I have a question about flow from what I read from the website. The skimmer that I am using(Reeflo Hurricone CAT3 protein skimmer) to work proficiently needs to be fed around 1000 gph. The website states that the flow should be 1.33333 times the tank size or volume and equal to the skimmer feed. My setup DT will be 8'L x 4'W x 2'H which comes out to about 478 gallons. Multiply that by the 1.333 and that puts my sump volume flow to approximately 650 gallons. Even with power heads isn't that flow low for my setup or am I reading your concept wrong?
Your skimmer should have a steady supply of fresh (unskimmed water) for your skimmer. If you put your skimmer randomly in the sump and allow the exiting water to mix with newly drained display tank water, you will lose efficiency.
Your skimmer should be setup to direct exiting water over a baffle so it goes directly to the display and isn't re-skimmed.
If you go with this first-in first-out method, than you need to have a sump pump that moves 1,000 (real world) GPH. That means you need a pump that is rated for somewhere around 1300-1600 GPH to compensate for head loss.
In general, protein skimmers use pumps that move 300-500 GPH through them. In your case, you have a big skimmer pump that moves 1,000 GPH. The skimmer that Peter uses on his 1350 gallon tank moves 1,500 GPH through it, so our sump pumps does the same (1,500GPH).
The formula of 1.333 is just a catch all number that has exceptions, such as your big pump skimmer. If you don't use a first-in first-out flow in your sump, then you need to compensate for the inefficient processing of the same water repeatedly. You would need to move 6,000 GPH past the skimmer to assure that most of it is "new" water available. Nobody wants to move and drain 6,000 GPH through their tank just to make up for inefficient skimmer plumbing, so I strongly suggest you direct the exiting water over a baffle so it heads toward the return pump. Fortunately, your skimmer has a high exit port so this is easy to do.
If your sump pump moves more than 1,000 GPH, some water will by-pass the skimmer. This is a minor waste of resources, but not a major issue. If your pump moves less than 1,000 GPH, the shortfall will be skimmed twice, which is a little bit more of an efficiency concern, but again, not the end of the world.
I recommend the Waveline 5,000 (1350 GPH) DC return pump for your return pump. It will move a little over 1,000 GPH at your likely head height (you guys don't have basements in Florida
). The Waveline pumps are dead quiet, low voltage, have speed control, 10 minute feed mode, run cool, and only consume 40watts.
