Need help plumbing my new tank plz

[reef fish]

Need help plumbing my new tank plz
it's a 150 gallon tank (60x24x24) with 40 breeder as a sump
i have a mag 12
and a need to feed the flowing
1-uv
2-cal. reactor
3-carbon reactor
4-phosban reactor
5-bio reactor
that it for know oh and a kalk reactor and ato plz some one help

 

[soccerbag]

You could do a manifold. Although I'm not sure a Mag 12 would be enough flow for everything that you need to run. This is just an example of my system. Off of this one pump, I run:

1) Display tank (upstairs)
2) GFO reactor
3) Carbon reactor
4) Frag tank
5) Feed to the house drain for water changes

Hope this will give you a few ideas. I'm running a Hammerhead as I have 15'+ of head pressure to get to the display. Sorry for the blurry pic.

 

[jaytizzle]

Mag 12 definitely won't do it. If you figure you start with 1200 gph then after a rough head loss you have maybe 800 gph left. Take out 300 gph for biopellet reactor, minimal for the calcium reactor, 200 for the carbon and phosban reactors.. you're down to almost nothing left for the display and UV. I have a 120 that will be plumbed inline with a 30g cube soon that has a calcium reactor, carbon/gfo dual reactor, and biopellet reactor and just recently put a Reeflo Dart on the system and I couldn't be happier! I can definitely say that you should look at the Dart as a legitimate option and it is probably the best bang for your buck once you get to that size pump. Mine is practically silent now that they use all Baldor motors on them.

 

[reef fish]

What if a add 9.5 mag that means a mag 1200 and a mag 9.5???? And were do you get the manifold

 

[soccerbag]

Agree with above for sure. Have never used a Mag12 and don't know the specs. Better to have more flow than not enough. Ball valves on each section to restrict flow to perfect amount.

 

[soccerbag]

You can easily build the manifold. All parts would be available at Lowe's or Home Depot (or local plumbing store) I would also add an additional section just in case you want to run something else down the road. Close the valve if you don't need....always try and think ahead to growth and additional reactors (if necessary).

I don't have a diagram of the exact parts. However, if you start with an opening (the size that will fit the pump you go with) and tell the guys at Lowe's what size ball valve / hose nipple you need to get to, they can easily pull it together for you (they can work wonders if you have a pic or diagram with what you need). You can cut the pipes to your desired size (with a PVC cutter or saw) and then glue the components together. I'm not a plumbing expert but pulled mine together with some assistance from a friend without any issues.

 

[nixer]

id say dart also.
i have a snapper on my 180 w/40 breeder sump in stand and it could use some more and im just running carbon and pellets on it

 

[reef fish]

Ok what Internal pump can't be external

 

[soccerbag]

I would only recommend this setup with an external pump. I understand that space limitations may be an issue. Is this going underneath a stand? Do you have a fish room or other dedicated area?

 

[reef fish]

underneath the stand

 

[soccerbag]

You just need to determine if you can fit a manifold, how much room you have, whether you can fit enough outlets, whether you'll have room for all of the PVC, ball valves, etc. Without seeing what you have to work with, it will be hard to say. It would help you to draw out your sump to exact measurements, account for everything you need to keep in there (skimmer, etc) and then determine the amount of space you have to work with. The manifold may not be doable due to your space.

 

[jaytizzle]

I would not add a Mag 9.5. That would be foolish to add a second pump. If you HAVE to have a submersible pump, a Water Blaster 10,000 wouldn't be a bad choice. If you can make the room and convert to external, I'd HIGHLY recommend it. I used to run a Mag12, like I said, and it was a great decision to move to external!

Here's my dart underneath my stand:

 

[soccerbag]

Well done in a confined space Jay! This should help the OP much more than I can as I have alot more space fortunately. And I'm all for going external if at all possible as well. It is one less pump in the water and one less "stray voltage" possibliity as well. Not to mention your choices in (more) energy efficient pumps increases as well.

 

[jaytizzle]

Thanks, Craig! I worked for awhile planning this. I was looking at the internal WaterBlaster 10k but the Dart just makes so much more sense if you can make the room. I put a full manifold system with a gate valve for each piece of equipment (2 tanks, 3 reactors) and true union ball valves on either side of the pump so I can isolate it and remove from service without a ton of problems.

FWIW, this is under a 4'x2' 120g tank with a Reef Octopus medium acrylic sump. Not a whole lot of room to work with there but I did replace a 40 Breeder sump previously because it was just too big and the Octopus sump made more sense due to its size.

 

[soccerbag]

Yes, it's a great example of forward thought, planning, and re-planning to maximize space. I'm always amazed when I see a well thought out plan in such tight quarters. reef fish, I would recommend (if possible) trying to get something like this going. Jay makes a good point about being able to get the "system" out for cleaning and such.

 

[reef fish]

here you go

 

[reef fish]

one more

 

[jaytizzle]

You've got enough room to drop that dart in there! Your stand is the same as mine, just an extra foot longer. If I had that much room on the end, I'd have put it there instead of in front of my sump.

It's a lot more trouble to plan the plumbing for an external pump but well worth it IMHO. If you aren't comfortable and are set on an internal pump, though, look for something that will output over 2k gph. That's why I'm recommending the WaterBlaster 10k to you. That is what I would have used if I hadn't gone external with the Dart.

 

[reef fish]

and if i and external pump how would you plumb this tank

 

[jaytizzle]

Very similar to how I have mine...

put the dart with as few fittings between the tank and the intake as possible

true union ball valves on the intake and output of the pump

manifold-style system with a gate valve for each piece of equipment that you have

Take your time, sketch it out in your head, then draw it on paper, then set down in front of your sump with a bunch of PVC parts and see if it makes sense. I set mine up and made some changes on the fly so it isn't exactly what I sketched up originally but it worked out great in the end. I can tell you that it will take you at least 2 trips to the hardware store. I ordered a lot of my PVC parts online because my tank return lines are 3/4" and all of my reactor lines are 1/2". I had to order a tee that was 3/4"x1/2"x3/4" so that I could put the reactor lines in easily. If you want more details about my setup, I'll be glad to provide it if it will help you. Also, I ordered most of my plumbing parts (pvc fittings, etc.) from A to Z Supply - Your Source for Specialty PVC Fittings @ A to Z Supply and I ordered my Dart, true union ball valves, and murlok fittings for the reactors from BulkReefSupply.