Some Plumbing for Nikki

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mojoreef

Reef Keeper
Joined
Jul 5, 2003
Messages
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Sumner
Well here is what I have come up with for your closed loop babe. Take a peek and let me know and I will start punching in some holes and plumbing.
 
WOW!!!!

Looks awesome! Drill away! Can't wait to get it home and see for myself. I didn't see any Mojo brands anywhere in the drawing....hmmm.....I hope that's a good sign. :D
 
While it looks nice and great for a plumbing diagram for the space shuttle, I see a whole lot of failure points for plumbing seals to leak.

Call me a follower of the KISS theory. But really, keeping it extra simple has helped me in the past.

Just my opinion. Too many joints unions and o-rings to seep.

Drill away though, I'd love to have that much control and current in my tank.
 
I think you will get good random flow both up and down on this concept. with the MBV, it should be real skookum, lol. I am going to try to stuff the return from sump line in one of the overflows. Do you have some dimensions on the pipe coming out of the pump????


Mike
 
I'll get that for ya, Mike....and post in a little bit.
 
what is an Overflow Throff?:D

i am guessing that it is somekind of coast to coast thingy.

looks good. looks very similar to a system i designed for someone else's 150. they wanted a center overflow for the sump though.

G~
 
Yea G~ its a connecting overflow that spans between the two coner overflows, its about 3 inches deep. I like them as they pull the whole top of the water off the surface of the tank. great from removing detritus.


Mike
 
i guess it also goes with the duraso standpipe. Mike you been playing with the clams to much.;)

G~
 
Throff!

I think mike meant trough lol.

Looks really nice! I can hardly wait to see that baby in action!
 
i know flow is everything, but could you use a slightly smaller pump? if you could, then you could put the inlets up in the THROFF. that would keep two less holes in the viewable area. it would also keep critters from getting sucked up against the inlets.

another suggestion is to put a drain right next to the pump inlet with a ball valves on non-pump side and a ball valve on the outlet side of the pump. that way if you have to service the pump you do not need to drain as much water out of the CLS.

G~
 
On the CL input, why are you sucking in from two points?

I don't see anything wrong with so many holes, if you make one you just assume make a dozen. Nice work Mike!
 
Why do a dozen holes? 10 outputs, 2 inputs for a closed loop?

I dunno, but I just think that is excessive.........on a 100 gallon tank? I think you could cut that in half and still have 1 input 4 outputs and still have tons of circulation.

I really didn't mean to bash the design so don't get me wrong, but all it takes is one lower mounted leaking 0-ring to make that dreaded 3:00 a.m. "silence of the pumps".

The trough overflow is great, but all you really need are 3-4 outflows up at the top back water level to circulate water in many dirrections, even behind the reef rock.
 
Hey mike,
Why the extra outlets on the bottom and no spray bar? I am going with a design quite similar for my 150.
Scott:)
 
I think the more outlets the better. Helps to keep the flow moving well without a lot of velocity. Also 2 returns on the C L is good incase of a blockage. Scott:cool:
 
Rocky Heap...just for clarification sake, the tank is a 120gal.

The flow is going to be high energy at the different levels. The ball valve is going to switch back and forth from left to right, and it will create nice circulation and movement....and keep detritus in the water column, etc etc. I also picture it like the crash and ebb of the way a wave works.

Mike, the sump pump (Mag 12) is 3/4" in and out, so to answer your question.... 3/4 inch.
 
Mike and nikki, I think it looks great. With some lockline you will be able to blow into all the little detritus hiding places. Much better idea putting the two inputs on top of each other vise side by side, that way they wont fight each other.
 
Ahh I guess I should have explained things a little better.
> why the big pump? well Nikki already had the pump and wanted to incorporate it.

>Why 2 inputs for the closed Loop?? the pump draws 3000 gallons and hour, that is alot of suction coming out of a 1 1/2 hole. that will make it more prone to sucking a fish against the screen, or snails or anything else that may wander passed it. using 2 inputs cuts the suction value in half, thus lowering the possibility of the above from happening. it also is a failsafe incase something clogs one input.

>Why 10 outputs?? hmm the concept of a motorized ball valve is that it throws the water from one side of it to the other (only one side is open at a time). On the pump nikki has it is 1 1/2 inch plumbing, with the use of locline on the inside of the tank you have to reduce the inputs down to 3/4. So if you do say as Rocky is suggesting and reduce it to say 4 outputs (2 a side ?) you have just effectively reduced your output of the pump from 3000gph to around 1100. seems like kind of a waste to me, but I guess it would be simpler?? the formula for doing this with out killing your pump is to double it so....5 times 3/4 inch returns, since it is swaping from side to side 5 on each side. this way no loss do to restriction on the output and less suction on the input.

I really didn't mean to bash the design so don't get me wrong, but all it takes is one lower mounted leaking 0-ring to make that dreaded 3:00 a.m. "silence of the pumps".

No offence taken at all Rocky, hopefully the above will let you understand how the plumbing works a little better. I hear ya on the leaking o-ring (none on this tank) or any type of disaster, ph melting down, having so much wattage 6 inches above the water, skimmer overflowing, pump seal breaking, lots of stuff to be affraid of.



throff is actually a word
Man G~ does this mean I am not going to make the spelling bee challenge??? lol I use dictating software on this laptop, guess I need to pay more attention...can I come back into class now??? haha

then you could put the inlets up in the THROFF. that would keep two less holes in the viewable area. it would also keep critters from getting sucked up against the inlets.
I am not sure what you mean?? have the CL inputs in the overflow??? then its not a closed loop, and will be subjected to drawing in air and bubbles.
another suggestion is to put a drain right next to the pump inlet with a ball valves on non-pump side and a ball valve on the outlet side of the pump. that way if you have to service the pump you do not need to drain as much water out of the CLS.
yea thier will be unions and ball valves at all critical maintence areas, just didnt want to draw them in.


szidls you dont need to have a spray bar to keep thing from settling on the bottom. On the bottom two outputs the one in the cornerwill sweep around the lower side of the tank, the one more to the middle will spray across to the other side. this should give good flow and not allow anything to settle, specially with the flow switching from one side to the other.

Mike
 
mojoreef said:

No offence taken at all Rocky, hopefully the above will let you understand how the plumbing works a little better. I hear ya on the leaking o-ring (none on this tank) or any type of disaster, ph melting down, having so much wattage 6 inches above the water, skimmer overflowing, pump seal breaking, lots of stuff to be affraid of.

So Mike,
Being the plumbing challenged reefer that I am. Are you using bulkheads with no O-rings on nikki's tank? Or what is the type of tank connection used here?:confused: Scott
 

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