been reading alot on this subject. i have a 125 aga rr. changed out the barb fitting bulkheads for threaded ones. i have a 55 gallon sump. octopuss 200 skimmer, and a mag 12 return pump. im getting ready to start the plumbing and was wondering what the best size for pipes. right now its 3/4 return and 1" drain. will that work?? or should i go 1" return and 1 1/2 drain?? im going to have ball valves on it all, just not sure what the best size would be. getting overwhelmed reading to much!! lol! thanks.
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- Thread starter graymad
- Start date
Ok, first I'll say this is my opinion. I don't know where your sump is but I'll take for granted it's under the tank. With a 5 foot head the mag 12 will put out about 1100 gph. Figuring a couple ells in the return we'll just say 1000. This gives you 8 times turnover which is fairly high. If you plan on putting a refuge in, you're way too high. I realize you are going to use valves but it may be better just to reduce the pump to a 9.5. This will give you about 5 times turnover, (which I would say is tops for a sump without a refuge), and would produce less heat and use less energy. Also NO valves on the drain, this is just a recipe for disaster.
thanks, itss a 55 right under the tank. no fuge. i put a 10 gal tank between the skimmer and return pump for sand and cheato.kinda a fuge, im not wanting to restrict the drain flow. just was putting the ball valves for taking it apart purposes. im running flex tube from the return pump to a T in the middle of the tank. so its even. that goes for the drains also. so ya think a mag 12 is to much???
HornetMech242
Premium Member
I am using a MAG 9.5 for my return on a 120. The sump has a fuge and the tank is about 30 gallons. But one reason i used a bigger pump is to feed my skimmer off one drain, and the other drain is plumbed so that i can quickly add a reaction chamber with carbon or phosban if i need to. This way reduces the need for more pumps and saves on electrical.
Chris
Chris
