2 different returnpumps and 2 return nozzles

[shrimped]

Hello I’m fairly new to the hardware section of this hobby. I have 2 return pumps Primary: VarioS-4
Secondary: Sicce Syncra 0.5
I plan to connect the two to one pvc pipe and split them again to two nozzles (the thing that lets water back into display).
It’ll look something like an X but with a longer middle so kinda like a chromosome.
My question is: is this going to work because I’m doing this purely for redundancy in case one fails. Thank you

 

[McArcher]

For that to work, you will need check valves on both pumps. Problem is, if one of the checks ever fails open, the water will just get circulated through your sump and never make it back to the tank.
Is that a typo or did you say Sicce 0.5? If that is the case, the Sicce will probably just spin but not pump anything until the Varios shuts off.

 

[shrimped]

For that to work, you will need check valves on both pumps. Problem is, if one of the checks ever fails open, the water will just get circulated through your sump and never make it back to the tank.
Is that a typo or did you say Sicce 0.5? If that is the case, the Sicce will probably just spin but not pump anything until the Varios shuts off.

Thank you for your input! Yea the Sicce 0.5 wasn’t a typo lol. I guess the check valve stuff isn’t very reliable. Is there anyway to do the hybrid setup with my 2 return pumps?

 

[McArcher]

Thank you for your input! Yea the Sicce 0.5 wasn’t a typo lol. I guess the check valve stuff isn’t very reliable. Is there anyway to do the hybrid setup with my 2 return pumps?

Not without some kind of automatic shutoff for the pump that fails. The water is going to flow through the easiest path. If one pump fails, the other pump will end up pumping back through the discharge of the other pump instead of up to the tank.

 

[HB AL]

Why not just have two separate hoses discharging back into the tank from each pump. I have 2 return pumps, each with there own return line to the tank, keeps it simple with no issues. Only reason I did this was the pump with the lower gph has a uv sterilizer, the other just keeps the stronger flow going through the sump.

 

[shrimped]

I guess the two returns won’t work out. I’ll just use the VarioS-4 for the tank and the Sicce Syncra 0.5 for salt mixing. Do you guys know anything else in addition to check valves to prevent back siphon and overflood in the sump?

 

[HB AL]

Keep the discharge high enough so it will only siphon back to sump till it draws in air.

 

[McArcher]

The best thing to do is make sure your sump has enough freeboard to handle whatever siphons back. Like anything mechanical, check valves will fail.

 

[afuel]

I like your thoughts on redundancy. I think you should look into seperating the returns lines and use both pumps. That’s what I do it gives me peace of mind unfortunately it’s not the same feeling for my wallet

 

[shrimped]

Keep the discharge high enough so it will only siphon back to sump till it draws in air.

The best thing to do is make sure your sump has enough freeboard to handle whatever siphons back. Like anything mechanical, check valves will fail.

Ah I’m a complete noob in reef tank plumbing I forgot about this hahaha. Thank you. I might also purchase another VarioS-4 later on down the road so I have a spare one.

 

[shrimped]

I like your thoughts on redundancy. I think you should look into seperating the returns lines and use both pumps. That’s what I do it gives me peace of mind unfortunately it’s not the same feeling for my wallet

Thanks! Do you have 2 different pumps with totally different gph? If you do I’m interested to hear what your setup is. I don’t think our wallets were ever happy after we entered into this hobby lol.

 

[afuel]

Thanks! Do you have 2 different pumps with totally different gph? If you do I’m interested to hear what your setup is. I don’t think our wallets were ever happy after we entered into this hobby lol.

I run 2 vectra pumps. 1 just simply runs a return line to a sea swirl and the other goes to a second sea swirl on the opposite side of the tank but it also has a manifold that can supply a couple of reactors in the sump and a discharge line to the sump that I can use for cleaning it by closing a valve up by the sea swirl. I’m able to run them at different speeds for the gph I want. I went through a 5 day power outage 10 yrs ago and lost everything but a few fish. The last one a sohal tang jumped to his death last yr. So I just pulled a 120 gallon tank and installed a 200 to replace it. My passion has always been reed tanks so this time I’m trying to set things up to prevent the potential for a big loss with redundancy wherever I can do it. This includes having a generator sitting in the garage ready to go and a electric sub panel for just the important stuff. It has been used a few times in the last decade.

 

[shrimped]

I run 2 vectra pumps. 1 just simply runs a return line to a sea swirl and the other goes to a second sea swirl on the opposite side of the tank but it also has a manifold that can supply a couple of reactors in the sump and a discharge line to the sump that I can use for cleaning it by closing a valve up by the sea swirl. I’m able to run them at different speeds for the gph I want. I went through a 5 day power outage 10 yrs ago and lost everything but a few fish. The last one a sohal tang jumped to his death last yr. So I just pulled a 120 gallon tank and installed a 200 to replace it. My passion has always been reed tanks so this time I’m trying to set things up to prevent the potential for a big loss with redundancy wherever I can do it. This includes having a generator sitting in the garage ready to go and a electric sub panel for just the important stuff. It has been used a few times in the last decade.

Awesome safe setup! I now think I could run the Sicce 0.5 on one return line with a locline pointed towards the rock work to prevent detritus and particles from setting on the rocks and the VarioS-4 on the other return line for tank circulation. Might also use one of them to power a reactor of some sort.