Time to finally build my sump...

Airborneguy

Airborneguy

Large Fish
#1
Feb 26, 2008
491
0
0
Staten Island, NY
www.northeasternoutdoors.com
#1
Got my skimmer yesterday (Fission Recirc Skimmer | Current What's Next) and i am now ready to really work on my sump setup.

I have some questions I can seem to answer.

If my overflow is rated for 600gph, wouldn't I need a pump of roughly the same output or else it would run the sump dry? I'm real confused on this one.

Am I better off running my skimmer on its own pump or putting it in-line with the return?

Thanks in advance, I'm sure I'll have mroe questions!
 

quaddity

quaddity

Large Fish
#2
Feb 25, 2007
641
0
0
Mesa, AZ
www.myspace.com
#2
Airborneguy said:
Got my skimmer yesterday (Fission Recirc Skimmer | Current What's Next) and i am now ready to really work on my sump setup.

I have some questions I can seem to answer.

If my overflow is rated for 600gph, wouldn't I need a pump of roughly the same output or else it would run the sump dry? I'm real confused on this one.

Am I better off running my skimmer on its own pump or putting it in-line with the return?

Thanks in advance, I'm sure I'll have mroe questions!
Click to expand...
You can either have a pump rated for less then your overflow rating or you can tee the return off from the pump with a ball valve and have it flow back into the sump. I have a 1250 gph pump that I'm planning to do that with.
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#3
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#3
You should not run your skimmer in line with the return. Most people try to match the return to the overflow as best as possible. If the pump is too strong you can do as suggested and t it off with a ball valve to your fuge etc. In most cases though if matched well the return will not pump more than the overflow can handle.
 

Chris_A

Chris_A

Large Fish
#5
Oct 14, 2008
615
0
0
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
#5
The only reason I don't use a return pump for a skimmer feed is because it's easier to "tune" the skimmer. That said though lots of people do.

Personally, I like to have an exceptionally large return pump so you can run other things (like the Phosban) off the same line. The only thing to keep in mind is have an extra "bleed" line with a valve (perferably a gate valve) so you can adjust the return volume.

What are you running in the Phosban reactors? Just trying to figure out if running them in series or parallel would be ideal. It would impact final GPH of the pump you want.

Chris
 

Chris_A

Chris_A

Large Fish
#7
Oct 14, 2008
615
0
0
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
#7
No reason the Phosban's can't be run in series then. Just set the flow rate for the Phosban media.

Ok, so I don't know much about the "new" Quiet One pumps. I did hear about a lot of problems with them burning out when they were first released. I'm hoping Pentair fixed the problem over the years though. The should have anyway lol ;).

So far as the overflows... Who comes up with those tank sizes?!? 300 GPH for a 75 gal??? I would call that down right stagnent flow lol! IMO, the two biggest should be what your looking at depending on your sump size. You can then use a larger pump with more outlets there-for more flow there-for less powerheads for the tank.

All I have to say about the Rio's is they are oil filled... Not even with a 10' pole would I touch one. Heard about too many leaks and electricutions. Who knows, maybe the people that happend to were idiots and caused the problems, I don't know. Still... too much of a risk IMO.

Chris
 

Airborneguy

Airborneguy

Large Fish
#9
Feb 26, 2008
491
0
0
Staten Island, NY
www.northeasternoutdoors.com
#9
Okay, little problem: I can't get my 20L under my tank 72 bowfront! I didn't think I would have a problem using it as my sump, but it looks like I'm going to. Has anyone ever got one under there with the standard 72 Bow stand? When I move, does anyone know if the 20L would fit through the TOP of the stand before the tank is in place? The dimensions line up, its the configuration of the doors which stop it.
 

Chris_A

Chris_A

Large Fish
#10
Oct 14, 2008
615
0
0
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
#10
Yup Maxi-jets would work for both applications (skimmer and reactors). Ideally though I would run the reactors Tee'd off of the main return line so you don't have to throttle the pump back. More head pressure = more heat and more wear and tear on the pump.

Oh no! that's never good. Sorry I can't help you there though, all the bows I've delt with had a single large door and an open back to the stand. Good Luck!

Chris
 

Chris_A

Chris_A

Large Fish
#12
Oct 14, 2008
615
0
0
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
#12
Just a thought, but you might be able to join 2 10's together with U tubes to get the same volume. It would be 40" long instead of 30" but the narrower 10" tanks might make it work. What's the inside dimentions of your stand?

BTW, I have joined 2 10's together with two DIY 1.5" U-tubes. Probably could have gotten away with one (only 900 GPH) but I liked the margin of error two provided ;).

Chris
 

quaddity

quaddity

Large Fish
#14
Feb 25, 2007
641
0
0
Mesa, AZ
www.myspace.com
#14
My pump is a Blueline 40 HD-X 1270 gph at 0'. With a max total head of 13'. So lets say I'm going to run 5' of 1" PVC from the pump outlet up to the tank. Just one piece of 1" PVC would reduce the flow of the pump to 960 gph not including loss at the top of the tank due to elbows according to Blueline's chart. What effect would teeing the return line off into two 5/8" lines have on the flow?
 

Chris_A

Chris_A

Large Fish
#16
Oct 14, 2008
615
0
0
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
#16
quaddity said:
My pump is a Blueline 40 HD-X 1270 gph at 0'. With a max total head of 13'. So lets say I'm going to run 5' of 1" PVC from the pump outlet up to the tank. Just one piece of 1" PVC would reduce the flow of the pump to 960 gph not including loss at the top of the tank due to elbows according to Blueline's chart. What effect would teeing the return line off into two 5/8" lines have on the flow?
Click to expand...
So you would have to put some kind of valve on those lines otherwise the majority of the flow will go out them. I assume you want to tee of into the sump and not the tank?

At that point the pump is still fighting the normal static head pressure but return flow will be reduced by whatever you "bleed off" at the tee's. The key here is to have the tee's coming off at 90 degrees to the main return line as opposed to going in the "odd" opening and exiting both sides at 90 deg's to the previous flow. If that's confusing at all please do let me know... I'll try to learn how to post a drawing ;).

Just a side note, there are some pretty comprehensive calculators on the net for figuring out flow from static head pressure. Mod's what's the policy on posting links to other websites with forums? Could I post a direct link to the calc page? Or is that a PM thing?

Airborneguy,
Good to hear! Can't wait to see.

Chris
 

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