New to the hobby, went overboard...

[Fahzza]

its a 30 gallon sump on a 240 gallon tank, and the return pump was only rated at 1021 gph at the nozzles. I replaced the pump for one that does 3100 gph at the nozzles, but the sump is getting a check valve to prevent back siphon.

 

[kpiotrowski]

its a 30 gallon sump on a 240 gallon tank, and the return pump was only rated at 1021 gph at the nozzles. I replaced the pump for one that does 3100 gph at the nozzles, but the sump is getting a check valve to prevent back siphon.

wouldn't ever rely solely on a check valve. thats just me. the faster you flow water into your tank the higher the water rises, the more residual to fill your sump when the return pumps shuts off. are you increasing sump volume then?

 

[trido]

Well, Had a guy who's been doing reef tanks million years come over and look at me setup. Skimmer is in fact what i suspected...rubbish, and the sump and pump are too small. so much sadness. Poor Amex

Just because ONE guy who has been keeping tanks says it. It does not make it 100% the only way. I agree that your sump is small. A 55-150 gallon sump would be better. I only see one overflow on your tank. How big is your Bulkhead to let water into the sump? Are you sure you need a 3000GPH return pump? I only have a 1200GPH return pump on my 210 gallon tank because that is all the overflows are rated for.

 

[Msandman13]

I would buff it out before u put water in it. They buff out really good

 

[Fahzza]

how do I determine what my overflow is rated for? Also the scratches have all been buffed out, by a professional that does acrylic repair...did fantastic work. actually made the tank more clear than when i bought it.

 

[reefman069]

how do I determine what my overflow is rated for? Also the scratches have all been buffed out, by a professional that does acrylic repair...did fantastic work. actually made the tank more clear than when i bought it.

how big is the bulkhead in the bottom of your overflow box. i have a two inch bulkhead and i am running 2 mag drive 18's for my returns on my 360 gallon.

 

[Fahzza]

it's 1" 1/2 drain and 2x 1" returns

 

[trido]

I just did a google search and found a couple charts. The maximum gravity fed rating for 1.5 inch pipe is 2100GPH. It's never a good idea to max out your overflows so you should look for a pump that can push a maximum of 2000GPH before head loss. 1500-1800GPH would be ideal.

 

[trido]

Here is a chart that will show you some average ratings.

 

[trido]

Here is a chart that will show you some average ratings.
YOu can see that your 1 1/2" pipe will handle up to 1400GPH with gravity feed, no Siphon. With a siphon, requiring a bean animal or herbie style overflow you can then use the larger pump the reefer recommend to you

View attachment 44969

 

[Fahzza]

This is what happens when you are the greenest of rookies and you take the advice of very adamant hobbyists.

 

[reefman069]

I just did a google search and found a couple charts. The maximum gravity fed rating for 1.5 inch pipe is 2100GPH. It's never a good idea to max out your overflows so you should look for a pump that can push a maximum of 2000GPH before head loss. 1500-1800GPH would be ideal.

hey trido. clean out your pm box. it is full and i can't send you a pm

 

[trido]

hey trido. clean out your pm box. it is full and i can't send you a pm

Done.............

 

[reefman069]

very easy to go overboard on this hobby. well i think you started off with a very nice tank. bigger the tank the more easy it is to keep you levels correct. most people start with a small tank and soon wish they had a bigger tank. a fish tank is never done with all the new technology that is coming out. i can't wait for the new controller for the waveline dc pumps. you can hook them up to a apex and have the pump rev the rpms up and down. that should make a very cool wave in the tank. very cool.

 

[Fahzza]

I plan on purchasing a MP60 next week. for the non overflow end of the tank. I want to make sure i have proper flow levels. Thanks for the compliments on the tank. Im not even done and I already want another upstairs

 

[reefman069]

right on. the mp60 are lots of $ and they get really hot and they are loud. have you looked into the jebao wp's. they are 1/4 of the coast and do not make much noise. very cool pumps for your money. you haven't even got to the best part of the tank yet. stocking the tank with fish is lots of fun. make sure you do your research on the fish your going to get. so do you plan on putting coral in this tank in time?

 

[Fahzza]

Eventually I'd like to do coral. I heard Jebao's have no warranty, and need replacing every year or so. I'd rather buy quality over quantity.

 

[reefman069]

the jabao's are new and haven't even been out that long. we will see. the noise of the mp60's would drive me nuts. buzz buzz buzz. i couldn't handle it.

 

[Fahzza]

it's not likely that the noise will a problem, it will be mounted to the tank inside a wall that is surrounded my more walls and then cabinets...also, while im far from an expert on pumps, it seems more wise to trust a well established brand than a new import of questionable reliability. I call it questionable because as you state...they are new. also look how BIG they are. my tank is pretty streamlined...the tank itself is a beautiful thing even without anything in it. I'd like to keep it looking streamlined.

 

[kpiotrowski]

This is what happens when you are the greenest of rookies and you take the advice of very adamant hobbyists.

we are all adamant lol!

my experince with vortech's are I had two new mp40's, one for a year and one for 1.5 years )bought one six month later, sold them together). there are noisier than I like....and the kind of mechanical whirr that was really unatural to the aquarium, but that was on 3/8 thick aqrylic. I noticed the diffenece in wear on them and wouldn't buy them again. on my 300g I went with a closed loop and ocean motions device.

last I was there barrier reef had a mp60 on thier display. you could as them to turn it up for you and give it a listen.