New 120g Plumbing Recommendations

[Kdocimo90]

Going to be setting up a 120g cornerflow tank for my brother. The plumbing kit that comes with the tank includes a 1" drain and 1" return bulkheads (same size??)

We plan on using a Mag 9.5 for a return pump (3/4" threading). What do you guys recommend I do? Leave the drain at 1" and reduce the return bulk head to 3/4"?

I do not want to do the Herbie method, just want to plumb this thing normally.

 

[AZDesertRat]

I would leave them both 1". Screw a 1"x3/4" threaded bushing and a 1" threaded ball valve on the pump discharge nipple to adjust or throttle flow if needed but the 1" overflow if plumbed correctly should easily handle the flow from the Mag 9.5 at 4-5 feet of head which is about normal once plumbed. I would then install a 1" barbed nipple and a short section of braided reinforced vinyl tubing or sometimes you can find the heavy wall black vinyl tubing at Lowes or HD. This breaks up any vibration and sound transmission into your return piping and allows for any misalignment of pipes etc. You can either use vinyl all the way to the bottom of the bulkhead and standpipe where you would install another barbed nipple or you could transition to PVC or flex PVC if you prefer rigid piping. If you choose rigid PVC make sure to include a union or two so you can disassemble things for cleaning and maintenance. I highly recommend threaded fittings near valves and at bulkheads since it saves on cutting things apart in the future if you want to change something or discover a drip somewhere.

https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/eq...iltration/34973-installing-bulkhead-tips.html

 

[Kdocimo90]

That sounds good to me.

I've been going back and forth debating pvc vs vinyl tubing but I think I'm going to go the tubing route. My 210g has been plumbed with tubing for about 8 years with no problems at all and I love the "flexibility" with using it. Here's what I plan on doing, working from the pump, up to the Bulkhead

Pump -> 3/4" FPT x 1" Spigot -> 1" Union Check Valve -> 1" Street Barb -> 1" Tubing -> 1" barb into bulkhead.

I'm debating whether to elbow the drain off with a barb to allow for keeping the tubing out of the way.

 

[AZDesertRat]

You do not want nor need a check valve, only a ball or gate valve. Check valves are a false sense of security and rarely are needed except in extreme circumstances such as where your returns are low in the tank and your sump does not have the freeboard or excess capacity to contain a back flow.

I always use a mixture or PVC and reinforced vinyl tubing for both my overflow and return. On the overflow I usually step up one size to account for the smaller inner diameter of the barbed nipple so it does not become a restriction. So in that case I would use something like this

[TD="class: smalltext colors_text"]PI-RedMaleAdap-RMxB-1x1.25[/TD]
[TD="class: productnamecolorSMALL colors_productname"]PVC Insert Reducing Male Adapter - RED MIPT x BARB - 1x1-1/4 (1436-132)[/TD]
[TD="class: smalltext colors_text"] $1.88

[/TD]

found here:
PVC Insert Reducing Male Adapter - RED MIPT x BARB

It screws into a 1" threaded bulkhead and adapts to 1.25" vinyl tubing. This is actually what I have had on my system for over 11 years now with about 24" of heavy vinyl tubing so it bends into a long gradual sweep or 90 degrees and lays on the bottom of my main sump section and flows unrestricted. This combined with a 1" Stockman standpipe in the overflow can carry the full flow of a WaterBlaster HY-5000 pump which is a bit more than the Mag 9.5 flow.

 

[Kdocimo90]

ok gotcha, and I can find 1.25" tubing locally?

what do you have to say about elbowing the drain/return at/near the bulkheads?

 

[AZDesertRat]

The return is pressurized so adding elbows and fittings has less impact as long as they are not drastic. There are head calculators on most of the reef forums and they say fittings add about a foot of head per fitting but thats not exact sience and gradual bends have less impact than sharp bends. The overflow is gravity so restrictions and changes of direction can have a major effect on flow. I place my sump directly under the overflow so it drops straight down then sweeps over with the 1.25" tubing so no restriction other than a 24" radius gradual bend. If you must elbow it, two 45 degree elbows have less impact than a single 90 degree elbow. Another thing I found was the noise a bend makes in gravity PVC piping like an overflow. You get eddy currents, swirling and cavitation in the bend causing noise, bubbles and restriction to flow. In drastic cases you can form a air bubble at that point and air lock, air bind or stop flow if it is bad enough. try to keep the overflow as fitting free as possible so there is nothing to impede flow or to provide a place for a small snail or debris to lodge and restrict or stop flow causing a potential flood. No valves and as few changes in direction and reduced inside diameter fittings as possible for a laminar or smooth flow.

1.25" is a pretty common size believe it or not, if you can't find it 1.5" is also common and wouldn't hurt anything.

 

[Kdocimo90]

I am considering putting the sump directly below the drain, but the filtration area under the tank (in the stand) will be accessed through the back of the aquarium (as it is an in-wall aquarium). So, the drain will be close to the doors of the stand. This is why I wanted to elbow it and run the drains to the front of the aquarium itself (opposite of the side of the overflow) so that I have some room in front of the sump.

I guess I'll just drop it straight down like you recommend and keep the sump towards the doors of the stand. If that's the case, I wont have to elbow the pump really either. I might 45 it though.

you still think I should up-size the drain or am I fine with a street barb fitting like this: (third from the left)
Gray Pipe Adapter Spigot x Barb - Bulk Reef Supply

 

[AZDesertRat]

I wouldn't use that barbed nipple for a couple reasons. One is it is a socket or slip fit so would need to be glued inside the bulkhead meaning once installed you will have to cut the bulkhead apart if it ever leaks or you want to change anything. Do youself a big favor and get TxT or threaded bulkheads so you can reuse them if you ever have to redo anything. The other is the inside diameter of the vinyl tubing is 1" on 1" size so the outside (OD)of the barbs is 1" and the ID is less than 3/4", probably closer to 5/8" so restricts the flow. By going to the 1" x 1.25" barbed adapter you have much less restriction, only the threaded nipple part and it is not as small inside as the ribbed barb portion would be, and then it opens up to closer to a full 1" ID for the barbed part. I found the 1x1.25 at an Ace Hardware near me and have seen them elsewhere too.

Take your time on the plumbing so you only end up doing it once, read my sticky post and it should give you many ideas on plumbing, cleaning and prepping bulkheads and fittings etc. A few extra minutes spent up front can save draining a tank in the future or working on your back under the display and over a sump which is not ideal.

 

[Kdocimo90]

gotcha. The only reason why I was plumbing in terms of slip x slip bulkheads is because that's what the tank will come with. Guess I'll just swap those out with Slip x Thread ones

 

[AZDesertRat]

At least get the SxT but from experience I still prefer and recommend TxT. On my standpipe and return I clean the threads on the bulkhead real well and also on 1" PVC male adapters which I screw in hand tight and glue the standpipe and return pipe into. Its a snap to unscrew it for cleaning and there is little chance of a drip or leak like friction/socket/slip fits can be. Been there done that. I tend to leave things alone onc I get it right but my son buys and sells tanks to supplement his income and we have modified dozens over the last 30+ years, some were downright scary.

 

[Kdocimo90]

This is what I've got. Excuse my sloppy handwriting and horribly sketching lol.