Return pump help & opinions

[Fallling]

I have a Durso on my tank. I got the tank second hand, and with a built in overflow and the drain at the bottom of the tank (note: not actually on the bottom panel... it's on the back panel), a Durso was basically my only option. It took some finagling and going through several caps, but I finally found the sweet spot. For me, I have the hole in the top cap but also have the cap slightly tilted so there's a small gap and the cap doesn't sit flush with the pipe. For whatever reason, that makes my Durso pretty darn quiet.

The most annoying thing is the hum I hear from an eheim 1262 in the sump, but otherwise, it's not bad, and the tank is in the living room, sitting right next to the couch.

My Durso is 1 1/2" pipe to a 2" drain (how the tank was drilled). I wasn't able to to use 2" pipe for the Durso because of the limited space, but since my pipe is on the larger side, I'm not too concerned about snails getting stuck... I'm not saying it couldn't happen, but I'd be more concerned with 1" pipe.

Another option is the Hofer Gurgle Buster: http://home.everestkc.net/jrobertson57268/HGB/HGB_construction.html

 

[frankDtank]

It sounds like the Herbie system will be the easiest to convert as it's only one more hole to drill on the bottom of the tank.

What about making some kind of screen that sits on the top of the overflow and around the plumbing of the Durso to prevent snails and crabs from fitting in there???

 

[m0nkie]

It sounds like the Herbie system will be the easiest to convert as it's only one more hole to drill on the bottom of the tank.

What about making some kind of screen that sits on the top of the overflow and around the plumbing of the Durso to prevent snails and crabs from fitting in there???

you can make that screen out of roof gutter nets. Snails aren't the only concern. Fish poo might easily clog the drain.

check if your glass is tempered before drilling the bottom.

 

[GroktheCube]

I have simulated a power outage nervous times by unplugging my return pump and skimmer and because the Durso is high, there isn't much water that gets returned into the sump. I'm new to this addiction so is there another emergency I should be wary of when using a Durso?

Can I convert my Durso into another method? Or do I have to drill out my glass again for another set of bulkheads and lines??

There are a huge number of things that could potentially get stuck in a drain pipe. Snails, clumps of algae, debris that fell into the tank, you name it.

The hole need to be completely plugged for it to be a big problem either. Having the pipe 70%+ occluded can easily result in a very wet floor.

If you have two holes drilled in the tank, making a Herbie drain is easy.

One hole for the main drain, the other for the emergency drain. You can just loop the return over the back of the tank. That's how I have my "reef ready" tank set up.

 

[frankDtank]

One hole for the main drain, the other for the emergency drain. You can just loop the return over the back of the tank. That's how I have my "reef ready" tank set up.

Can you post a picture of how you looped your return?

 

[m0nkie]

Can you post a picture of how you looped your return?

literally.. over the top

1 less hole to drill.. but i don't like the look of pvc over the tank

reference pix

 

[GroktheCube]

Can you post a picture of how you looped your return?

Sure, here's a couple to show how I have things plumbed.

I apologize for the mess, I JUST finished getting things back together after tearing the tank down to deal with an ich outbreak.