240 long room divider

[phishy2]

Hi, I am going to be getting a glass cages 240gal long and using it as a room divider, i saw another thread of someone who as done this for a reef tank but i will be doing it for freshwater to start (more big tank owners here then fw forums sorry)...

I was wondering for those who have a tank from glass cages, which type of overflow is best? I plan on only having a single overflow on the end of the tank against the wall so i am limited to either an end overflow or a divider overflow, i will also have UGJ's pushing the waste to that end of the tank.... i will use a 75gal as a sump.

is a 2inch drain and a 1.5inch return ok for this type of setup, id like about 1500-2000gph? i was thinking of using a quite one pump, has anyone used this type of pump, its not self priming do i need one to be, ive never used a sump before...? should i use the 9000 or 14000 and throttle it back?


thanks for any help you can offer.

 

[Fishel]

I have a GC 240 and will be using it as a room divider as well but will be doing saltwater... I would advise getting 2 in-tank overflows built as you may want to convert to saltwater down the roadand and for that sized tank you'll want 2.... you can have Glass Cages build them for you, 1 on each end of the tank against the sides.... my tank has 1.5" drains and 1" returns... some people prefer 2' drains and 1.5" returns.. just remember the larger drains will require a bigger return pump to keep up... or you'll need to throttle down your drains...

 

[phishy2]

i dont really want to have an overflow on both ends because the end not on the wall will be completely viewable from the foyer, i dont see myself upgrading this tank to saltwater anytime in the distant future, because i will be upgrading my FW to the 240 then my saltwater to the 75 gal (or a 90) the fw are in....

i thought the overflow calc on this site said 2inch for about 2000gph, i will double check that.

any info on the pump? im looking for an internal, not sure if i need self priming in that case...

 

[maxxII]

just remember the larger drains will require a bigger return pump to keep up... or you'll need to throttle down your drains...

Ummm...you got this part mixed up. Bigger pumps require bigger drains. A big drain fed by a small pump will only drain what the pump puts out. Make sense?
You never want to throttle a drain back...sooner or later it will cause a flood...


I'd consider an external overflow for the side closest to the wall.

I think the drain/return sizes you mentioned would be fine. I'm not familiar with the quiet one pumps...have you looked at the sequence reeflo pumps? They have 1.5 inch outlets and move a good chunk of water w/ minimal electrical use...(about 160 watts for the Dart I believe), and they move right about the amount pf water you want to...

Nick

 

[phishy2]

i do like the dart pump but it is an external pump, i am not sure how i would plumb an external pump..... a bulkhead on the side of the 75gal? if so id rather not drill it.

 

[maxxII]

You dont have to drill. You plumb the intake over the top of the sump.
Make sure to use oversized unions/ball valves to avoid constricting the flow. I went with 3 true union ballvalves on my return plumbing to allow myself room to prime the pump.

I dont have alot of time right now to explain, but if you check out the pics on my thread, Project 150!!, you'll see how I plumbed my set up.

Nick

 

[phishy2]

ah ok, so basiclly the pump is sucking the water up and out the sump then up to the tank return...... what is that you have on the end where it sucks the water from the sump?

would it be a good idea to have a second drain and return drilled in case i do ever want to add more flow, in the same end overflow and just cap them for now?

 

[maxxII]

Thats a plastic strainer on the suction end of the plumbing. It keeps things I dont want in my pump, (snails, etc) from getting stuck in my plumbing, and its large enough that it doesnt constrict the pump either.

would it be a good idea to have a second drain and return drilled in case i do ever want to add more flow, in the same end overflow and just cap them for now?

Sure, you could do that.
If you're going to do that however, I'd reccomend having a larger overflow built on that end. You could have an overflow built that covers the narrow side of the tank from end to end...That also allows you to hide some of the plumbing...makes the whole appearance look cleaner IMO...

Nick

 

[slandis3]

I have a gc 240. im not useing it as a room divder but it came with 2 1.5" drains and 2 1" returns. What i did was install both the 1.5" and the 1" as drains and ran the return plumming over head. SO if i need to increase the flow later on this will handle it much better.right now im running about 2200 gph now but im pretty sure it can handle more if needed

 

[phishy2]

yea you are talking a divider overflow.... that seems like a good idea to me too... the dart pump looks like it would pump about 2400gph at 6' head in the setup i am thinking of...

thanks for all the info.

 

[DrHank]

A 2" straight drain (through the bottom) will handle 3300 gallons per hour and the rate of drain will be determined by the pump. Provided the bottom isn't tempered if you have a 3 3/4" hole drilled add a 2" bulkhead and standpipe add a suitable pump and achieve all the turnover that you will ever want.

I'm hoping to move up to a 240 gallon in the next couple of weeks. The right size Sequence pump and a stockman or durso and it should also run very quiet.

Just something else to consider.

 

[nyvp]

not GC but here is what I did on my 560/g 120x36x30
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=847516

outside overflow on one side. dart close loop. seq 4200 on return and 2 tunze 6100's for a total of 12k flow which is a 20x turnover good in my book and only 400 watts.