Wht is needed for a 180 FOWLR setup
- Thread starter rdefino
- Start date
There are a few ways to do it, flexible pipe, hard pipe (PVC), separate drains, plumbed together drains, etcetera.
You don't need to worry about the tank draining if the pump shuts down (think power failure) because the water will only drain down to the level of the overflows.
Hopefully Dr, Joe or one of the other "Filtration Gurus" will have a schematic to post, "A picture is worth a thousand words".
You don't need to worry about the tank draining if the pump shuts down (think power failure) because the water will only drain down to the level of the overflows.
Hopefully Dr, Joe or one of the other "Filtration Gurus" will have a schematic to post, "A picture is worth a thousand words".
Two reasons I can see.
First, more of that redundancy.
Second, higher flow without going up in pipe size. A lot of people like to use flexible tubing (as a plumber, I hard-pipe almost everything) for their drain lines. If they were to use one large hole per overflow you would need to use larger flexible tubing. The main advantage of flexible tubing is you can bend it, as you get into larger sizes it gets rather stiff. The smaller (under 1.5") tubing is also more widely available.
First, more of that redundancy.
Second, higher flow without going up in pipe size. A lot of people like to use flexible tubing (as a plumber, I hard-pipe almost everything) for their drain lines. If they were to use one large hole per overflow you would need to use larger flexible tubing. The main advantage of flexible tubing is you can bend it, as you get into larger sizes it gets rather stiff. The smaller (under 1.5") tubing is also more widely available.
The larger Hole is the out, the smaller hole is the return. If your getting a reef ready set-up they come with everything you need for the tank portion, all you need to do is get the hose / a sump / a strong pump (going up at least 10 feet of head pressure from 1 floor to the next) You will be at a minimum of 1200 Galons per hour going down to the sump so look at getting around 1800 gph return pump strength. Build your own wet/dry system out of a BIG rubbermaid storage bin (50 gal or so) and make your bio towers out of 5 gallon buckets. Cut the bottom out of 1, leaving a inch rim around the inside, cut the bottom off of another at about 3-4 inches up and drill a buncha holes in it. Use white plastic light difuser to put in the bottom of the bucket with the bottom cut out, place plastic pot scrubbies in the bucket till full to wthin the depth of the bucket bottom you cut off. Cut a hole in the lid of the bucket for the water inlet. Plumb from the tank to the bucket in whatever fashion works for you. I would use 2 total towers, 1 for each overflow. Get 4 clay pots and set them in the bottom of the sump, place the light difuser on top of this then lace the buckets on that to elevate the buckets off the bottom of the sump. Place your pump in the sump(all the wway on the bottom of the sump, not on the difuser), fill tank / sump partially, and get it going. Use ball valves on the returns if the pump outruns the overflows (at 10 feet head i dont see this being an issue.
clgkag;1596043; said:
Maybe I need to see a picture, I'm not that familiar with acrylic tanks with built-in overflows (I have glass tanks, the overflows are 1" strainers). If both holes are BEHIND the overflow, how does one act as the return? It seems like the return line couldn't dump into the overflow.
Anyways, sorry if I added to your confusion, rdefino.
Dan Feller;1596253; said:
The larger hole is the drain, the smaller is the return (smaller because the return line is under pressure).
Both holes have standpipes attached to separate the two. I.E. not water can enter the return line from the tank.
rdefino:
1. Size of lines from the tank to the sump: The hole size of the drain determines how big a bulkhead will fit. Once that is determined, just match up the drain lines. Normally, they are 1" or 1.5" drains on standard tanks (normally 1").
2. The return lines will normally be one size smaller than the drain size (3/4" is common, and 1" can be found).
3. A wet/dry is a filter type that is based in a sump. It is also sometimes called a trickle filter. A sump is just the container that sits under the tank. It can have completely submerged media (gravel, sand, etc.) or partially submerged media (plastic bio-balls, etc.). A wet/dry has partially submerged media. The idea is to have water splash around and over the bio-balls so that oxygen and water mix freely. The availability of atmospheric oxygen allows bacteria to be extremely efficient in nitrifying waste. The water level in this type of filter will be just a few inches (just enough to keep the return pump submerged completely).
