Closed loop intake suggestions

[armygreen11]

I built a 30x30x24 cube tank with a false back overflow that I was originally going to implement a surge device on for water flow, but space constraints have deemed it necessary to go a different route. I've decided on a closed loop using an actuated 3-way ball valve (which I may one day switch to an oceans motions device) and I'm going to drill a couple of holes in the false back for the closed loop returns.

The intake is going to be on the bottom of the tank, but I haven't quite figured out where exactly it's going to be, or how I'm going to protect it from ingesting animals that get too close? I was thinking about maybe drilling close to the back wall and putting a 90 facing the back wall with an inch or so of clearance that I could protect with an eggcrate cage or something, but that won't stop small hermits or shrimp from getting turned into fish food or worse, jamming my CL pump (old sequence 2400gph). Ideas?

 

[jimcoman]

one of these might work...http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/8566/cid/2098

also if you want to slow down the suction run two intakes.

 

[armygreen11]

Hey, yeah. That's just about perfect with 1" x 1/4" slots. And at $6, right in my price range. It looks like the one end of it comes off too so cleanout would probably be a snap. I thought about running two intakes, but hiding one 2" intake in a 29x26 space is going to be hard enough. Thanks.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I ran a pipe across the back of my 75 with holes drilled in (1/8 but) it and a TEE with a strainer at each end. It seems to promote decent water movement through some of my rock work and does not have enough suction to pull any critters in. (1500 GPH pump).

Bean

 

[vanceny]

Here's what I did with my CL intake.

Pipe with slots cut in. The intakes are also connected in the back with a 'T'.

 

[armygreen11]

Thanks for the ideas guys. I think I'm going with that strainer basket jimcoman suggested. I think I'm going to put it in the bottom of the tank near the back and build an eggcrate cage around it so I can stack up my rockwork on it and not have the rock sitting on the strainer directly possibly blocking some of the slots or putting unnecessary forces on the bulkhead. Now I just need to decide weather or not to put a couple of more holes near the front of the bottom in case I want to have four CL inputs instead of just the two in the back one day (again with the oceans motions).