putting together 2 tanks to make 1 sump

[Abengochea]

A buddy of mine has a 46 bowfront and doesnt really have much room inside his stand. So we figured 2 10gal tanks connected to eachother and sticking out the back might work well. Heres what we have, let me know what u guys think

[/IMG]

 

[Rogger Castells]

Looks good, I think 1" bulkhead and unions to join the two tanks is sufficient, also for the pump you probably only need 3/4" bulkhead.

 

[REDDAWG43]

Hey Rogger, why a 3/4 bulk head for the return pump? I figure it's to reduce the amount of water the Mag 9 will suck out.
But what if the return PVC will have a T so that some of the water
is directed back to the start where the skimmer is at?

 

[Rogger Castells]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8930543#post8930543 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by REDDAWG43
Hey Rogger, why a 3/4 bulk head for the return pump? I figure it's to reduce the amount of water the Mag 9 will suck out.
But what if the return PVC will have a T so that some of the water
is directed back to the start where the skimmer is at?

Actually the reason for the 3/4" is because the mag 9 has a 3/4" inlet and outlet so it will be useless and more expensive to have a 1" bulkhead and reducers plus it will take more space for the reducers.

 

[chinaman4u]

Just my 0.02, but I'd remove the center brace for more room. Sorry for going off topic. I don't know anything about your stand, so I shouldn't have even brought this up.

 

[REDDAWG43]

Naw...I think the center brace should not be moved.
This tank has 120lbs of live sand and 50lbs of rock, not to
mention all the water. I think the added support the center brace provides is needed.

 

[chinaman4u]

I had a 2 center braces in my 4' 120G which I had removed for easier access. I couldn't get a 45G sump in there with that brace in the way.

 

[Flamehawk]

The biggest problem i see is the 1/8" thick side of the 10gal tanks holding the pressure of the bulkheads without craking.

I have installed 1" bulkheads on 10gal tanks and even then you have to be very careful there isnt too much pressure on the glass. I'm talking about both pressure from tightening the bulkhead and from the weight of the pvc hanging off of it.

Hope this helps, JOHNNY

 

[Flamehawk]

Oh, forgot to mention, i think the design, including the layout and order of chambers, is great. Im assuming he will be able to access the back of the stand to service the skimmer and return pump. JOHNNY

 

[Rogger Castells]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8933896#post8933896 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flamehawk
The biggest problem i see is the 1/8" thick side of the 10gal tanks holding the pressure of the bulkheads without craking.

I have installed 1" bulkheads on 10gal tanks and even then you have to be very careful there isnt too much pressure on the glass. I'm talking about both pressure from tightening the bulkhead and from the weight of the pvc hanging off of it.

Hope this helps, JOHNNY

good points!

 

[REDDAWG43]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8933896#post8933896 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Flamehawk
The biggest problem i see is the 1/8" thick side of the 10gal tanks holding the pressure of the bulkheads without craking.

I have installed 1" bulkheads on 10gal tanks and even then you have to be very careful there isnt too much pressure on the glass. I'm talking about both pressure from tightening the bulkhead and from the weight of the pvc hanging off of it.

Hope this helps, JOHNNY

Since this sump will not be moved often, would
1. adding a second piece of glass at the 2'' bulk head connection help increase the glass strength?
2. placing support legs under the 2'' PVC elbows, help hold up the PVC connecting the two 10g tanks, thus decreasing the pressure on the 2'' bulk head connection?

Thanks for spotlighting these poss problem points...
Please if theres anything thats looks to be a problem bring it up.

 

[Flamehawk]

Since this sump will not be moved often, would
1. adding a second piece of glass at the 2'' bulk head connection help increase the glass strength?
I dont think it would be worth the trouble, the bulkhead and its nut will still create a lot of pressure in the same area around the shoulder of the bulk and nut. Also, the silicone sandwhich you will create will be another possible leaking point. Ive reinforced acrylic like you are thinking here but acrylic bonds extremely well to itself. One more thing is the 2" bulkheads come with thicker gaskets which require more pressure to tighten enough to make a leak free seal.

I;m wondering if you even need 2" bulks. A MAG 9 gives you 900gph at zero head but after you account for height head and all the elbows, figure only about 600gph? So maybe 1.5" connection between 10gal sumps, maybe even 1"?


2. placing support legs under the 2'' PVC elbows, help hold up the PVC connecting the two 10g tanks, thus decreasing the pressure on the 2'' bulk head connection?

Probably a good idea, yes.

Thanks for spotlighting these poss problem points...
Please if theres anything thats looks to be a problem bring it up. [/QUOTE]

One more thing, if you havent bought the MAG yet, go with an EHEIM or even OceanRunner pump instead. The MAG, 1. Runs considerably hotter and 2. may leak when used externally (all the ones i have used have ended up leaking at least a little).

Hope this helps, JOHNNY