
 
3/4" AT LEAST....I am in the planning stages of a 125 and will be using 2 ea 1.5" returns.

By the way I love your signature line... I have one for ya.
I'll keep my freedom and my guns, you can keep the CHANGE !
 
Yes sir, " I'm a Republican b/c we can't all be on welfare".
"You think healthcare is expensive now, wait until it's FREE".

What pump are you planning on using?
Would it be better for me to use 1.5"?
I plan on having a manifold tee off the return line also.
 
tangtang,

We could probably start our own forum....and have a great many participants.

The short answer, use 1.5" piping for plumbing the tank.

The long-er answer...

For the tank / pump. I am going to use an Iwaki 55 rated 1200 gph or a Reeflow Blackfin rated at 2500gph. I know there is a big difference between the two but I am in the planning stages.

I will be using a 2" manifold pipe with 1.5" Sched 80 lines to the tank from the manifold. I believe that I'll end up with about 1000 gph going through the tank (reeflo) or 7-800 with the Iwaki. I will also be using the manifold to push 600 gph to a chiller located 6' from the tank.

I had an interesting conversation with a representative from reeflo. He indicated that the friction loss using small (1" pipe or tubing) is significant in comparison to 1.5 or 2" tubing. The resulting flow will be nearly double by going from 1" pipe to 1.5" pipe.

Another factor influencing me is that I broke down a 75 gallon tank that I had hard plumbed with 1" PVC. The tank had been set up for over 4 years. The inside of the pipe was significantly restricted with calcium or some type of hard chalky substance.

From talking to different folks, reading various information and personal experience, I believe that going to the largest possible piping when setting up a tank is best. I asked the reeflo rep about going from a 1" pump output to a 1.5" pipe (thinking the Iwaki for a return, it has 1" input and output) since it was pressure rated...? He said "the larger the better" it will flow better and keep the pressure on the joints and fittings lower.
 
Wow. Great info there. As of now, I will be using a MAG12 pump which has a 3/4" outlet. Would it be beneficial to use a 3/4" by 1.5" coupler?
I may start thinking about a different pump.
 
Yes. I would use a threaded 3/4 to 1.5" coupler and go from there. Dont forget the suction side of the pump. Needs to be larger too...
 
Well, there is a downside to what you're talking about and that includes higher cost for larger materials (not inconsequential when looking at valves, bulkheads, 500 fittings, etc.) and obviously more space taken up with the larger pipe and fittings. I'm not one to tell you to not go large with your plumbing as I used all 2" on my Blackfin 2500 (and it screams like a mutha) but consider the downside. I believe for a Mag1200 that 1" would be a good compromise to consider and would work very well too.

I definitely like 1.5" on the suction side. Rule of thumb is that the suction should always be the same size as the pressure side as a minimum. Bigger is better really as most pumps are designed to push, not pull. Go large here.

Henry, Iwaki makes a legendary pump but if you are looking at raw performance and high efficiency (also results in only a small temp boost) all packaged up in a fairly quiet package then go Blackfin. I haven't regretted it once since I bought it.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15515419#post15515419 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tangtang clown
thanks rg, I will be using my MAG12 insump, and I believe the intake on the volute cover is 3/4". Should I put a coupling on there?
Click to expand...

If the pump is already in sump, adding plumbing to the intake will not benefit you in any real way unless you up it to 1.5" and and Tee to dual suction screens. Probably a marginal benefit at best, personally I would leave it with the stock screen sans sponge.
 
I too am curious and looking for an alternative return pump. I need one that is fairly quiet, tank will be in the living room. So far I have heard Iwaki, Dolphin, Reeflo, and Blackfin.
Any body else?
 
I'm generally not a fan of using such large pumps for returns from sump, I usually use Eheim 1260/1262 for return pumps, nice and quiet and probably the best reputation for reliability of any pump on the market.

If you want to run more flow than that, then I would recommend a Reeflo pump, but you will need to make sure that your overflow/drain plumbing can accommodate that kind of water flow, and the noise from the water may be louder than the pump.
 
