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Did he say 1 3/4” as in inch and 3/4 .. maybe a you misread?Why any aquarium builder, particularly in that size range, would still use 3/4” bulkheads is beyond me. All 1” at a minimum, with 1 1/2” even for a couple of them. I guess I’d use one of the 1” bulkheads as a siphon and the other as the open channel. Depending upon your goals for return flow, I suppose you could use one of the 3/4” bulkheads as the return with a pressure rated pump and then the other three as bean drains. 3/4” siphon drain is probably 500-600 gph max. Either way you’re going to need a pressure pump with 3/4” returns otherwise you’ll be lucky to get 500:gph. Kinda lame. Planet aquarium bottoms are PVC if memory serves .... can you overdrill bigger holes?
You can upsize the 1" drain plumbing to 1-1/2" or even 2" after the bulkheads (below the box) to increase full siphon velocity. Then a Herbie is all you need and use the 2 x 3/4" holes for return plumbing
I upsized mine from 1-1/2 bulkheads to 2" plumbing right below the back box. It purges quite quickly. My main drain is below the sump waterline, as it should be.I would think that if you upsize the plumbing to a larger diameter after the smaller bulkhead size, that you would make it more difficult to purge all the air out in order to create a full siphon, no?