ATB FlowStar 1500 for a 270g enough?

[isseym328]

Hey guys and gals,

Well I already bought this return pump, but having second thoughts on if it's enough for my 270. My return is 3/4" but want to have it split off with a T so that there's flow going to two loc lines. I want there to be decent flow from the return so that I don't have to put as many powerheads in the tank.

What do you guys think? Should I upgrade to a stronger return pump? And if so any recommendations? I've seen the reeflo dart been used for 300 ish tanks.

Any suggestions/opinions appreciated!

 

[scaryperson27]

Assuming you have absolutely no restrictive plumbing accessories, you would achieve a flow of ~1300gph. Considering you are going to have restrictions, I would plan to up the plumbing going into the pump, if it is not submersed, to 1 1/2". I also recommend increasing the size of the plumbing coming out of the pump to 1". Use gentle curving PVC.

If you are going to use vinyl tubing, a neat trick i learned is that a 1 1/4" inner dimension flex hose will fit over standard 1" pvc pipe perfectly. I use this all the time. Usually when you go from 1" pvc to 1" vinyl, you will see a restriction in flow, AKA the 1" vinyl tubing is smaller than the 1" pvc.

Tell us some more of your thoughts

 

[scaryperson27]

Also, I have seen a 240 SPS reef being ran by a a 700GPH pump return run beautifully for around 5 years. I don't think flow going through the sump is as crucial of a factor as people make it out to be.

 

[isseym328]

Hey scaryperson27,

Thanks for the insight. Right now the return pump which will be submersed, is almost directly below the 3/4" bulkhead, as I am trying to have as little restrictions as possible. However from the pump to the bulkhead I have a mix of sch 80 pvc, ball valve, and vinyl tubing. The return pump is about 30 inches from the bulkhead as well. Everything is at 3/4".

I"m interested in what you're saying about increasing the size of the plumbing coming out of the pump to 1". If that is possible, wouldn't I have an issue of attaching that to my 3/4" bulkhead?

 

[mpoletti]

The 1500 is a great pump and if you are just using it for turnover James, it would work quite nicely :thumbsup:

 

[isseym328]

Thanks for the reply Mark.

That's the thing though. I really wanted the pump to create more flow for the tank, so that I don't have to add too much equipment to the main tank. I guess I should test it out first to see how much flow I'm getting, but judging from what I'm reading and you response, it's probably not enough to act as a powerhead.

What if I upgrade to a 1800?

 

[mpoletti]

It may just be my opinion James, but its much easier to add quality powerheads than to have too much flow through you sump. A proper turnover scheme is very important in setting up a new tank and I would never recommend more that 8-10x turnover through the sump. But thats just me

 

[isseym328]

If I combine my tank/sump water volume, it'd be around 330 gallons or so. So with that number, and the gph at 1300, my turnover rate through the sump would be around 4x.

That number seem a tad small. Did I do the calculation correctly?

 

[mpoletti]

I usually only calculate the flow going through the sump

 

[scaryperson27]

using schedule 80 plumbing and ball valves at 3/4 will restrict the flow. What Mpoletti said is accurate to what I consider when setting up a tank. If you are looking to get the most flow out of the pump, you will have to increase the bulkhead size to 1" by drilling the tank.

 

[isseym328]

Yeah I'm sort of kicking myself for agreeing to 3/4". I actually wanted 1.25" initially, but was told that 3/4" was good enough for the tank. In reality it is good enough, but not enough for me personally. Well this is my first time doing plumbing, and setting up such a big tank. So there are bond to be some issues that I can fix with future upgrads.

 

[ksed]

Looking at Mark's tank say's it all.

ATB power

 

[scaryperson27]

If you feel like it, you can drill the hole to a larger size so long as the pane where the hole is located is not tempered.

 

[isseym328]

Mark is that why you're promoting ATB. I vaguely remember seeing "ATB" on your tank thread. But there were so many splits that I haven't gone back to the first split for a while.

No doubt ATB is a good brand. I'm thinking about getting the econo 1050a for my skimmer. Rated for 480 lightly stocked should be plenty for my 330ish heavily stocked.

I'll have to ask if the glass is tempered. How difficult is it to drill the hole larger by an inexperienced driller? Or rather driller with no experience at all....

 

[scaryperson27]

Very easy especially with thicker glass like that of which they would use on a 270

This site is kind of goofy, but they show the best examples that I have seen of drilling glass. They also sell everything you would need to get the job done.

 

[isseym328]

Hey scaryperson,

Are you going to provide a link to the site? I'd be interested in drilling the glass myself if doable and risk is not too great. I don't want to move ahead with the plumbing on a 3/4" return if I'm going to regret it later.

Thanks in advance!

 

[crsandoval]

I have an ATB 1500 as my return, works great. I have a 180 tank.

 

[Reefer Brian]

Hey scaryperson,

Are you going to provide a link to the site? I'd be interested in drilling the glass myself if doable and risk is not too great. I don't want to move ahead with the plumbing on a 3/4" return if I'm going to regret it later.

Thanks in advance!

Here is a site that might help: glass holes dot com

 

[scaryperson27]

Oops, you are right. I forgot to post the link.
Reefer Brian got it right. It's Http://www.Glass-Holes.com/

 

[isseym328]

Thanks for the link Brian and ScaryPerson!

Crsandoval - I think the ATB 1500 would be perfect for a 180g. However my tank has almost 100g more water volume not counting sump water, making me realize that I want more flow.

I think I might have found a way to get more flow w/o drilling. I want to hear what you guys think of this. While driving home from work today, I realized that maybe I can use one of my 1 1/2" drains as a return? Then for drain I will use the other 1 1/2" and then the 3/4" as well. Do you guys think that would work? Two drains at 1 1/2 and 3/4, and one return at 1 1/2? It would be much easier if I can do it this way.

Any opinions would be appreciated!