pipe/pump sizing

[FDdragon]

So ive been playing with a couple of calculators to do my plumbing on my 60g cube.

-I will install a 24" tall x 9" long x 4" deep overflow. (Sizes are give/take an inch) with 1" drain pipe. The pipe should give me about 600gph and since its running the height of the tank i dont see any restrictions on gph.

-I will have 3/4" return line from sump. So i will use the headloss calcultor to figure out which pump i can use depending on all my fittings.

So if i have 600gph drain, is it safe to say that i can get a pump that pushes a little over 600gallons and use my ball valve to dial it back a little.....or will getting a pump that pushes a little less be better so that i wont restrict the pump and not worry about going above the capacity my overflow can handle.

I know i will have to make sure my sump is not having too much flow either.

Any advice is appreciated. Also, if im missing anything please let me know

[FDdragon]

Any suggestions?

[SmilinAvnger]

Things to keep in mind:

1 I am no expert

2 Go with a pump rated for a higher GPH than your target. (you lose GPH with all the twists and turns and height of the pipes and whatnot. Also a good idea if you want to add something like a reactor later. Not to mention your pump will lose power as it gets old/dirty. Service that puppy!)

3 Look into a DC pump (you can dial it up to exactly what you need instead of running it at full power and choking it off with a valve. Saves energy!)

4 Just in case you haven't thought of this yet, make sure you have space in your sump for water from the display that will continue to drain after you turn off the pump. (Don't want to overflow your sump and have tank water all over the floor!)

[FDdragon]

Cool, thanks.

Yeah, i will have room in my sump for that reason. =)

I will be getting the tank drilled this weekend so no turning back now. ha ha.

[SmilinAvnger]

Maybe pick out your pump first so you know how big of a return to use, and how many.

[unbereefable]

Look up bean/herbie overflows on RC. Durso drains suck a bag a d!cks. If you're getting the tank drilled, you can easily get it drilled for these drains and not be limited by the pump you run. Again, dursos suck. At 600gph thru a durso, it will be loud. Count more on 400-ish to be quite. Or, go DC and and adjust from pump. But I'd still go bean/herbie and still go DC just for efficiency.

[rudy]

Also I would add to your return plumbing a tee or two with ball valves so you can bleed off and/or use any extra flow to feed a reactor or something. I used to use one to pump water out for water changes.

[FDdragon]

I want a clean setup and minimize exposure of plumbing. Looking at just one drain and one return. Ive done the standard diy durso plumbing on my 30g (single) and 125g (dual drains)...everything was fine. I am currently running two single straight pipes with Maggie mufflers in my 300g and they help reduce noise while keeping things from entering and clogging the pipes.....never had an issue and its easy to do.

Herbie/bean sounds promising but i dont know if i want a big box hanging or taking up room in my tank. I was planning on drilling from bottom, and i like a little bit of water noise...i find it peaceful and relaxing.

Ill look to see if there is a way to compromise.

Yeah, a T line would be helpful and i will probably end up doing it.

[FDdragon]

Ok, so i did a little more thinking and here is a quick sketch of my plan.

Tank is 24"x24"x24" and i will build an internal overflow 24" tall x 9" wide (on back wall of tank) x 4" wide on front. Plumbing will be through drilled holes on bottom of tank.
I will use a 1" drain on the 4" side of overflow and a 1" return on 9" side.

The return line in overflow will have a "T" on top that will allow two return nozzles (one on left side and one on right side of overflow).
Once the lines exit the overflow box, i will "T" them again and run another pipe down the side of overflow and connect two more return nozzles.(one on each side). The idea is that i will have two top nozzles and two lower nozzles providing return and also providing current throughout the whole tank.
-Another option is to just use the two top returns and add a dual tip to each....then extend one end so it can reach lower in tank. This is same idea as running the pipe but i will have less restriction since i won be using more "T"s.

The drain will have a maggie muffle on the top and be gravity fed.

The only downfall i have is that the overflow box extends into the tank more than i would have liked.

So this is my idea to get a good amount of water circulating through my tank and having the return provide most of the flow. (Less things to buy, less electrical power used, and free up power outlets.) Let me know what you guys think.



Edit: ill be using 3/4" return