System configuration suggestions needed.

[budster.stig1]

Thanks for looking in, I am about to start a twin 150's in wall project. I have decided on the basic make-up of the system, but I am having trouble configuring the equipment involved. The two DT's (60"x24"x25"ea.) will drain via bean animal silent drains to one of two 32g. sumps, I will also use a 32g. tank for the return sump. I will have an external 75g. duplex type refugium that will drain to the return sump. I will have a 40g. frag. tank that I want to incoporate into the system. I will use a Reef Octopus SRO 5000 protein skimmer with Carbon, phosphate, and calcium reactors as needed. The question becomes how to configure and size the pumps necessary for maxium efficiency. Some of my objectives are to use the least number of pumps possible, try to utilize flow were possible, and feed the refugium, at least in part, with skimmer effluent. I will have a 3 stage Ro/DI system, 1 55g. mixing tank and 2 55g. holding tanks. The water supply system will be pressurized and valved for top-off, water changes, and supply to 3 QT's. In working with the above system there are numerous ways to lay-out and plumb it, I would like some in-put on your ideas of how to best accomplish the task. Tanks in advance.........................Stig.

 

[Wildman]

This is probably pretty obvious, but I would think a cascade from one tank into the next from both displays.

I am wondering about draining that many tanks into one or two 32 gal sumps. When the return pumps are not running that is going to be a lot of overflow to account for.

 

[budster.stig1]

Thanks for the interest Wildman. Drain-off during shutdown will be about 12-15g's. max. I will need 5" in my 64g. sump, that should not be a problem. I will use an overflow vent, plumbed to a floor drain for back-up. Both tanks will overflow to the drain portion of my sump via Bean Animal silent drain systems. Any ideas on pump configuration, the best way to tie this all together for flow and return?

 

[Wildman]

In that case it should not be much of a problem.
I'm more of a visual person, but after readin your post it looks like you have two choices to minimize pumps. You could do a cascade system where your display drains to fuge or frag tank then drains to sump. Or you could use a manifold off your return lines to feed the fuge and frag tank. With option one you have more flow to your displays but no control over flow through fuge/frag tank. Option two you can control flow to sump/frag tank but lose some flow to the displays. You could always up size the pump to acco
Accommodate for this. With a manifold you could also plumb for different reactors such.

With some scetches I could probably help a little more.

 

[budster.stig1]

Wildman: I get your concept of using display drains to feed as much as possible. I see where it would be easiest to use a drain manifold, I will toss this around some, thanks for your help..................................Budster.stig

Any other ideas out there?

 

[Wildman]

The manifold I was speaking of would be on the return plumbing. You can use one large return pump and split off to feed all the other tanks.

For your set up you could use a combination of both. Manifold on return to feed displays, frag, and reactors. Manifold on drain to feed fuge, skimmer, and sumps.