Drain and return question

[LinkinReef]

I have a cadlights 50g and it was sent with 2 x 1/2" and 1 x 1" holes for the plumbing. I've been using the 1" as a drain, one of the 1/2" as return and the other 1/2" as the emergency drain per cadlights suggestion. Talking to a local reefer, he suggested I switch the 1" to an emergency drain and use both the 1/2" as drain/return. Is this something I should do instead? I have a vector a m1 as a return pump. I used to have an eheim 1262 before and I currently have a ball valve on the 1" drain to reduce the flow.


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[mcgyvr]

Does not sound like a good plan to me..
I'd expect that pump to be way...way...way.. too powerful for a single 1/2" return and need to be dialed way down..

Why such a massive pump anyways? You only need a couple hundred gallons of return flow per hour..

I think you already have the best way to go with that setup..

 

[ca1ore]

A 1/2" drain is going to give you very little headroom if run as an open channel. Agree that the Vectra is way more pump than you need, though of course it's adjustable. If it were my tank, I would use the 1/2" drain as the siphon and the 1" as the emergency. You could even dispense wth a valve on the siphon by adjusting return flow from the Vectra.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I think you are doing it the right way. I have a CADlight 125 and although my 'holes' are bigger, I do the same thing. The biggest is for the drain. It works fine, And I have a Jebao DC15000 return pump that runs at low speed (4) even though it is feeding the 125g, a 50g display refugium and a 1hp chiller that is out behind my house!