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View Full Version : The big move...(note: not really that big)


scuglass
06/29/2009, 01:16 PM
Ok so I currently have a 100ish gallon system. I will be moving this to my new house and reworking the whole setup.

I will be using the same display (48 x 20 wide x 18 tall) and plumbing it to a 75 gal frag tank and a 30 gal sump both located in my basement.

I will be using a reeflo hammerhead to move the water from the basement to the display (approx 12 feet horizontal 16 feet vertical) I am wondering if i should split the returns into two once I get to the display and what size piping i should use. Should I go over the top or drill into the back for the returns. Im also thinking about adding a couple ball valves off the hammer head in the basement for waterchanges and possibly supplying the frag tank with some flow as the hammer head may need to be choked down a bit with only a 70 gal display.

I will be running a herbie overflow with a 1.5 inch main and a 1.5 inch safety. the display currently has a internal coast to coast with 3 drains on the back wall that will feed into the external overflow box. I plan on making this external box 44 inches long at the top and 11 inches at the bottom with a height of 8.5 inches. This will be a trapezoid(sp) shape so detrius will not settle on the sides and will be easy to clean.

Im planning on painting the back of my tank black to hide the external overflow I am going to be adding. Is it ok to silicone the overflow onto the tank after it has been painted? or is it best to do all the siliconing to the glass and then spray paint the back?

As for plumbing Im still thinking about everything... currently I have pretty much no flexability as everything is glued together with no unions or valves any where. I want to have flexability to change things out if nessecary but I dont want to spend thousands on unions every 3 feet. Where do you recommend unions. As of now im thinking of unions right out of the overflow so i can change out the tank easily if needed. Also I will have 2 unions about 3 feet apart near the sump/frag tank so I can easily redo piping and slip it back into the unions.

I will be running 2 175 XM 15000s on the frag tank and a 6 bulb tek light on the display.

Skimmer will be an Extreme 200

Flow in the display will be the return and a mp40.

In the frag tank im not sure what the flow will be yet. I have several powerheads as well as a mag 12 that I previously used as a return which I may make a manifold for.

Im concerend about the amount of flow that will be going through the sump with the hammerhead. Im wondering If I should set up a second sump connected therough a bulkhead and have the skimmer in there. So water would flow from display through 1.5 bh to frag tank to sump(with baffles) through 1.5 bh and that sump runs to the hammer head. Then I would have a second sump(no baffles) at the same level as the other connected to it through a bh... would this limit the abount of flow through this second sump or would it be the same. Also am I headed to disaster with only a 1.5 drain on the frag tank and no emergency drain?


Any input or ideas would be great thanks!