need final setup advice

[mbierzyc]

So I'm finally in the new house and nearly have everything bought for my new tank.

It's a ~48gal acrylic with a false wall. I really want to use a sump for this, but the tank was a great deal. I'll find a way to plumb it.

Here's a picture of the tank:

Here's a picture from the side so you can see the false wall:

I drilled 4 holes in the false wall for return hoses. The plan now is to have a maxijet 1200 attached to some pastic tubing to loc-line extending out from the wall. The powerheads will all be hidden behind the wall.

I bought a used sump from someone that fits perfectly in my stand, and an aqua c ev120 that i plan to run in the sump:

the left chamber will be the refugium, center is the return area, and the right is the skimmer area. the return area is small, but an autotopoff should make that no big concern.


I need to know the best place to drill the tank for my pipe going to the sump. I have this plan in mind for the plumbing, the white dashes are where pvc will go:

The top is kind of like a durso standpipe, and the return is split into two parts, the left goes to my refugium, and the ball valve is there to slow the flow.

I have a mag 7 that I could either use to power the skimmer, or as a return to the tank. Any suggestions? I don't know the amount of flow that will come from the tank, so i don't know what kind of pump to run.

I have the peices shown (the light is an outer orbit 280w), an aquacontroller jr, and a 1/5 hp aqualogic chiller.

My main questions are about the plumbing. I'll have to remove the center support from the stand and put in a new one somehow.

thanks in advance for the help.

 

[mbierzyc]

noone can help me out with this?

i want to get some more work done on it this weekend, but don't want to make mistakes.

 

[Dubbin1]

Just drill the bottom of it.

 

[Bri Guy]

Watch out when removing that support on the stand to move it!!! its there for a reason, try to plumb around it.

 

[prugs]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7783187#post7783187 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Dubbin1
Just drill the bottom of it.

Yeahh, & put some durso style stand pipes in the back. Actually just one 1" drain & a return from the sump would be good.
Or you can drill out the back. But that would require more work & you would have to move the tank away from he wall.

 

[mbierzyc]

ok, so if i drill the bottom I can put a durso in the back, and then drill the top of the stand too ... sounds easy enough. thanks for the help.

my sump is the entire width of the stand, that's why i have to remove that support. i think i'm going to fit some 1 x 2"'s or whatever i can in there to create support.

thanks for the advice.

 

[prugs]

When you make the hole in the cabinet, make it large enough, so that you can tighten or loosen the bulkhead nut.
Also never drill the hole in the tank, till you have the bulkhead fittings in hand.

 

[bassnman11]

I had to remove the back brace to get my sump in the stand. I found some corner type brackets at Lowes that I used to reinstall it so it can come out easy if necessary.

 

[mbierzyc]

prugs,

in order to use a 1"pvc pipe for my drain line, and a 1" pipe for my return, do i just buy 1" bulkheads?

may be an obvious question, but i want to make sure i get my order right. also, if i use the 1" return on a 48gal tank, what kind of pump do you recommend i get for the return? i don't need tons of flow, i'm providing that other ways. i just want to match the flow of the drain pipe.

 

[prugs]

You could use a 3/4" bulkhead for the return. I believe in keeping the flow low thru the sump. This reduces noise/splashing/salt creep. A mag5 or similar pump would be enough.

 

[mbierzyc]

Thanks Prugs. Just to be 100% sure before I place my order, can you check this over for me please? I already have 1" pvc so I think I'll s tick with that, at least for the drain pipe to the tank. Is this the bulkhead I should order http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...OD&Product_Code=BH10B&Category_Code=Bulkheads

And you suggested a 3/4 for the return. Would that still be good if I'm using 1" for the drain?

should I order a bulkhead strainer while I'm at it?

I have a mag7, I'll use that for my reurn. I'll order a mag5 to use with my skimmer. I've heard you want the skimmer pump to be less than the return pump.

 

[prugs]

Go with a 1" for the drain & a 3/4" for the return.
You are going to use a Durso style stand pipe for your drain aren't you? What size plumbing do you have in that picture?

A strainer on the intake of the durso is optional. The megaflow kits from AGA have strainers built into the durso. It will help keep the snails from plugging the drain (possibility).

I would use the mag5 for the return.
Use the mag7 for your AquaC. They are spray injection, so it will restrict the flow of the mag7 to less than the mag5.

 

[mbierzyc]

very nice, thank you very much for the help.

i'll order just what you said, and for now wait on the straner, because it looks like they're screw on, and i was going to buy the slip/thread bulkheads.

the plumbing in my picture is all 1". I'll try to work on the stand today, and make my order for the bulkheads. when they arrive monday or tuesday i'll see if i can find some time to finish the plumbing. i really want to get this tank set up, but i've been extremely busy, plus i'm in a new house with no tools, so they all have to be borrowed.


and as for the durso style standpipe, yeah that's what i tried to show in my fourth picture from the top. would that be alright? i plan to drill a hole on the top cap to let air in, and trim down that peice so it's not as tall. i tried to buy parts that mimiced the look of the durso i saw online.

 

[BreadmanMike]

Answering your question about feeding your skimmer from the CMAS forum....

You can't do that with an AquaC. You need the pump for the spray injector. You can't get enough pressure feeding it off your overflow to do this.

 

[mbierzyc]

very nice, thank you very much for the help.

i'll order just what you said, and for now wait on the straner, because it looks like they're screw on, and i was going to buy the slip/thread bulkheads.

the plumbing in my picture is all 1". I'll try to work on the stand today, and make my order for the bulkheads. when they arrive monday or tuesday i'll see if i can find some time to finish the plumbing. i really want to get this tank set up, but i've been extremely busy, plus i'm in a new house with no tools, so they all have to be borrowed.


and as for the durso style standpipe, yeah that's what i tried to show in my fourth picture from the top. would that be alright? i plan to drill a hole on the top cap to let air in, and trim down that peice so it's not as tall. i tried to buy parts that mimiced the look of the durso i saw online.

 

[prugs]

Most durso's are larger than the bulkhead size.
You start with 1-1/4" thin wall PVC or 1-1/2" standard PVC, then reduce down to 1" where it goes into the bulkhead fitting.
Start with a small hole at the top, you can always make it larger.

http://www.dursostandpipes.com/