upgrading to 90 gallong

S

safedad

AC Members
Mar 27, 2005
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0
Cary, NC
I am upgrading from a 55 gal to a 90 gal. Attached are a few photos showing my plumbing. I have a super squid coming to use in my closed loop. I have labeled the pipes for their sequence (1-revolution, 2-front return aimed at overflow, 3-revolution on other side, 4-front return aimed at overflow). The water will flow down the back and then the revolutions will send it to the front. The front outlets will then send flow to the top and into the overflow. My closed loop will run off an Iwaki 70. My sump (55 gal with RDSB and refugium) will be run off a blue line 40.
I have designed the sump to do 10 gal H20 changes without shutting anything off. I am going to add some quick disconnects for lawn hoses.
Any tips to improve my plumbing would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bob

90 gal back view.jpg 90 gal front view.jpg 90 gal top view.jpg 90 gal sump area.jpg
 
Looks OK from here. I wish the flash hadn't worked on the front shot.

Not sure I'm understanding the middle bulkheads? What's going on with them?
 
the middle bulkhead has revolutions attached. they will rotate as the squirt switched water. my intention is to sweep the lower part of the aquarium out to the front. The revolutions are from oceans motions.
 
Kcress, The overflows go to the sump and return back over the top of the tank. It is directed down the back on both sides and run all the time. The revolutions are part of the closed loop. The closed returns to the pump from the two 90's with strainers. 2 - 1" returns going to the Iwaki. their placement is intended to help draw it down the back.The water returns to the tank through the oscilating squirt from Oceans Motions. I labeled the lines to show the sequence. 1- left revolution, 2- left front up to overflow, 3- right revolution, and 4- right front up to the overflow and start over. Some call this the "barrel" water flow since it circles down the back out to the front and back to the top and out.
 
Thanks safedad for your patience. I'm getting it now.

Two points. I don't like how small this makes your strainers. So small I was having trouble believing that's what they were, hence some of my confusion. I can see some of your inhabinents getting killed by them. Also they are going to be causing suction restrictions that may make noise and ultimately damage the pump by cavitation. I would want at least twice that much screen area, (at least!).
If you could I would reducer UP to the next larger pipe size and then screen that.

The second point. You should not point the returns at the central overflow. The reason is because the scum and proteins that end up on the tank surface move around on the surface strictly by gravity. Another words this grunge acts like a ball bearing on a rubber mat. Because of this if you point your returns at the overflow the water around the overflow will actually be slightly, (or a lot), higher than the surrounding water. All these proteins will seek the lowest point of your tank's water surface. I can envision them all congregating in the front corners and the sides of the tank's water surface which is the opposite of what you want! Instead point the returns towards the sides and this will make the overflow the low part of your tank surface, and it will encourage all this scum to head for the overflow.
 
BWI - Absolutely except I have some Stockman aqua-silencer prototype overflow caps that I will be moving from my current CPR overflow on the existing 55g. Those are quiet and are handling the IWAKI now. On this system they will only have handle the Blueline.

Kcress - The only thing I am committed to are the holes drilled in the tank. Nothing else is glued up yet.
Point one- I have two 1" drain lines going to the pump. Thought that would be enough!? I could use a T connection instead of the 90 to double the intake space on each side. I'll set it up and snap a picture. One thing I considered was gluing gutter guard to the drain/pump return ports instead of the strainers. Any thoughts?
Second point- I can move the lines around the bottom and rotate the returns. They are intended to make sure the crud goes into the overflow. I will test this before setting up the tank with animals. I will share your thoughts with Paul at Oceans Motions who helped me design the setup.
 
Your Tee scheme would satisfy me totally. Sounds like a great idea. Having the Tee will even prevent the same object from being able to clog the screen. A lot of us here have lost fish, anemones, and other creatures to the suction port.

I have no overflow on my present setup. My end tank which is the direction all the chain of tanks flow to, has a large surface scum build up. It will look brown and thick eventually. I have two power heads in that tank, one on either end. They have 90s on their outputs so they shoot straight up. They raise the surface perhaps a 1/16th to an 1/8th of an inch in a 5 inch dia area.

Where they well up the water looks crystal clear, but around them is the scum layer. Elsewhere I take a 2qt pitcher and force it under the water to the point that water can just barely make it over the edge. All the scum in the tank rushes over the lip because it is the lowest point of the surface. After about three pitchers there is no sign of scum - for the next few hours anyway. If my two up-welling spots were rearranged so they were dividing my tank at the center I could go thru a dozen pitchers on one side of the upwellings and never have one gram of scum from the other side ever reach my pitcher. That's what I think will happen to your tank if you point the returns at the overflow.
 
Since my returns will oscillate (on and off) and the water will always be running into the overflow, it might not be a problem.
 
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