your design looks very sound to me. ive built systems very similar to this with no problems. im actually going to begin work on a 12 tank posion dart frog system this week that will look similar in a lot of ways. Im sure your plumbing isnt finalized yet, but you might want to consider connecting the two ends of your return pipe on the far left to one another creating one big loop otherwise you will need a ballvalve or something similar for each tank which can get expensive quickly. the loop method will provide equilateral pressure that can be adjusted by one ballvalve at the return pump. it might be worth looking into some of the high volume pumps like Reeflo that are actually more efficient when back pressure is applied. perfect for this scenario.
Right on. I’m going to use ball valves but my initial sketches did call for a closed loop. I got feedback from several people saying that the closed loop really wasn’t necessary since I’m going to be adjusting the flow on each tank individually. I still might change my mind and go back to putting in the full loop. It might offer more flexibility that way.
technically, its not a closed loop and it wont offer any flexibility insofar as providing different return rates. if you are going to want different return rates for each tank, then individual ball valves are the way to go. its a little bit of a pain to dial in, but once you do it should be fine. the advantage of connecting the two ends together will be even pressure for each return without the need for any ballvalves at the tanks. it will simplify installation, save you money, and be much easier to setup and add on to without the need to make adjustments. one way isnt better than the other, its going to come down to what you want.
Looks good!!
looks like ball valves run $5-$10 each. that’s not exactly cheap!
I read somewhere that ball valves are more of an on-off thing which is why it’s not a bad idea to equalize the pressure in the loop anyway. I’m not sure that that is an accurate description of how they work, just some misinformation I read. Like I said, I’m new to the plumbing aspect. I’ll be sure to get everyone’s final approval before I hit up the Home Depot.
Any thoughts on putting the plumbing in the back? I know it’s great to have access to it by placing it in the front, but how often do you actually need to service the PVC if it’s installed properly the first time?
What are the return pumps with the suction cups on the bottom?
i would make sure to ALWAYS have access to ALL plumbing especially in a system like this.
in your pic, the way ballvalves would work is for your first tank you would have to adjust it for the pressure you want and each on in order until your happy with the pressure. however, depending on the pump, as you get to the end, you might have more pressure than you wanted at the first ones or not enough on the last ones and have to either adjust them again or dial back/up the pressure on your pump if you used a main ballvalve on the return. like i said, its definitely doable and adds a lot of flexibility for return rates, but IMO, you really shouldnt need different return rates for each tank.
what are some good lights, for a refugium inside the stand?
What are the return pumps with the suction cups on the bottom?
my sedra has them.
ok, so im torn…
Mag 7.5
sedra
panworld 40x
sedras are needlewheel pumps made for skimmers. im not sure if they have a “non needle wheel” model, but i dont think it would be an ideal return pump even if the did.
Ok, then back to the panworld… How do i connect them to the tank?
the same way you would any pump. its not any different.
except for i dont know how to do that… heres the prelim pipe drawling… not to scale but basis…
the first slit is the manifold, second is to t return
I’m not 100% sure I’m reading this right.
I can understand why you want to have a T branch off the pump and return to the sump to dump excess pressure. I’m not sure why you have 2 additional T’s attached to it each with it’s own ball valve but I’m sure you have a reason (fuge, skimmer, etc).
Up top, if you don’t mind not having absolute control over your return pressure, I think you can just use one ball valve on the line before it splits. The pressure should be relatively even if your returns are roughly the same height in the tank.
Basically, you have 5 ball valves in this sketch and I could see you getting by with only 2. Those things are expensive.
hmmm… Sump diagrams by John Madden???
its paint lol, i tried it in cad and it didnt work out lol…
Where is splits off first is running to the manifold, where the 2 phosban reactors will do their magic.
Okay, ill put one ball valve on the return instead of 2 on each return head.
i didnt think it was that confusing… lol
Would this work?
alright, gimme your final details…
1: what all is gonna be under the stand that needs to be plumbed?
2: what is gonna be drilled, and in what order r u looking to plumb everything?
3: whats gonna be external/internal? i.e. skimmer in sump? or plumbed separate?
i think what i got so far is this, your dt will be drilled, draining into a sump filter… which should hold a skimmer also, just to simplify things. then u plan on gravity feeding into a refugium??? then pump back to the tank with a tee’d line to a gfo??? i think… this could be MUCH simpler than u r making it.
how much room u got in the stand? i would try to get a 30l or even a 40l if u can.drain into a multi compartment sump where u can incorperate EVERYTHING in one tank. then pump back up.
this would eliminate ALOT of potential problems… overflows from sump to fuge, manifold tweaking, u can use the mag 7 u have already, just gonna be a whole h*ll of a lot simpler imo.