New to "Reef Tanks"

[marksm33]

Hello, All,

I'm a freshwater enthusiast and I've decided to give a Refugium a try. I purchased a 125 "reef tank" with two predrilled holes at the bottom of a weir in the tank. The tank came with a Durso pipe. It also came with another PVC pipe with a thinner diameter and flow directors that fit on top. I have two basic questions which will highlight my ignorance, I'm sure:
1) Why are the two pipes different diameters? Is that to give you better control over the flow rate on the return from the sump pump?
2) Am I completely missing it? Is the second smaller diameter PVC an emergency pipe for the weir in case the Durso gets clogged?

Any help would be appreciated and thanks!

Mark

 

[kfisc]

Hello and welcome!

The larger pipe is the drain; the smaller is the return from the sump. They balance the flow rate so that, long story very short, your sump won't run over and you can maintain the appropriate "oomph" to the strength of the siphon with the bigger pipe.

 

[mtnbike101]

Welcome to ReefCentral!

Ideally, you would have (at least) two drains going to your sump. As you mentioned, one would be for emergency, but it also will cut down on noise if the primary drain is tuned correctly via main valve.

That said, the second hole may be your only return option. Do you see any other holes for the main return?

 

[marksm33]

No other returns for the main return. Does this sound accurate:

I'm assuming I will adjust the flow from the pump to tune the tank and have the output from the pump match the drain from the Durso; I'll have to calculate the amount of water that exists above the drain line in the weir in the DT and make sure I have enough room in my sump to accommodate that if the pump fails. In return, I'll have to calculate how much water is in the return chamber of my sump and make sure that there is enough room in my DT to accommodate it if my drain pipe becomes clogged. My sump pump Jabao DCP 5000 has an auto-shutoff if it hits the air. Does that sound right?

I'm using this as a guideline:

Overflow Boxes and Drain Styles - Durso, Herbie, and Bean Animal

Decide which of the three most common types of drains and overflow boxes is right for you and your tank.

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[kfisc]

Looks like a good guide. It's worrisome at first to ponder all that water flowing back and forth, but in my experience it's fairly rare for a well-installed, standardized drain/return system (not DIY) to clog or fail. You definitely have to make allotments for spillage relative to the size of your sump. This can be accomplished by shutting off the pumps and watching the drainage.

 

[mtnbike101]

Once you establish safe water levels, I'd suggest using painters tape, etc. to mark those lines whereby you know where your top off level should be at any point.

 

[Justint05]

Hello, for the first,I think the two pipes of varying sizes serve distinct functions. The Durso pipe is used as the overflow system's main drain pipe, whose greater diameter allows in managing a higher flow rate while also reducing noise created by water flowing into the sump. The flow rate can be adjusted by adjusting the height of the standpipe in the Durso pipe.
And for the second question,yes, you are half right.The smaller diameter PVC pipe is used as an emergency or backup line. This gives an alternate way for water to flow in the event that the Durso pipe becomes clogged or stopped for whatever reason.