Help me design my new 240gal setup!

[Slickdonkey]

Here's draft 2 of the closed-loop plumbing. I switched from the 8-way to 4-way OM, eliminated the center suction, and moved the remaining two to the top sides of the tank. Also added exits above the sand bed on the sides instead of the over-the-top return.

What do ya'll think?

View attachment 11194

 

[Scooterman]

WOW look at them holes LOL, I'd put the two inlets like Mike said no need to run plumbing all over for that.

 

[Slickdonkey]

WOW look at them holes LOL, I'd put the two inlets like Mike said no need to run plumbing all over for that.

I'm not sure what you're getting at here -- are you suggesting putting both inlets on one side?

 

[mojoreef]

Yea put them both on the same side and they will share the same pipe, just split them before you go into the tank. The concept thier is to divide the suction between the two so you dont suck in a fish. Also incase one gets clogged you have a secondary one.

On your plan it looks fine, I would do the two center returns the same ways as the outside ones. Also I would raise those bottom outputs to be at least 6 inches above your proposed bed.


Looking good


Mike

 

[Slickdonkey]

Ok, I get it. My thinking was that it would be better for flow to have suction on each end of the tank. If it doesn't make that big of a difference, you're right, it's simpler to do the suctions off a single pipe.

 

[Slickdonkey]

Here's the final draft closed-loop, hope I didn't miss anything this time around. The center section isn't quite drawn to scale. I thought it would make sense to mentally divide it into three sections of 13-1/3" and put the bulkheads on these imaginary vertical lines. So the four bulkheads in the center section are really closer together than they appear on the diagram.

View attachment 11211

I see the OM 4-way is available in the following configurations:

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Version 1 - has outlets running sequentially, (ie) 1, 2, 3 , 4.

Version 2 - will give a delayed sequence 1 & 2, 2 & 3, 3 & 4, 4 & 1

Version 3 - has them opposed,( ie) 1 & 3, 4 & 2, repeated.

Version 4 - Designed for use with 4 "revolutions" water is sent to 3 outlets at the same time, the centre drum prevents water from entering one of the outlets which in turn, allows the "revolution" to index to a new position.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Which one to choose? My pick would probably #2 or #3. Too bad you can't reconfigure them to see which works best...

 

[mojoreef]

version 2


Mike

 

[Scooterman]

Sickdonkey I think you have it

 

[reedman]

I think you're going to be real happy with that setup

 

[LakeEd]

Has any one used the OM revolutions devices before? These look cool; it would be neat to incorporate these into the design somehow.
QUOTE]

These look very interesting to me as well... and I'd be interested in hearing if anyone has had any experience (good or bad) with them as well.

 

[Slickdonkey]

I wonder if it would be possible to plug them into the closed loop bulkheads instead of locline? It looks like they're designed to be operated in a vertical position though. Maybe I'll poke around on their forums.

 

[LakeEd]

I wonder if it would be possible to plug them into the closed loop bulkheads instead of locline? It looks like they're designed to be operated in a vertical position though. Maybe I'll poke around on their forums.

I beat ya to that one.

Yes, you can plumb them into the bulkhead instead of using locline... but you need to come out about 2"... then add a 90... so they are upright.

 

[Slickdonkey]

I beat ya to that one.

Yes, you can plumb them into the bulkhead instead of using locline... but you need to come out about 2"... then add a 90... so they are upright.

Hmm, that sounds like it would look ugly. I'd want to paint the PVC black too, or use a gray elbow. It is a neat idea though, I'll stew on it some more.

 

[LakeEd]

Hmm, that sounds like it would look ugly. I'd want to paint the PVC black too, or use a gray elbow. It is a neat idea though, I'll stew on it some more.

I think they would have about the same look as using a Sea Swirl in the tank. The only time I've seen the Sea Swirl on a tank (when BigDave had his tank setup) I was so impressed with the moving pattern, that I didn't mind the look of them at all. Not sure if that look would get old... and I'm hoping someone will have some personal input on these.

 

[bc_slc]

Looks great slick. I also agree the version 2 would be nice. Now what size PVC for drain and output? and do you plan to "Y" the inputs and size down once they enter the tank through the bulkhead?

I have two seaswirls 1/2" and 3/4" T'ed from my return. They are awesome. The way the oscilate and rotate is great and they are very low profile with just their nose being visible in the tank. They have to be done over the top however as the motor part cannot get wet and has to rest on the top of the tank.

The pics below have the 1/2" seaswirl plumbed up through my overflow. It T's within the overflow box and then runs out to the seaswirl on the right back corner. About a month later when I purchased the 3/4" seaswirl, I raised the "T" out of the box and run 3/4" PVC to the left back corner 3/4" seaswirl and run 3/4" pvc to the right and then size down to 1/2" pvc before the seaswirl. This helps to prevent the majority of the flow from taking the path of least resistence to the larger 3/4" swirl.

Pics below:

 

[Slickdonkey]

Nice pictures.

I had planned to use 1.5" PVC for both drains. As for the outputs, I also planned to use 1.5" PVC and reduce to 3/4" at the bulkhead. I think this would give some backpressure to even out the flow between both outlets on each tee. Also, that's the biggest size for locline, I think. Inside the tank I'll attach a Y-locline to each bulkhead.

What's your opinion on the maintenance for the seaswirls? I've heard they're prone to salt creep and can break down fairly regularly.

 

[reedman]

I run two that I got used and have yet to have a problem with either. They work great as far as I'm concerned. I have zero salt creep on them (except when I set stuff on them, but that's my own fault).

 

[Slickdonkey]

Maybe this would be worth posting in a new thread, but if I use my Hammerhead for the CL pump, can anyone suggest a return pump and/or utility pump?

The sump is going to be in the crawlspace, so there is about 12ft of vertical head, plus maybe another 8ft of head loss from plumbing (per RC calculators). If I'm looking for a flow of say 1500-1800gph through the sump, what's the most efficient pump to do this with?

I also would like to run 300gph through the fuge, and between 700-900gph through the UV/chiller/chemical filter. I had planned to do all of this off the Hammerhead pump and either restrict the pump output or divert some of the output back to the sump if there was any leftover capacity. However, I'm open to the possibility of running a separate pump for these if necessary.

My thinking, and some of the comments here, was that the Hammerhead is too much pump for what I need. But with this much head pressure and the need for a separate utility pump, this isn't such a clear-cut decision. The 20ft head alone rules out a lot of the pumps.

I'd appreciate any input on this. I'm back to thinking maybe a Hammerhead or Barracuda would be the way to go afterall. I know there are pressure-rated pumps available but man, look at the amp draw on those babies!

 

[bc_slc]

I love the sea swirls. I also bought mine used (both of them) and have had no problems with them so far. No salt creap except a few places along the PVC where I have yet to PVC cement the connections (in case I want to change it), but no salt creap on the actual unit itself.

 

[Scooterman]

Sequence makes a series of SW pressure rated pumps that would fit your bill to the tee, they are called UNIO! I also like the Jap. models of IWAKI, Dolphin also makes some pressure rated, you have high head so I think the UNIO by Seq. would slam that monkey just right