Creating flow in very long tanks

[HM3105]

Hello everyone,

I had an idea I wanted to run by everyone and see what the thoughts are. I am contemplating how to create enough flow in an 8'x3'x1.5' tank. I was pondering on the idea of running PVC the whole length of the tank, slotting the PVC or drilling holes in it and then connecting it to a large internal DC pump.

If I were to place said PVC pump combination on the bottom of the tank, would it get the entire tank volume moving IF the pump was sufficiently large or is this idea doomed for failure?

Thanks for your input.

 

[Reef Frog]

I can't see anything wrong with your idea. I've seen it done before. Some of the off brand DC pumps have had issues, so it may be a risk if it's the only pump in the system.

While it may cost more, I think a series of magnetically mounted power heads will give you options to customize flow for different coral's needs.

 

[Tigerdragon]

I have an 8' long 200 i use a gyre xf150 on one end and two jebao rw15's on other end have plenty of flow

 

[organism]

The PVC pipe would be really inefficient since the water pressure would drop significantly the further away you get from the first set of holes. It would take a larger pump to keep the pipe pressurized which is a waste of energy... I've used a closed loop with 1/2" bulkheads drilled every 2' on 8' raceways before that worked very well, you could also use powerheads instead, and either would be much more efficient than a pipe.

 

[Marcoss]

I have an 96x48x12 tank. My return comes in on one end into three spinning locline, lines. The other end has an XF150 and an MP10. There is a single spot in the center that builds up the detritus, which I easily siphon out. It has an insane amount of flow and I love it.