Hey guys!
I recently acquired an old 60g cube that was originally put up in 2009. It's in super rough shape (pumps were torn up, skimmer nasty, algae and calcium deposits everywhere). I'm finishing the tear-down process now and things are looking finally alright. However, this is my first tank with a proper overflow. This unit also has all the holes in the bottom as opposed to the back.
It's plumbed as a durso with a single 1" drain and a 1/2" return coming from the return pump. However it came with a Mag 9.5, with a rated 950gph which in my opinion seems a little crazy and overpowered for the tank and return size (just over 15x turnover per hour). I'm going to be converting the tank to a herbie overflow, as the beananimal style requires more space than I have to drill at the bottom of the overflow.
What size pipes should I try to squeeze in to my current overflow for my return, main drain, and emergency? I'd like to plumb all 3 in the bottom as that's the way it came originally, and there's an awkward hole in the overflow I'd like to still use for the intended return. The Mag is in relatively poopy shape, but I might be able to get another few years out of it. Should I just scrap it now and get a lower powered unit, or should I plumb according to the 950gpd and just replace the pump once it dies?
Just looking for some advice from you experienced reefers
Thanks for reading!
I recently acquired an old 60g cube that was originally put up in 2009. It's in super rough shape (pumps were torn up, skimmer nasty, algae and calcium deposits everywhere). I'm finishing the tear-down process now and things are looking finally alright. However, this is my first tank with a proper overflow. This unit also has all the holes in the bottom as opposed to the back.
It's plumbed as a durso with a single 1" drain and a 1/2" return coming from the return pump. However it came with a Mag 9.5, with a rated 950gph which in my opinion seems a little crazy and overpowered for the tank and return size (just over 15x turnover per hour). I'm going to be converting the tank to a herbie overflow, as the beananimal style requires more space than I have to drill at the bottom of the overflow.
What size pipes should I try to squeeze in to my current overflow for my return, main drain, and emergency? I'd like to plumb all 3 in the bottom as that's the way it came originally, and there's an awkward hole in the overflow I'd like to still use for the intended return. The Mag is in relatively poopy shape, but I might be able to get another few years out of it. Should I just scrap it now and get a lower powered unit, or should I plumb according to the 950gpd and just replace the pump once it dies?
Just looking for some advice from you experienced reefers
