SCA 180 Plumbing Question

[abbypoodle]

So, I have a new 180 that I’m going to turn into an SPS dominant tank and I’m thoroughly excited after not having a tank for 15 years or so. I have a few questions.

2 holes (1.5 inch and 1 inch) - sounds like I’m set for a durso out of the box unless I use those two as a herbie and snake the return on the outside of the tank right?

I haven’t quite made sense of the SCA “plumbing kit”. The return makes sense but it looks like I’m missing some reducers or something for the 1.5 drain right? Any ideas?

1.5
—————————
12.75 straight pipe
28.75 straight pipe
2 x elbows
1 x bulkhead

1
—————————-
20.75 straight
25 straight
25 T for return line
2 x elbows
1 x bulk
1 x ball

 

[abbypoodle]

Shameless bump!

I’m in the Midwest btw. I need to join INDMAS

 

[abbypoodle]

Bump! I’ll catch somebody eventually. Looking to start a build thread over the weekend.
Any thoughts?

 

[Dj City]

My plumbing kit did not need a reducer. The 1.5 inch needs no reducer.

Did you get the flared pvc for the return line?

 

[jsvand5]

Should be 4 holes total drilled total right? Or does that size only have one overflow? Is it an older tank from them? I thought all of their tanks had at least 3 holes. I run mine as a herbie. Two larger holes as the primary and emergency drain and the other two as as the returns. Even if you only have two I’d still run it as a herbie and feed the return over the back. Durso overflows suck.
I bought my SCA tank years ago but at the time the plumbing was terrible and I just trashed most of it and bought new plumbing parts. Not sure if they have improved it or not since then.

 

[Dj City]

If you have the same tank I have, it is just like abbypoodle with only 2 drilled holes.
I have the 5ft. 180g tank. SCA has (or had) a 6ft 180 that I think had 3 drilled holes.

I like the dimensions on the 5ft tank better.

 

[abbypoodle]

The price was amazing and I got a Black Friday deal on top of it! Love the tank but their plumbing leaves a bit to be desired.

Two holes so I’m going to use those for a herbie and run the 1” return over the back. I’m picking up all new plumbing from BRS. I’m still torn over running the return line up the center and flair out from the overflow box OR have a Y adapter at the back and put a return on each end.
I will need to mold around the euro brace but I’m thinking a larger 1” loc-line will do the trick.

 

[jsvand5]

I’d just stick with one return line splitting out from the center then. Your return line isn’t really going to provide a significant amount of flow to help corals anyway so you might as well have less clutter in the tank.