Wet / Dry and Plumbing questions.

[Mudfrog]

Tomorrow I'm picking up a used 120 gallon tank (4x2x2). It has the 2 rear corner overflows and it's plumbed through the bottom. BTW.. I'm new to wet/dry's so if I say something very basic then thats my excuse

Anyway, it has a in out plumbed to each overflow so I would have two inlets and two outlets on the tank. Now I'm assuming I would just use Y's to split everything up. Now one of my questions is how do I know what diameter PVC to run before and after the Y's. Also, why do some setups use tubing instead of just PVC, is it to just monitor the flow of the water?

And lastly I have a spare 29 gallon tank that I want to convert to a wet / dry, will this be adequate enough for the 120?

 

[Mudfrog]

BTW.. it comes with a brand new Pondmaster pump, I'm not sure of the model number but from the pictures it's one of the large utility ones that seem to start at 1200gph. So I'm not sure if that will effect the size of PVC and wet / dry.

 

[rallysman]

Use the largest PVC that the holes will allow. You'll have to have a Bulkhead fitting in each of the 4 holes and that will determine the size of your PVC. IME, you can have a larger size pipe if you go with a DIY bulkhead fitting similar to this:
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116609

Also, on the side that will be your overflow use a Duroso style stand pipe (google has tons of info on it). The only reason people use flex is because it's easier to work with and the bends arent as sharp. I prefer rigid PVC because it looks better and seems to be more reliable.

 

[Mudfrog]

Ah I was under the impression there was an inlet and outlet on each side.. shows how much I know. Here is a pic of the fittings under each side.

 

[rallysman]

you're correct, I meant the side of each side........if that makes any sense. How about "The hole on one side of each overflow box" lol

Looking at that pic it would be easier for you to use flex. If the fittings are there go for it.

 

[Mudfrog]

Also, on the side that will be your overflow use a Duroso style stand pipe (google has tons of info on it).

Thats basically exactly what I was looking into, just didn't know the name. Thanks!

 

[Mudfrog]

Would the 29 gallon tank be big enough for the wet / dry?

 

[rallysman]

it should be alright. Just don't fill it with too much stuff so there's more room for water when the power dies.

 

[Mudfrog]

Ok, revisiting this as I'm starting to prep for it.

I might look at doing the bulkheads like you did yours, with a 2400gph pump I'm going to need as big of a pipe as I can get. I'm also thinking about having two inlets into the wet / dry instead of using a T, I think this will allow the draining of the water to work faster so it will keep up with the pump. I read somewhere that a syphoning happens and the water will always drain as fast as the pump, is this true?

I'm going to remove the bulkheads that I have tonight so I can see how large the holes are in the tank.

And as for the 29, I'm kind of limited to what I can fit since the tank is only 48" long but I'm probably going to set the tank in a rubbermaid container so if it overflows during a power outage I should have enough room in the second container to hold the excess water.. it's a cheat but it should work in my case.

 

[BushFishRox]

And as for the 29, I'm kind of limited to what I can fit since the tank is only 48" long but I'm probably going to set the tank in a rubbermaid container so if it overflows during a power outage I should have enough room in the second container to hold the excess water.. it's a cheat but it should work in my case.

First since the over flows are built in you might find it a lot easier to use a 1"+ hose then pipe... and it is best to have 2 separate lines to the wet/dry a T or Y will restrict flow.

also instead of putting the wet/dry in a rubbermaid bin why not make a wet/dry out of rubbermaid bins you will be able to make something a little bigger that way...