Blackfin is a Reeflo pump and personally I don't think you would want it directly in your living room even if it would be under a stand. For a living room setup then I agree with Pyrrhus that an Eheim would be an excellent choice but there are other good ones as well. The Askoll/Laguna pumps are also quite good (I have one on my MSX skimmer), very quiet and very energy efficient.

Henry, it's hard for me to quantify just how quiet it is since I don't have any way to measure decibels or similar. However, since it's fairly large, akin to a small pool pump, it is much quieter than similarly sized models. These pumps only spin at 1800 RPMs so they tend to be more quiet than others that spin at 3600 RPM. Personally I don't think I would want this in my living room but it might be possible to dampen the noise a bit. Of course I am accustomed to no noise whatsoever from my tank (sump in basement) so if you are used to at least a small amount of noise then the Blackfin might be fine for you. Since you already have one, I say turn it on dry for a few seconds (this pump doesn't heat up much so it won't hurt - this is what I did) and check it out. One thing is for sure...you won't be disappointed with the performance! I also recommend 2" plumbing for this baby, at least for trunk lines.
 
RG, I think we know (and envy) that you an Askoll on your Msx skimmer. I have an Octo Ex 200. I think I will stick with my MAG12 as the return for my 125. I have a spare MAG12 that I could use as a closed loop pump. Would this be a good idea? I haven't done much research on closed loops, but I like the idea. I still haven't ordered my glass holes kits for my my return. I would be using the return MAG from inside my sump. I believe a closed loop MAG would have to be mounted outside the stand, maybe on a platform behind the stand. I really don't want to have anything hanging over the top of the tank, so would I have to drill 3 holes: 2 for the closed loop, and 1 for the return?
Or 2 for the CL and 2 for the return?
Thank you guys very much. I am ready to get this tank up and running.
 
There really is not right or wrong here. I drilled two return holes and looped my return with a manifold inside the tank feeding four Loclines blowing return water behind my rock. Looping the two returns makes sure that I don't have an imbalance in the returns. Since you are planning to use a CL then you won't need the flow rate from the return that I have so I think a single return would be fine but if you wanted to put a second one in there then that would be fine too.

For your CL, will one of the 2 holes be your CL intake or do you need a third hole for that? Personally, I think on a 125 (72" IIRC?) that you might want more like 4 CL outputs to give you more flow options. A MAG1200 should run 4 outputs okay, especially if you use the 1/2" Loclines or smaller. There is a pretty good thread in the DIY section on making eductor nozzles for the Loclines and I think that would be an awesome upgrade...triple your flow rate for zero dollars.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a MAG basher. I have a bunch of them in fact. But if you look at their power usage numbers, they are one of the most inefficient pumps out there, which is usually interpreted as heat transfer to the water and high electric bills. My MAG2400 uses 265W but my Blackfin uses around 165W for much better performance and very little heat transfer. The Askoll/Laguna 1500 uses less than 100W and is whisper quiet. MAGs are workhorses but I just couldn't keep donating to the electric company to use it. Now I keep a single MAG2400 on the shelf for a spare in case my Blackfin ever has a problem.
 
rguyler, thanks for the info. I think I will try it but also have my Iwaki 55 set up for a quick change out if it is too loud.

I am definitely going with a 2" manifold. I will use 1.5" returns (2 of them) and also be plumbing in a chiller using 1" line (only needs 400gph) as well as a couple of smaller lines to run reactors if needed. I am going to plumb in some T's with valved outlets and barbed fittings so that I can run some flexible vinyl for the reactor(s).

tangtang clown, I'd definitely go with 2 returns and 2 lines for the closed loop. You can always throttle a pump back but once a closed loop is plumbed in you're kinda stuck if you dont have enough flow. With the tanks I have set up, I have learned to get it all right when setting up. I really believe that the overall tank health is determined within the set-up (all other things being equal). The difference in the set-up is ok/good to great...depending on how well the tank is set up.
My opinion....others may differ.
 
So I should drill four holes in the back of my tank, 1/2" or 3/4"?
Two for the return from the sump and two for the CL?
This seems to be doable.
 
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