3 tanks, 1 return pump

[jam583]

Hello, I am working on a new install in my fish room. It will consist of 3 tanks. Two of the tanks are very close. The third tank would be about 16 feet away (down 4 feet of the wall, across an 8 foot wall, and 3 feet or so to the tank. This is in my fish room, so I do not need to conceal plumbing, etc.

I was hoping to have an external pump out of the sump, going into a pipe, split 3 ways with a return going to each tank.

Now, I have plenty of reef tanks and general experience .. but never did this. I plan to draw this out in visio tomorrow to understand the lift and distances I am working with. But, any advice on how to size a proper return pump?

First tank is 100G (8 foot frag tank), second is a 4 foot frag tank, and 3rd is a 60 cube.

[viggen]

Did I read it right that one of the aquarium is a foot under the return pump? I would worry about siphoning of water if that's the case.

Iwaki makes extremely reliable external pumps, they will last 20+ years w/o any service. Only issue is they aren't the quietest due to their design.... But in a fish room might not be a issue

Back pressure should be minimal and if you go for a 4x turnover per tank a iwaki 30 rlxt would probably do the trick or the larger 40 rlxt or rlt... if you want more then 4x turnover.... That's not knowing what your second aquariums size is

You will want to put a valve of some type to control flow on each return. If you go with a larger pump then needed you can add a 4th return and use that to feed something else...

[jam583]

Thanks for the reply. I probably typed it wrong, all tanks are on the same floor. The sump is the lowest point of all. I'm going to draw this out in visio and also research the pump you suggested. Not worried about noise, so it might be a solid option.

Thank you.


Did I read it right that one of the aquarium is a foot under the return pump? I would worry about siphoning of water if that's the case.

Iwaki makes extremely reliable external pumps, they will last 20+ years w/o any service. Only issue is they aren't the quietest due to their design.... But in a fish room might not be a issue

Back pressure should be minimal and if you go for a 4x turnover per tank a iwaki 30 rlxt would probably do the trick or the larger 40 rlxt or rlt... if you want more then 4x turnover.... That's not knowing what your second aquariums size is

You will want to put a valve of some type to control flow on each return. If you go with a larger pump then needed you can add a 4th return and use that to feed something else...

[chimmike]

look at the ecotech Vectra pumps too. much lower power usage.

[jam583]

I made this very crude diagram to show what I'm working with. I have a room that is 14x10. The red lines are the returns and the green lines are the overflows.

I will have a 4 foot sump under the main frag tank. I believe this will be able to hold all the overflow from the 3 tanks.

Coming out of this, I want 1 return pump, as I mentioned. Frag tank 3 (big one) and frag tank 2 (small one next to it) aren't a concern for me. They are very close and will only lift about 4 feet up.

The cube is on the other side of the room. So we are talking going down the wall about 6 feet, down the other wall, 10 feet, over 5 feet, and up 5 feet.

On the return, I would take the advice here and split it 3 ways with a valve in which I can control flow.

Here is the design:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=337593&stc=1&d=1451428771

I like with I'm reading about the Iwaki pumps. Taking the advice above, I looked into the Iwaki MD-40RXT

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/iwaki-md-40rxt-japanese-motor-1200-gph.html

Do you guys think the water movement and distances would work with this pump?

[jam583]

The 14 feet at the top is the entire width of room, not associated to the line under it.

I made this very crude diagram to show what I'm working with. I have a room that is 14x10. The red lines are the returns and the green lines are the overflows.

I will have a 4 foot sump under the main frag tank. I believe this will be able to hold all the overflow from the 3 tanks.

Coming out of this, I want 1 return pump, as I mentioned. Frag tank 3 (big one) and frag tank 2 (small one next to it) aren't a concern for me. They are very close and will only lift about 4 feet up.

The cube is on the other side of the room. So we are talking going down the wall about 6 feet, down the other wall, 10 feet, over 5 feet, and up 5 feet.

On the return, I would take the advice here and split it 3 ways with a valve in which I can control flow.

Here is the design:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=337593&stc=1&d=1451428771

I like with I'm reading about the Iwaki pumps. Taking the advice above, I looked into the Iwaki MD-40RXT

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/iwaki-md-40rxt-japanese-motor-1200-gph.html

Do you guys think the water movement and distances would work with this pump?

[odj22sailor]

Here is what I did. I have three tanks as well in the basement....just in different order, height and purposes.
Take a look I have more pics but out of the country till Saturday. I will be filling then. Already did all of the leak testing etc...

[viggen]

I think you need to consider your desired turnover rate for each aquarium. The iwaki pump as I stated are powerhouses, run reliably for a very long time, just a matter of if it flows enough. Horizontal runs do not add much pressure or flow loss, the 90's and vertical rise is mostly all that matters.

If your setup gives the pump say 6ft of head pressure, maybe the pump can push 800-1,000 gph at that pressure, just a guess. I would search for a flow chart....

If your aquariums are say 100g, 75g and 60g you should have enough flow to run 3.5-4.5 X a hour turnover.

As stated some of the new DC pumps should be looked at as well. I have no first hand experiemce with them but many are big fans. Might cost a little more up front but they will save money over time with less power consumption. Some of the DC pumps you can electronically dial the flow back. This would allow you to oversize the pump now and if for some reason you want more flow to your present aquariums or add another one you wouldn't need to buy a new pump.

[odj22sailor]

After doing a lot research against the 12-24 volt DC vs.120 volt AC it is surprising that most of the DC pumps out preform the AC pumps with regards to head pressure and amps used. I found that for the money including the reviews the Deepwater line of pumps was my choice and its Apex compatible.
I will be going to the Vortex shortly though. The reason is I built the system using 1" pipe the Deepwater preference is 1 1/2". So I will use the Deepwater as a back up. It ran during testing phase of the build at about 3/4 throttle.

[zachfishman]

After doing a lot research against the 12-24 volt DC vs.120 volt AC it is surprising that most of the DC pumps out preform the AC pumps with regards to head pressure and amps used. I found that for the money including the reviews the Deepwater line of pumps was my choice and its Apex compatible.
I will be going to the Vortex shortly though. The reason is I built the system using 1" pipe the Deepwater preference is 1 1/2". So I will use the Deepwater as a back up. It ran during testing phase of the build at about 3/4 throttle.

Two things about the Deepwater pumps:

1) The manufacturer recommends that they be immersed. I guess they don't have as good a heat sink as Vectras.

2) Their fittings are BSP, so you will need adapters.

I've also heard that their flow curves are exaggerated, but can not comment personally.

[odj22sailor]

Well....the gph curve looks to be accurate! It will deliver a and done by accident, a 1" X 3 foot fountain at the point of friction loss that being at 16 feet above the pump. I will have a more accurate measurement of gph when I fill the tank with sea water on January 2nd.
The pump is in the cryptic tank so I am not concerned about the fitting nor the heat sink. I took that into consideration at the time of the build. It also helps heat the tank. I will not be needing a chiller since the basement is 65-67 degrees year around.