suggestions for pump and overflow

[scootrnerd]

one quick note about aqua traders. there stuff is cheap and a good product for the money but they are sloooooooooooooooow shippers. might depend on your location i am on the east coast so it took a few weeks to get a lighting fixture i ordered from them. like i said though they have cheap prices

 

[Ace25]

If it where me with that setup, I would go with 2 overflow boxes, one towards each end. Each one rated at least 600GPH, preferably more. I would then get something along the lines of a 1500GPH rated pump, so you get around 1200 at the top of the tank. Attach the return to something like a SCWD and split the return with loc-line arms to give to a nice cheap wavemaker effect to go along with your koralias. Place check valves on each side of the return if you wish.

Anyway, thats just what I would do.

 

[Statman]

if i just ran one box, should it be a dual or a single drain? i dont really understand what the difference is i guess. and the gph of my overflow and return pump should be similar, is that correct?

 

[Ace25]

You want to try and get as close as possible, with the overflow box being rated more than the return by a little. But you can get a much bigger overflow in case you upgrade later and just put a valve or gurgle buster type thing on the overflow to quiet it down. When your overflow is much bigger than your return rate it makes a lot of noise sucking water down the overflow.

 

[Statman]

is there a way to tone down a pump any? say i get a 600gph overflow but the pump im considering is a tick over 600gph, can i slow it down somehow or should i just look for another pump?

 

[Statman]

does this combo look respectable?
pump: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~DN1123.html
overflow: http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=78
and whats with that tube on top of the overflow? do they all have that?

 

[kcress]

Check valves don't have a real good track record in aquarium settings. Too much unruly life going on that will jam them.

 

[Sploke]

The mag-drives are nice pumps, I have 3 or 4 of them going right now I think, of various sizes. The little airline on top of the overflow box is for priming it. You can either hook it up to the venturi hookup on a powerhead (ok) or like I mentioned before, hook it up to an Aqualifter (much better).

That being said, I would tend to go much bigger on the pump and overflows. Difference between one drain and two is just flow rate. One 1" bulkhead will flow about 600gph peak. So, an overflow with two 1" bulkheads will flow around 1200gph. Like Ace said, I'd be more inclined to use something along the lines of a Mag 12, with two overflow boxes. On a 6' tank you'll get much better flow with a drain on each end. I've never used the SCWD devices but they look cool and I'm thinking of incorporating one when I do a closed loop on my 55. But, with a 55 for a sump, you shouldn't have too much trouble handing 1000-1200gph there.

 

[Statman]

is this an ok one? http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~OE1137.html

and does this look like how id set it up, or should both the overflow lines connect at a T connector? also the sump/fuge is labeled A,B, and C. Where does one generally place the skimmer? B will be home to the refugium. And do I need any sort of live rock rubble or anything where the overflows come in at (section a)?

 

[Sploke]

You can connect the overflow lines with a T or a Y fitting; it would leave more room in compartment A with only one pipe coming down rather than 2. I would put the skimmer in section A so you're not skimming pods etc out of your fuge. As far as rubble in your return section, that will all depend on how many bubbles you're getting from the drain. You may need to, you may not. You might just wait and see, and after its set up, decide whether you do or not. And yes, that little pump you linked to is the one I use as well to keep a prime on all my overflows. I have one pump for 3, soon to be 4 overflows.