Help With Tank Upgrade

[JaminRat]

Hi,

I have just purchased a 55usg (4') tank second hand from my local reef shop who have assured me that it has never been used and was bought when they setup new displays but was surplus to requirement and only cost £20.

For reference the dimensions of the main display will be 48"x15"x18" with my nano becomming the sump dimensions 24"x12"x15" giving a approx volume of 70USG. I'll be using additional powerheads for circulation and aim for a total turnover of 20 - 30 x per hour.

The tank has been drilled ready with two 3/4" bulkheads (3/4" pipe size) which is great as I wanted to run a sump/ fuge but am not sure how much flow I should be looking at putting through the sump. I was thinking of using one bulkhead as a drain and the second as the return. Would this work?

Any input greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance

Ben

 

[SkiFletch]

Yup, sounds like a great idea provided both holes are near the surface . You want to aim for about 5x turnover through the sump, so around 300gph.

 

[JaminRat]

Cool thanks Ski, both holes are drilled in the base of the tank I'm thinking of a weir with durso standpipe in one corner and the other return going up to a spraybar running back to front at the waters surface to give plenty of surface movement.

Quick mockup

Would this be the quietest type of wier?
What pump would people recommend (would be approx 4' head)?

Thanks again
Ben

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, spraybars throw pump reccomendations quite the "curveball", since they're so variable in their pressure restrictions. Its really hard to say how much head loss a spraybar represents. Either way, you're sort of on the cusp of which pumps I'd reccomend. So, if you add a spraybar, go with either Mag 7 or Eheim 1260, if you go without a spraybar use a Mag 5 or Eheim 1250. In either case do yourself a favor and use 1" piping just to be on the safe side. Try to avoid extra right-angles, especially on the overflow side. Just as a point of reference, I use a Mag 5 on my 45g with no spraybar and its just a little too much. Would probably do well on a 55 though

 

[JaminRat]

Thanks Ski, I'll look into those although I'm not sure if the mag 5 or 7 is available in the uk. I'm a little limited with the plumbing as the holes are drilled for a 3/4" bulkhead but for the price I'm not going to complain. The same tank un-drilled would normally be around £60. I could use adapters either side of the bulkhead for 1" pipe but I'm not sure if their would be an advantage as it would still be restricted to the size of the bulkhead.
I was thinking of this for the overflow

Would this be the best option or is there a better system out their

 

[SkiFletch]

Use the adapters anyways, wider pipes still give less pressure drop, even if there is a significant restriction at the bulkhead. And that standpipe is perfect, just remember to allow air to enter that top cap on it, either by drilling a pin-prick hole, or just not tightening the threads