Drain and return size + return pump for a 225

[NW Cichlid Keith]

I want pretty good flow - for a Central American heavily stocked tanked. Does anyone agree w/ or suggest other than what I am planning?

1) Two 1.5" drains to sump
2) One 2" safety drain to sump
3) Two 1.0" returns to the main aquarium

Also, if anyone has suggestions on a good return pump?

Thanks,
Keith

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

That sounds good to me.

As for return pumps, are you looking for something at a better price or do you want to spend a bit more and have something more reliable? Also, would you rather have two smaller pumps (I recommend) or have one larger pump, and do you want them to be internal or external?

 

[ragin_cajun]

I run a pair of Laguna Max-Flo's, no problems for 2 years, very quiet.

 

[JK47]

I run a pair of Laguna Max-Flo's, no problems for 2 years, very quiet.

^ this. If you need an external pump I would also recommend a Reeflo Dart dependent upon the stock/bioload you keep. I run only Reeflo (hammerheads and darts) for external pumps and only Laguna for internal pumps. Plumbing sounds good however without a description of the overflows it may be very loud, chocked or just fine.

 

[NW Cichlid Keith]

That sounds good to me.

As for return pumps, are you looking for something at a better price or do you want to spend a bit more and have something more reliable? Also, would you rather have two smaller pumps (I recommend) or have one larger pump, and do you want them to be internal or external?

Initial price is not a concern - but I don't want to have a high wattage power sucker. I originally thought of the two smaller, but I haven't had a sump in a while - if I recall, I previously had a stopper in the case of a power outage, so that I wouldn't start a reverse syphon. I guess that would still be OK w/ two - as long as the sump was large enough should one pump not be able to keep up w/ the overflow? I definitely want internal vs. external - thanks,

 

[NW Cichlid Keith]

^ this. If you need an external pump I would also recommend a Reeflo Dart dependent upon the stock/bioload you keep. I run only Reeflo (hammerheads and darts) for external pumps and only Laguna for internal pumps. Plumbing sounds good however without a description of the overflows it may be very loud, chocked or just fine.

For plumbing, I was going to use Durso Standpipes - haven't used those before, but hear that is the quite way to go - with one large trapezoid overflow in the middle. I want the fish to have max width on the ends to turn around.

 

[NW Cichlid Keith]

I hadn't thought of the Laguna pond pumps - interesting. What about these DC pumps I keep hearing about. They are suppsedly more reliable, less wattage, quieter, and adjustable - any cons to them other than cost?

 

[DN328]

The (durso) standpipe sizes seem more than sufficient - basically Bean Animal set-up? Knowing the tank dimensions, overflow weir size, what turnover rate are you shooting for would help for better equipment feedback.

Short of knowing more information, I think the internal overflow weir will be your bottleneck with turnover. The reason being is that drain the pipes are fairly large, and there are many good AC and DC pumps that can easily accommodate the turnover. But most of the time, you'll end up closing up the drains anyway create siphon and equal the water to your overflow, then down to your sump. Based on what your overflow can handle, you end up closing up the 1.5" pipes quite a bit. That's not necessary a bad thing, but just know that the pipes aren't the limiting factor.

I like DC pumps. I cannot think of any real disadvantages to that of AC pumps. There are inexpensive Jebao that people are had reliable results with. But there are more expensive ones from Blue Water, Waveline, Ecotech, Red Dragon. But then again, there are expensive AC ones too. DC pumps tend to advertise less usage cost and you can control with a module. I've heard 3 of the 4 brands I've listed and they are all quiet. I actually use the Wavelines both in sump and out of sump.

 

[NW Cichlid Keith]

The (durso) standpipe sizes seem more than sufficient - basically Bean Animal set-up? Knowing the tank dimensions, overflow weir size, what turnover rate are you shooting for would help for better equipment feedback.

Short of knowing more information, I think the internal overflow weir will be your bottleneck with turnover. The reason being is that drain the pipes are fairly large, and there are many good AC and DC pumps that can easily accommodate the turnover. But most of the time, you'll end up closing up the drains anyway create siphon and equal the water to your overflow, then down to your sump. Based on what your overflow can handle, you end up closing up the 1.5" pipes quite a bit. That's not necessary a bad thing, but just know that the pipes aren't the limiting factor.

I like DC pumps. I cannot think of any real disadvantages to that of AC pumps. There are inexpensive Jebao that people are had reliable results with. But there are more expensive ones from Blue Water, Waveline, Ecotech, Red Dragon. But then again, there are expensive AC ones too. DC pumps tend to advertise less usage cost and you can control with a module. I've heard 3 of the 4 brands I've listed and they are all quiet. I actually use the Wavelines both in sump and out of sump.

Thanks - tank will be 72x30widex24high. I'd like to be able to turn up to 10 times per hour. Weir size is tbd - appreciate advice on this. I hadn't thought that it may not be able to keep up - should I get those slits towards the bottom of the weir I sometimes see? I'm not familiar with Bean Animal setup - you just got me reading. My only requirement is nothing by the corners so big fish can turn around - how would you handle it? Thanks!

 

[DN328]

Thanks - tank will be 72x30widex24high. I'd like to be able to turn up to 10 times per hour. Weir size is tbd - appreciate advice on this. I hadn't thought that it may not be able to keep up - should I get those slits towards the bottom of the weir I sometimes see? I'm not familiar with Bean Animal setup - you just got me reading. My only requirement is nothing by the corners so big fish can turn around - how would you handle it? Thanks!

Our tanks are about the same size - mine is 28" tall. I have a peninsula style so basically had to put the internal overflow on one end almost from front to back...but that's me and you can read about the mod we did to increase flow with additional holes in the weir.

You have two drains with a third dry e-drain so that is basically a bean animal. Your plan for center internal would be fine. I assume your drains will be inside with a drilled bottom? I cannot speak to experience of slits on the bottom, but I think lower cut teethe will help water entering the overflow. Also, you will need a large overflow to accommodate the durso drain pipes if you plumb within. There are other styles where the pipes can run out the back side of the tank but still with some form of internal or external overflow box. You'll want to plan how you want the return to run.

Are you making or getting this custom? You have different options. There are many others with good overflow set up on MFK as well.