couple of pics...not to much progress as of lately since I've been wrestling with how I want to run the plumbing.540 filtration opinions
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couple of pics...not to much progress as of lately since I've been wrestling with how I want to run the plumbing.That tank and stand looks cllleeeaannnnn...nice work! And good luck with the plumbing, easily one of the most time consuming/frustrating parts of a build.
I use a pair of radial flow separators on my 750 that are made out of a pair of 55 gallon drums. They catch a lot of crap for NO media at all. I think you'd be silly not to give one a try.
I use 2 drums, but I also use several Dart pumps on it, so I know even with higher flow rates RFSs work. They work really well with rays cause the crap is stringy and sticks together. This wreaks havoc on socks and pads but the RFSs seem to use it to their advantage.
I use 2 drums, but I also use several Dart pumps on it, so I know even with higher flow rates RFSs work. They work really well with rays cause the crap is stringy and sticks together. This wreaks havoc on socks and pads but the RFSs seem to use it to their advantage.
Finally!! Someone chimes in who uses RFS...I want to set on up real bad but was concerned with my flow rate. A super dart will be ok for a RFS? How about wnough gph for the tank? I'm trying to figure my total head height with my friction loss and 90 fittings etc...I'm thinking I will be somewhere in the 10-12' range. How much flow is too much for a RFS in a 55?
10-12 FEET of head height? Serious? The pump just has to be10 feet below the display tank tank water level? Sure you can't move tbe pump a little closet?
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Total dynamic head. You have to factor all of the 90's and whatever other fitting will be on the return. What do you think of the evolution series pumps?
I run Dart Hybrids. They're Baldor motors and different impellers... Rated at 4300 GPH and I believe I tested consumption and they were at 150 watts. I use 2 of these on a 750 gallon so it's basically 1 per separator. I'm guessing only 4' of height they pump back up to the tank up but both do go through big UVs.
Returns have manifolds with (4) 3/4" outs at each end of the tank. In the tank there's also (2) Korilia mag 8s to help circulate.
I run 4 (2) in drains. I "T" these together before the RFS and just run a single 3" line into the RFS. From the RFS (2) 2" lines drain from each one. These dump straight into 4 100/50 7x16 socks housed in a 55 gallon acrylic tank and that's what I use for mechanical.....
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?559342-DIY-Radial-Flow-Separators
Returns have manifolds with (4) 3/4" outs at each end of the tank. In the tank there's also (2) Korilia mag 8s to help circulate.
I run 4 (2) in drains. I "T" these together before the RFS and just run a single 3" line into the RFS. From the RFS (2) 2" lines drain from each one. These dump straight into 4 100/50 7x16 socks housed in a 55 gallon acrylic tank and that's what I use for mechanical.....
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?559342-DIY-Radial-Flow-Separators
I'll throw in my 2 cents in regards to pump choice.
I think the biggest mistake I made when plumbing my system is that I chose to run one large pump to get the flow I was after versus running two smaller pumps. Redundancy in this hobby is your friend...it can be a real life saver. If one pump fails, the other should keep your system up and running until you address the problem with the failed pump. The bonus is that running two smaller pumps can often be more efficient than running one large pump (see examples below).
If your system has 5' of head like you mentioned in post #7, and you are looking for 4,500GPH, I would recommend getting two Laguna Max Flo 2900. Each pump will push 2,245GPH @ 5' head on 112 watts (total flow = 4,490GPH on 224 watts, which comes out to 20GPH per watt, which is very efficient).
To get the flow you want from Reeflo pumps, you would probably have to get two Reeflo Darts (or Super Darts) and valve them back a little to get to 4,500GPH. If you were to run them wide open at 5' of head, they would each push around 3,200GPH on ~170 watts, so that may be more flow than you want/need, at 6,400GPH (efficiency would be 18.8GPH per watt). The next smaller Reeflo model (the Snapper) would only get you around 1,700GPH each on 100 watts; if you ran two of them that'd get you a total of around 3,400GPH on 200 watts (17GPH per watt).
If you are comfortable running only one pump, the Hammerhead will push around 5,400GPH on ~350 watts (15GPH per watt...the least efficient option yet). If you decide to run one pump, you really should have a back-up on-hand in case it fails, so that's why I suggest running two smaller pumps simultaneously. It's cheaper to purchase two smaller pumps (versus buying two large pumps...remember, you will want to have one as a back-up) and run them simultaneously and it's also cheaper on the electric bill because of the increased efficiency versus running one monster pump.
In regards to your total dynamic head, I think you will probably be closer to 5’ or 6’ (maybe 7' tops), but check out this site if you wanted to get more precise: http://www.valler.com/fish/tips.html
I think the biggest mistake I made when plumbing my system is that I chose to run one large pump to get the flow I was after versus running two smaller pumps. Redundancy in this hobby is your friend...it can be a real life saver. If one pump fails, the other should keep your system up and running until you address the problem with the failed pump. The bonus is that running two smaller pumps can often be more efficient than running one large pump (see examples below).
If your system has 5' of head like you mentioned in post #7, and you are looking for 4,500GPH, I would recommend getting two Laguna Max Flo 2900. Each pump will push 2,245GPH @ 5' head on 112 watts (total flow = 4,490GPH on 224 watts, which comes out to 20GPH per watt, which is very efficient).
To get the flow you want from Reeflo pumps, you would probably have to get two Reeflo Darts (or Super Darts) and valve them back a little to get to 4,500GPH. If you were to run them wide open at 5' of head, they would each push around 3,200GPH on ~170 watts, so that may be more flow than you want/need, at 6,400GPH (efficiency would be 18.8GPH per watt). The next smaller Reeflo model (the Snapper) would only get you around 1,700GPH each on 100 watts; if you ran two of them that'd get you a total of around 3,400GPH on 200 watts (17GPH per watt).
If you are comfortable running only one pump, the Hammerhead will push around 5,400GPH on ~350 watts (15GPH per watt...the least efficient option yet). If you decide to run one pump, you really should have a back-up on-hand in case it fails, so that's why I suggest running two smaller pumps simultaneously. It's cheaper to purchase two smaller pumps (versus buying two large pumps...remember, you will want to have one as a back-up) and run them simultaneously and it's also cheaper on the electric bill because of the increased efficiency versus running one monster pump.
In regards to your total dynamic head, I think you will probably be closer to 5’ or 6’ (maybe 7' tops), but check out this site if you wanted to get more precise: http://www.valler.com/fish/tips.html
I'm not sure what kind of flow I need yet. Kinda why I posted here. I would like to do a radial flow as my first chamber, then into a kaldness chamber with 100+ liters of k1 then finally into a heating chamber then pumped back. All 3 chambers are 55 gallon drums. What is the minimum amount of flow I would be safe with? I would like to run a 2" return to 2 1" returns towards the front if the tank. Something similar to your 750 setup DB. Would I be ok running a single super dart on that setup? I could go to an evolution 4500 also. Rated 4500gph @ 5' head. Thoughts? Thanks for all your guys help and input so far!
