BCreefmaker
New member
That is fine too, try and let it mix for 24 hours before adding it to the tank.
newbie setting up first tank
- Thread starter omartinez
- Start date
back with more questions...now with my return pump...
According to my reading of several post, the recomended circulation of the return should be 5x of the DT volume, right?
if so then that means that my 135 gallon DT will need like 675GPH.
My overflow box it's an CPR CS100DX, which according to them it can handle 800GPH. I will be using 1" PVC Pipe for plumbing. And the sump will be at 5 feet from DT top rim.
Now my current selected pump, i've not buyed yet, it's an hyperflow 20, which according to them at 6 feet give 870GPH and at 4 feet 990GPH, so 5 feet shoulb be in between those values.
Now the questions :
it's ok to target a 800GPH flow even if that is beyond the 5x recommendations?
Can i slow down the rio HF 20 using a ball or gate valve and some T directed to the calcium reactor?
do i have to go a rio HF 17 instead? rated 660GPH at 6 feet
According to my reading of several post, the recomended circulation of the return should be 5x of the DT volume, right?
if so then that means that my 135 gallon DT will need like 675GPH.
My overflow box it's an CPR CS100DX, which according to them it can handle 800GPH. I will be using 1" PVC Pipe for plumbing. And the sump will be at 5 feet from DT top rim.
Now my current selected pump, i've not buyed yet, it's an hyperflow 20, which according to them at 6 feet give 870GPH and at 4 feet 990GPH, so 5 feet shoulb be in between those values.
Now the questions :
it's ok to target a 800GPH flow even if that is beyond the 5x recommendations?
Can i slow down the rio HF 20 using a ball or gate valve and some T directed to the calcium reactor?
do i have to go a rio HF 17 instead? rated 660GPH at 6 feet
I dont think 800 is too bad. You can always split the final return in two. That'll slow down without the added leak risk of a ball valve. Of course a ball valve is nice for shutting down and removing pumps. We have that setup so we can remove our external on our closed loop for maint. without draining the tank. 
Something I have always been a fan of is slow return pumps. You need that water to go through your sump slow enough to be cleaned by the skimmer, and get whatever else you've got down there a chance to get to it (phosban reactor, CA ractor, kalk reactor, bananna mashing reaction chamber, etc)
Pushing through a billion gallons of water a second isn't going to allow for that.
This doubles for people that have in sump refugiums. If your water goes through too fast your macroalgae wont have a chance to do what it needs to do. Refugiums do far better when the water pushes through slowly!!
I have a 65 gallon reef. I have a mag 6 return with 4 foot of head and two elbows. I also have a closed loop with a much faster gph rate (external) that is on only during the daytime hours. Works great and my skimmer clearly seems to pick up more in the nightime hours than daytime hours.
Something I have always been a fan of is slow return pumps. You need that water to go through your sump slow enough to be cleaned by the skimmer, and get whatever else you've got down there a chance to get to it (phosban reactor, CA ractor, kalk reactor, bananna mashing reaction chamber, etc)
Pushing through a billion gallons of water a second isn't going to allow for that.
This doubles for people that have in sump refugiums. If your water goes through too fast your macroalgae wont have a chance to do what it needs to do. Refugiums do far better when the water pushes through slowly!!
I have a 65 gallon reef. I have a mag 6 return with 4 foot of head and two elbows. I also have a closed loop with a much faster gph rate (external) that is on only during the daytime hours. Works great and my skimmer clearly seems to pick up more in the nightime hours than daytime hours.
Nah. The one you have should suffice.
I overdid it on my 180. I had two mag 18's on it. It was too much flow thru the sump. I found myself scaling them back. My refugium was seperate from the sump entirely.
My first reef, a 65 gal, has a sump refugium combo. At that time I figured out that combo sump/fuges suck and are, well, pointless.
To really have the fuge do what it's supposed to it should really be seperate. Anything else is just for show.
I think 800 should be just fine. Like I said, when you run it, if it's too much, T it off at the end and put in two returns. Two overflows for water to flow out of should be plenty enough. If those two can't handle 800 gph you need to smack the tank maker.
I overdid it on my 180. I had two mag 18's on it. It was too much flow thru the sump. I found myself scaling them back. My refugium was seperate from the sump entirely.
My first reef, a 65 gal, has a sump refugium combo. At that time I figured out that combo sump/fuges suck and are, well, pointless.
To really have the fuge do what it's supposed to it should really be seperate. Anything else is just for show.
I think 800 should be just fine. Like I said, when you run it, if it's too much, T it off at the end and put in two returns. Two overflows for water to flow out of should be plenty enough. If those two can't handle 800 gph you need to smack the tank maker.
updating...
I've decided to use a remote refugium, the sump will only have an skimmer section and a return section...
Using a T from the return pump one exit will go to the main tank and the other to the refugium, the water from there will overflow back to the return section on the sump.
All this is still on paper but 'm almost there, some equipment more to buy before starting.
To better understand what i want to do, a picture :
I will grow live food, macro and maybe something else :spin2: on the refugium.
one question...where should i place the calcium reactor and the BRS GFO and carbon reactor i plan to buy?
I've decided to use a remote refugium, the sump will only have an skimmer section and a return section...
Using a T from the return pump one exit will go to the main tank and the other to the refugium, the water from there will overflow back to the return section on the sump.
All this is still on paper but 'm almost there, some equipment more to buy before starting.
To better understand what i want to do, a picture :
I will grow live food, macro and maybe something else :spin2: on the refugium.
one question...where should i place the calcium reactor and the BRS GFO and carbon reactor i plan to buy?
