Flow rate questions

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
broken;3899758; said:
I am in the proccess of desighning a sump for my soon to be 640gal tank and i am having trouble with the whole flow rate part of it.
Acording to the sticky on pipe sizing flow rate a 1'' pipe has a 600gph flow and most of the submersible pumps that i come across is not following that.
A lot of people have sugessted mag drive submersible pumps to me but the mag drive model pm24 that runs at 2175 gph only has 1'' fittings in and out.
Can someone explain this to me before i make big mistakes on my sump build????
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To get full flow you will need to use a bushing at the pump to increase the diameter. Many pumps are designed with a much smaller outlet size than the proper pipe sizing, I have seen irrigation pumps with a 2" outlet that need a 6" line to flow properly.

Even at a low head height you won't get anywhere near 2000 gph through a 1" line without enormous friction loss. If you want to maximize the flow from your pump you will want to use 1.5" or even 2" pipe.
 
Sounds like the tank was built for bottom returns (not drains, thats what the overflow does) or RUGF/jet system. jcardona1 had that issue with his 405G. Did you get this tank from a public aquarium? Dan Feller sounds like a good resource for pipe sizes & setup, but you need to decide on a plan first. Do you want to use those bottom returns, or simplify it by running the returns up & over? Do you want a sump, or would you prefer a closed loop?
 
JakeH;3905722; said:
Sounds like the tank was built for bottom returns (not drains, thats what the overflow does) or RUGF/jet system. jcardona1 had that issue with his 405G. Did you get this tank from a public aquarium? Dan Feller sounds like a good resource for pipe sizes & setup, but you need to decide on a plan first. Do you want to use those bottom returns, or simplify it by running the returns up & over? Do you want a sump, or would you prefer a closed loop?
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the tank is coming from a bait and tackle store and there is no telling where they got it from.

At this point I think i am going to just put some bulkhead fittings with some caps on them sealing off the current holes amd simplifying it by putting the returns up and over.
I am still in the planing stage for all of this because the tank is not in my posestion yet, Im just trying to get everything figgured out for when i get it.

Whats the best place to get bulkhead fittings with caps???
 
wow..what a name for a business...glass-holes?!?!?!?! really??? I personally think thats pretty funny.... ;)



oh and btw... "broken" ... I appreciate you asking this question because I'm pretty much in the same place as you about setting up my tank. Its only a 180g and I already have possession of it, but it needs polishing and a new/ better stand built for it. So, I'm brainstorming and reading multiple threads trying to figure out exactly what I need to get for proper filtration, lighting, and pretty much everything else.. Never had a tank this size, so economic pressures weigh against just sheer overzealous desire... :D
 
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