what size retun pump?

[tazdevil]

You asked about probs. w/rio's. Do a search with just the words "rio pumps" and you will get a ton of results about problems. I currently have 4 of them, a 2100 in sump, 3 200's in tank, 1 180 close to surface. (i'm sweating it that they won't fail till replaced). HTH

 

[tim000]

2poor2reef- I looked at those SS I cant afford something like that, and I was thinking since I already have some powerheads I will just use those for circulation. and for the closed loop that might a little much in IMO.

This is what I was thinking tell me if it will work or not, one 1.5" drain w/strainer, and a .75" return pipe to a spray-bar all powered by a mag700 or rio 2500. along with 3-4 powerheads facing each other in the tank for current. and hopefully down the road maybe this summer I will buy a wavemaker.

what do u think will this work or is it a waste of time?
thanks!

 

[Hammer]

The first consideration is what you want to have in your tank. If you want an SPS specific tank, you should shoot for 20 to 30 times turn over rate per hour. Most softy and LPS tanks prefer 10 times turnover or more.
Please note that this is unfortunately a rule of thumb. It is also neccesary to have flow in all parts of your tank to some degree. This is why many people have power heads buried in their rock work. It hides the power head, and provides flow in areas that are not easily accessible by returns or other currents.

 

[tim000]

if I had a 20-30x turn over rate, would it be ok with my soft LPS?

so for that flow rate I would want somewhere between 700-1000gpr in my 35g reef.

 

[SPC]

Tim, that will work fine. Keep in mind that you have been warned about the Rio pumps. Also power heads in a tank can cause alot of heat so keep an eye on this.
Steve

 

[2poor2reef]

That sounds good to me also Tim. I would make two suggestions. If the bulkhead for the drain is 4" below the top of the tank then I would attach a 90 degree elbow pointed up so that it raises the water level inside the tank and so that you will get some surface skimming. Second, I would place a gate valve or at least a ball valve somewhere in the return line between the return pump and the return outlet so that you can scale back the flow of the Mag 7 if you decide you need to.

 

[tim000]

thanks 2poor2reef, I actually do have a 90 ell attached to the drain with a little peice of PVS and a strainer so the water level right now is just above the black molding strip. and I will add a gate valve to the return line.
thanks for helping me out!