Tank plumbing

[Newbie]

Got a new tank last night. I have 3 pumps a chiller and a skimmer . Does anyone know how to plumb it in. The guy I bought it from told me about a Doris pipe stand, and he told me about the chiller being hooked up to the small pump. I want to get it hooked up right the first time. Can someone please help. Anxious to hear water run.

 

[caudill187]

You probably have several options and some more description of your set up or even pics would be helpful. If you have a sump, the small pump for the chiller and one of the larger pumps, the return pump, both sit in the sump (if they are submersible). The return pump, of course, pumps water from the sump to the display tank. The smaller pump "pushes" water through the chiller which should drain back into the system, a good distance from where the feed pump is drawing water. If they are exteral pumps, the ideas are the same, but you will need to plumb the feed to the pumps.

I don't know what a Doris pipe stand is, but I'm sure others here do. I am not expert at plumbing but have done pretty well with my systems.

Is the tank drilled with bulkheads? Are you using PVC or pond hose?

 

[mfdrookie516]

Any chance that's a durso standpipe you're referencing?

 

[hampmp]

Don't know if that was what he was referencing, but your reference just helped me figure out my question as to how to do my the plumbing on my tank. Thank you sir /tiphat

 

[Newbie]

ok tank is plumbed and water is filled no leaks. yea. i got some live rock and crushed coral from a friend, and started to cycle the water. i plumbed in shutoff valves on my drain and return and instead of making a pipe stand i just partially closed the drain ball valve shut off and the gurgelling stopped. oh two days after water went in tank my wife started to complain about noise. i went and bought a tunze pump and things are good again. i really appreciated eveyones input. i would like to get some fish but im not sure of all of the differant benefits of all the differant types of fish. my buddy said something about a clean up crew?

 

[Zombie]

Do not put a valve on your drains. You will eventually have a flood. The drains have to be wide open. You need to use one of the DIY or store bought standpipes to quiet the gurgling sounds.

Tube worms, calcium deposits, a snail or a small fish that jumps into the overflow, will block off a partly closed valve and it will be a disaster. All the water in your sump will be on the floor, and if you have an ATO.:cry:

 

[CSJIII]

Do not put a valve on your returns. You will eventually have a flood. The drains have to be wide open. You need to use one of the DIY or store bought standpipes to quiet the gurgling sounds.

Tube worms, calcium deposits, a snail or a small fish that jumps into the overflow, will block off a partly closed valve and it will be a disaster. All the water in your sump will be on the floor, and if you have an ATO.:cry:

I by no means want to hijack this thread but I'm doing a new build and am ready to do the plumbing. You say above not to put a ball valve in the downflow to sump. My question is, should there be a ball valve on the return to tank 100% of the time?

 

[Zombie]

If your pump is overflowing the tank you can put a T in the return to the display. From the T place a ball valve with a pipe to the "IN" side of the sump. You open the valve to slow the feed to the tank and send the excess water back through your filter again. BUT... if you run a refugium, a ball valve in line is safer because of the possibility of algae stooping up your valve in the return line to the sump. Once this happens you will overflow your tank. If you run the T and valve, more then likely the obstruction will follow the path of least resistance an go up to the display tank instead of the valve but there is still a risk.

The best safest thing to do is to buy a pump rated for or less then what your overflows are rated for in the aquarium.
I have a 1200 gph pump on my 120 split to two returns running wide open. There is no valve in line at all. I have had valves leak so I try not to use them as much as possible.

 

[CSJIII]

The pump I have is rated at 582 gph with a 3 foot rise and it is on a 57 gal illuminata

 

[Zombie]

Well... I have two corner overflows and I am running around 600 or less through each and it is running at the middle of the teeth. You have one but a larger overflow, you are loosing a little to head presure.... I would only be guessing because I don't know what your tank can handle.


I have also split one leg of my return line to feed my chiller and the tank is still running at the middle of the teeth. The total GPH at my tank is less then what I started with now. I have always ran the tank at full open even without the chiller restricting some of the flow. Even if my chiller clogs it will not cause a flood.