i need help from the reef experts

[poolkeeper1]

The Issue you are not understanding is you cannot combine your sump turnover from the tank to the sump with a closed loop system all on one as it will not work. No matter how many pumps you have they can't be set to keep the flow equal without them drifting and causing the sump to overflow (Sooner or Later this will happen if you tie them together) They must be separate systems plumbed separately with no connections to each other and this will keep the tank from draining on the floor if the power goes out.
Both Ideas are fine you just need to plum them separately for it to work properly and keep your floors dry.
Bill

 

[greg0385]

The Issue you are not understanding is you cannot combine your sump turnover from the tank to the sump with a closed loop system all on one as it will not work. No matter how many pumps you have they can't be set to keep the flow equal without them drifting and causing the sump to overflow (Sooner or Later this will happen if you tie them together) They must be separate systems plumbed separately with no connections to each other and this will keep the tank from draining on the floor if the power goes out.
Both Ideas are fine you just need to plum them separately for it to work properly and keep your floors dry.
Bill

so what your saying is, i need to have one of the bulkheads to sump and out of the sump with a pump of its own back into the DT. the other two go to my main pump and come back up to the DT as well.

the last part of this "dead horse" that i keep beating not understanding is finding the right pump for the sump that wont overwork itself and the run out of water or worse a pump that slowly gets behind and floods.

if thats not what you mean then what i might have to do since im not getting this is abandon this closed loop and sump thing and go to all 3 drains, drain to the sump and all water gets pump back up to the DT and get my turnover in the DT by powerheads. i really wanted to keep my DT as equipment free as possible. instead of having powerheads all over the place, but i would like to have sps in the long run so i might have to rob a bank and get those vortech mp40s.
out of all that i have been working and planning on for the new tank, i say the plumbing has become the most difficult part so far. and the bad part is i thought it be the easiest of it all, but im slowly understanding.
once again thanks for your patience and help

 

[poolkeeper1]

You can only pump as much water up to the tank that your drains can handle, If you do more the tank will overflow. To keep this from happening you put a valve on the output of the pump to regulate the amount of water going to the tank. Also you buy a pump with the correct GPH rating that you are looking to achhieve through your sump. There are Calculators that can tell you all of these's formulas right here on RC. On a tank your size a return pump rated around 1500 to 1800 gph will work just fine and have a little to spare to run a reactor or two.
Bill

 

[greg0385]

i get what you say about putting a valve on the output. if i have it valve down to 1500gph,then 1500gph is all that will be able to drain out of the three drains back down to the sump and on and on as long as they can handle the flow. i will look up what they can handle,was thinking it was like 600gph+/-. i am planning on doing the reactors so if i have valve and a tee on the output it be easy to install that when i get one.
any other suggestions are welcome, and im sure i will have future problems as well.
thanks again
greg