circulation
- Thread starter rhidien
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shallowreef
Well-known member
Its not a bad idea. It cuts down on wasted space in the tank and uses less electricity.
Krish
RF STAFF
K...Here's how I did a really simple closed loop a while back that is on my friends 30 gal. The pump being used is a mag7
The aqua arrow points to the strainer/suction part of the closed loop. The little arch you see in the pipe work is so it can hang on the tank. The red arrow points to a cap that you remove when setting up the closed loop, you fill it with water and then once the water is filled in there, you put the cap back on and turn on the pump. It's basically gravity fed.
This is the website I got the idea from. This page shows how Marc made his using SCWD
http://www.melevsreef.com/closedloop.html
and this one shows how you can make your own
http://www.melevsreef.com/how_to_build.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/closedloop.html
The aqua arrow points to the strainer/suction part of the closed loop. The little arch you see in the pipe work is so it can hang on the tank. The red arrow points to a cap that you remove when setting up the closed loop, you fill it with water and then once the water is filled in there, you put the cap back on and turn on the pump. It's basically gravity fed.
This is the website I got the idea from. This page shows how Marc made his using SCWD
http://www.melevsreef.com/closedloop.html
and this one shows how you can make your own
http://www.melevsreef.com/how_to_build.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/closedloop.html
shallowreef
Well-known member
Krish, that looks like something NASA would come up with.
Krish
RF STAFF
I hope not
shallowreef
Well-known member
Does that thing kick out a lot of flow because that is one hell of stretch for that pump to kick out for the return.
Krish
RF STAFF
It tore up my friends 30 gal! You should see what it did to the sand! :lol: The stretch on the one in the photo isn't really that long. When I tested it on my 75gal to see if it worked, the it only hung down 2.5 feet from the top and with a closed loop you don't get head loss like a return pump would coming from something like a sump. I'm still trying to figure out the difference, but so they say, once it is a closed loop, you get full flow from the pump minus any friction coming from the 90's plumbed in
You should see what it did to the sand! :lol: The stretch on the one in the photo isn't really that long. When I tested it on my 75gal to see if it worked, the it only hung down 2.5 feet from the top and with a closed loop you don't get head loss like a return pump would coming from something like a sump. I'm still trying to figure out the difference, but so they say, once it is a closed loop, you get full flow from the pump minus any friction coming from the 90's plumbed in
shallowreef
Well-known member
Well thats cool.
moortim
Mountain Goat
ronj said:
I think the better question is has this not happened to anyone?:lol: :lol:
No, really if you are carefull, do your homework, and do it right you won't have a flood.
Krish
RF STAFF
The only way you will have a flood is if you don't glue the plumbing together properly or if the pump itself springs a leak. The problem with mag pumps is yes they can be used externally, but sometimes after taking them apart to clean the impellor and hooking it back up, sometimes they leak. That's why when I did my closed loop with the mag950, I suspended the pump above my sump just incase it sprung a leak, it would drip into the sump. Closed loops aren't a flood waiting to happen because if they were, then no-one would use them. That is basically the only means of circulation for a lot of the bigger tanks. Just make sure your plumbing is glued properly and you should be fine. I worry a bit about mag pumps because I've seen a few leak after some time, but there are other pumps just as cheap like Quiet One pumps which I will be using on my new setup that costed me $95 for 1502 gph. If you are the least bit worried about it leaking, then just sit the pump in your sump incase it happens to spring a leak and plumb it from there for your closed loop
BTW, that piece is called a union and that is there incase you need to service the pump, you just close that ball valve above it so that water won't continue flowing and you disconnect the pump by that union and replace it how it was afterwards to resume use (after re-opening the ball valve)
BTW, that piece is called a union and that is there incase you need to service the pump, you just close that ball valve above it so that water won't continue flowing and you disconnect the pump by that union and replace it how it was afterwards to resume use (after re-opening the ball valve)
well,i just got home from Lowes. it took an hour even though i had pics of everything i needed..i couldn't find one fitting, so i will be at home depot tomorrow...should i include the wavemaker in the loop? i went ahead and bought the adapter peices for it just in case
Krish
RF STAFF
Check your magdrive thread
One thing I wanted to add, once you start up the closed loop, you may have micro-bubbles for a while until all the air is worked out of the plumbing. Sometimes you can just shut off the pump for a few seconds and restart it to get rid of them. The last 2 closed loops I did (the one for my friend and mine) both got rid of the micro-bubbles in less than a minute.
Did you buy any pcv pipe yet? If so, did you get the flex pvc or the hard stuff?
Krish
RF STAFF
Ahh...If I would have known you were buying your plumbing I would have told you to get the flex Once you don't have too many bends in the plumbing, you'll be fine. When you get into a lot of bends and stuff, it adds friction which in turn causes you to loose a bit of flow. That's why I changed my closed loop from the hard stuff to the flex pvc. One basically straight run into the pump without any sharp bends. It can still be done with the hard stuff so no worries. Just try as best you can to use the least amount of elbows. (2) 45's is better IMO than a single 90 because the turn is more gradual than a sudden change in direction
Once you don't have too many bends in the plumbing, you'll be fine. When you get into a lot of bends and stuff, it adds friction which in turn causes you to loose a bit of flow. That's why I changed my closed loop from the hard stuff to the flex pvc. One basically straight run into the pump without any sharp bends. It can still be done with the hard stuff so no worries. Just try as best you can to use the least amount of elbows. (2) 45's is better IMO than a single 90 because the turn is more gradual than a sudden change in direction
