Pumps in tandom

[Mike Murphy]

Setting up my 125 and thinking about a couple of options. I will have a 45 gallon sump/fuge with 2 one inch bulkeads for return which I think I will put on a ball valve so I can control the flow. The pump I was going to use has a rating of about 1200 gph flow and intended to feed my skimer with it. The display tank has 7 holes drilled @ 1 inch bulkeads for intake and return. I had planned on using 4 for intake and 3 for the return flow. 2 of the intake would feed the sump/fuge and 2 would feed a closed loop pump with about 1050 gallon per hour flow.

Some where in my thinking I thought that a supply manifold for both pumps in tandom would work better. I know the sump fuge should be slowed down a bit. It will have sand, rock and macro.

Confused?

Wish I could draw a pic of what is in my head and put it here.

Comments?

[psteeleb]

I may also be confused, by your writeup. I would not hook up the pumps in tandom or even manifold them together in any way.

Use one pump for a sump return and the other for a closed loop and keep the closed loop just that, closed.

Your system sounds very much like mine with 7 holes. On mine 4 of the holes are in the overflows, these are used for the supply and return. The other 3 are in the bottom, I'm using one as a closed loop supply and the other 2 as returns

I have a diagram on my build log but can not access the pictures from here (work firewall) so you may want to go there and take a look at it.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1320654

the pipe diagram is on the top of the second page, HTH

the reason I said I was confused is I can't tell if you are planing to use the pumps in tandom or not. I don't pick it up in your write up. Plus are you going to use that 1200gph pump as a return or for you're skimmer (or both). check to see what the skimmer needs to see if you can do this.

[buck50bmg]

Its TANDEM!!!!!!!!!!

[Mike Murphy]

Sorry for the mispell...TANDEM....

Original plan was 2 intake feeds to sump and use blueline 40 @ 1200gph to return water from sump/fuge to Beckett skimmer and then to display. The 1050 gph pump was to run 2 intakes closed loop. I have 3 return feeds going into tank. All is 1 inch bulkhead for feed and return for both pumps. I'm using locline on the return bulkheads.

Basically 4 intakes and 3 returns all drilled. 3 on each end of back panel and one on left side end panel. All at same level about 4 inches below the water line.

[psteeleb]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12343471#post12343471 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mike Murphy
Sorry for the mispell...TANDEM....

Original plan was 2 intake feeds to sump and use blueline 40 @ 1200gph to return water from sump/fuge to Beckett skimmer and then to display. The 1050 gph pump was to run 2 intakes closed loop. I have 3 return feeds going into tank. All is 1 inch bulkhead for feed and return for both pumps. I'm using locline on the return bulkheads.

Basically 4 intakes and 3 returns all drilled. 3 on each end of back panel and one on left side end panel. All at same level about 4 inches below the water line.

If the sklimmer is set above the tank and alowed to free flow back into the main, this may work but you would also get a ton of micro bubbles). Trying to pump through a becket and then piping the skimmer outlet up to the main as a return won't work, the skimmer would always be flooded.

If all of the holes are 4" below the water level you will want to add some pipe to drain just the top section of the tank. Also pipe the returns to go up high with a small hole in them to prevent that 4" (or more) from draining when the pump is off. The closed loop should be okay with the holes where they are.

[Mike Murphy]

Glad you answered my question about the skimmer. I have a solution for that. I will just let it drain back into the sump. I'll take only one feed from the sump with the blueline to run the skimmer and then I will take the second feed from the sump and feed it to the other pump as well as the remaining feeds that I had planned to go to that second pump in closed loop. This will slow down the overall flow out of the sump to some extent and recylce some of the water which is probably good for a fuge anyway. As far as the intakes being 4 inches below I put and elbow with a strainer in each one so that they are sucking in water between 2 to 2.5 inches below the water line and can be adjusted by changing the angle. I've already wet tested the sump for maximum overflow in the event of a power outage but I think that I will put an elbow on the bulkead exit and put it toward the surface and then attach my loc-line so that it exits high in the water column. I am correct in my thinking that the loc-line can back siphon at the flexible joints right? I'll get a pic loaded later to show my bulkhead setup.

[psteeleb]

I still would not combine what you're calling a closed loop with the sump. if you want to stick to the 2 pumps I'd drain only to the sump (and you still want to get surface skiming in here). Use one pump as the skimmer feed as you indicated, then I would use the other pump strickly as a return and build a valve manifold to hit your returns. The issue with free draining the tank and sucking the sump is you will be dealing with two different pump suction heads, and the tank drain will always win out and posibly even back flow into the sump.

Or

Keep the closed loop as a closed loop,

and

Pipe up the sump drains and returns independent of the closed loop. I use to have my becket skimmer feed from my main return (it's actually how I have it in the diagram). This worked fine, but I was at the low end of the skimmer needs and wanted to improve performance, so I added a third pump just for the skimmer.

this also gives me some flexibilty as I can keep good circulation in the tank when I shut down the main return for working on the sump or feeding.

HTH

[AZDesertRat]

Having pumps in tandem means one pump supplies the other or in series. This would only give you the GPH of one pump or the 1050 GPH. I believe you are thinking about pumps in parallel or both pumping into a common manifold or somewhere closer to the 2250 GPH of the two combined.

[Mike Murphy]

Ok the tandem idea was a bad one. I've got 2 different ideas for the setup. Feed the blueline rated at 1200 gph 2 intakes from the display. This in turn goes to the skimmer and backflows into a wet dry sump and then into my 45 gallon sump/fuge. Then I will use the Aquanetics filter pump system rated at 1050 gph to return the flow to the display tank. OK that is with 2 pumps and still leaves me with 3 more holes to fill so I'm thinking a 3rd pump with two intakes and a single return. Or I block off 3 bulkheads.