need help with plumbing

[fishnut]

I am seting up a 300gallon tank and try to figure out what is the best way to plumb the system. Would you use pvc or pvc flex pipe like the one in the link? http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~plumbing_parts_fittings_pvc_flexible_pipes.html

I want to do it right once and 300 gallon of water is not what I want on the floor or dead fish.

thanks in advance.

 

[rallysman]

Either way is fine. I always use rigid PVC because it's cheap and if you can measure it's easy to work with.

It looks cleaner IMO.

However, swooping bends will add less restriction if flow is a big problem.

 

[fishnut]

thanks for the reply. I am not worry about water restriction, just worry about leaks.

 

[rallysman]

rigid is the way to go then

 

[Dan F]

I agree.^

I think rigid looks a lot better, plus the flexible PVC tubing costs a LOT more. The key to good drainage is proper venting. A vented drain will handle 2-3x the flow of an equal-sized unvented drain line.

 

[pacu mom]

I am seting up a 300gallon tank and try to figure out what is the best way to plumb the system. Would you use pvc or pvc flex pipe like the one in the link? http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~plumbing_parts_fittings_pvc_flexible_pipes.html

I want to do it right once and 300 gallon of water is not what I want on the floor or dead fish.

thanks in advance.

Is it an acrylic or glass tank? Does it have built in overflow boxes that you are going to utilize? Are you going to use a wet/dry filter or canister filters? Or are you going to use a combination of both?

If you have an acrylic tank with overflow boxes, you have a lot of options. It's easy to drill holes in the top of the tank to add more plumbing. You can use bulkheads and pvc pipes, or just shove a hose through the hole.

Our 300 gallon tank has both...we added an FX-5 and just shoved the hoses through additional holes we made in the top. All the other uptakes and returns are fixed.

 

[fishnut]

I have an acrylic tank with overflow. I wanted to use the flexible pvc for the following reasons:

ease of installation
quiet water flow
less measure and cut
with flex pvc, I can adjust the sump or pump a little bite if I wanted to move it in the future.

When using the flex pvc, the connection does not look like it has a strong bond. I realize rigid pvc is a lot cheaper and the bond is stronger. I guess I will trash those flex pvc and will have to redo my plumbing with rigid pvc for peace of mind.


thanks guys/gal