Plumbing Questions

[diehardcanuck]

Hi everyone,

I am very much a rookie to this and I am still in the planning stage. I have a 120 gallon display tank that I plan on putting on my main floor and an 80 gallon sump that I intend on putting in the basement. How do you size the drain line between them? I estimate the head loss to be about 15-20 ft. What kind of pump should I look for?

 

[ReefStable Verified Sponsor]

For pumps, depending on your budget, scan sites like brs and saltwateraquarium.com for pumps with the "max head" well above what you would need. Personally I am a fan of SICCE but I don't know if that would be strong enough. May want to look into an external pump for that.

 

[JoshH]

So, I have a setup relatively similar to yours. I went with a wildly oversized AC pump (MRC-6100). I was origionally looking into a Red Dragon or Vectra L2. There are tons of options out there pump wise. Do not go with a Varios though. Your setup will immediately void the warranty.

As for plumbing size, that greatly comes down to how much flow you are looking for. I have 1" plumbing and that would more than likely be enough for yours as well.

 

[mike550]

@diehardcanuck I have a similar situation in that I pump new saltwater up from my basement for water changes in y 120. I’m using a Panworld 200PS external pump.

Remember max head is also zero flow. Best to look at pump curves to see what flow you’ll get so you get enough water changing in your tank.

 

[Simple reef]

I currently have a 120 with a basement sump with a Blueline 40hdx it does the job I actually have to reduce flow I only want 400-500gph.it only has 2 90 elbows so minimal headloss. I am installing a second 120 I am going to try a panworld 150ps just to try something different. If you are doing basement sump ac is the way to go. Dc pumps typically don’t warranty remote sump locations

 

[mike550]

@Simplereef I’m using a Panworld 250 in a very similar setup. I couldn‘t find a DC pump that had the head I needed to go from basement to first floor. You can use a valve to regulate flow