Drilled Tank - Now What?

[IndyMatt]

I drilled my tank, (55 Gallon) it has two 1.5" bulkheads that I plan on draining to a sump approximately 6 feet below the display tank. The plumbing will be an elbow from the back of the bulkhead to ball valve (to regulate flow) then down to another elbow that goes straight through the wall in back of the display tank, sump will be under a stairwell down to our basement. Then another elbow will be used to enter into the Sump/fuge. I have a couple questions:

1. Inside the tank I plan on using a 90 degree elbow in the bulkhead facing up and a length of PVC to the surface of the water to drain. This will limit the water drained during a power outage but will it be noisy and is there a better way? The bulkhead is about 3" below the rim of the tank.

2. On the return I plan on using a DIY PVC spray bar just under the surface. The holes from the spray bar will be facing slightly towards the surface to agitate the water's surface. It will also limit the drain back of water into the fuge during a power outage due to it being near the surface as well.

3. I have two immediate choices for a return pump, a Rio 2100 and a Catalina Aquarium 5000. The flow on the catalina is just over 1300 GPH at 0' with the Rio being 675 gph. These are available but I am not against purchasing another pump such as a Mag or Quiet One.

4. For the sump/fuge I was going to use two tanks, I have a 20 tall and 20 long. This is a little confusing for me how to link them so I will probably just use the 20 long for a fuge sump combo. With that in mind the fuge will be on the far left of the tank with the water entering the fuge and middle section (housing skimmer) via a "T" with a ball valve to regulate flow in and out of the fuge. Does that make sense? Also if anyone has any ideas how to use both tanks with the 20 long being the fuge please lay it on me.

Hopefully this all makes some sort of sense to you guys. The tank is a 55 gallon that will be a reef tank holding LPS and Softies beside the fish. It will have 4 - 4' VHO bulbs with 2 - 10K bulbs, 1-50/50, and 1- Actinic. With the 10k's in front, then 50/50, and last the actinic by the back glass. It will also have a 3-4" Sand bed, with 55+ lbs of live rock. Am I missing anything? If you questions or comments shoot!

My head hurts thinking about all this stuff!

Thanks Guys!

[Fl_seagull]

1. there is several ways to quiet a noisy drain. Without a picture it is hard to visualize what will work in your design.

2. I have seen several different spray bar setups. A small hole just below the water level is all it takes to limit the drain back. You might conside the placing the spray bar low in the tank to keep junk moving towards the overflows rather than toward the bottom back wall.

3. Many do not think highly of the reliability of Catalina Aquarium products. That said, the plumbing runs will reduce the actual pump flow because of the combination of head (pumping from the basement to the first floor and the flow losses because of friction. I doubt the Rio will deliver even a trickle of water. I would expect the CA 5000 would deliver ~500 - 600 gph.

4. I have a concern about the small volume sump being used with a basement sump. I have used a 20H as a sump on my 125gal reef for several years and the drain back to be around 6 gal. If I add the possible volume of the return lines, I think you will have water on the floor with every power outage.

IF you determine that this is not a proble then there is two approaches. Series and parallel. For the series tank setup, I would recommend placing the tanks so the tops are even if possible. Have the drains come into filter sock at on end of the 20 L. Then the skimmer. install a bulkhead 1 size bigger than the capacity the pump can actual return (i.e 600 gph is ~1" so I would use a 1 1/2" bulkhead). The location of the bulkhead can be used to control the height of the water in the 20 L. Connect to a similar bulkhead in the 20 H using SpaFlex. I do not recommend using standard PCV since slight mis-alignement can result one or both tanks cracking. The return pump then pulls from the bottom of the 20H.

Parallel is similar but the filter socks, skimmer and return pump pickup are in one tank. A small pump (perhaps the rio 2100 or the skimmer output pumps water into the second tank which is the fuge. The fuge being high then drains into the first tank.

Pesonnally, I would consider a larger sump and then use the 20 L as a parallel connected fuge.

[IndyMatt]

Sorry, the tank will be in basement with the sump/fuge, just the display tank on one side of the wall and the sump/fuge on the other. I estimated around 6' of head from the bulkheads on the display to the return pump. I though of using the 20 high as a fuge then flowing into the 20 L via a bulkhead near the top of the taller tank. The 2OL would then be the sump housing all the equipment and the 20H only housing algae, LS, and LR.

[Fl_seagull]

I did not see your discription of the bulkhead being 3" below the rim.

I would consider some form of Calfo overflow. This type of overflow is built along the length of the tank and does not project down more than about 4". Quieting this type of drain often is a simple as using a length of ridgit air line tubing inserted into a tight hole in the elbow on the outside of the tank. This allows air into the drain without the gurgling which would normally occur.

I would be tempted to use one bulkhead to feed the sump and one bulhead to feed a close loop. I would use the CA5100with the close loop. But that depends on what you plan to keep in the tank.