(Newbie) The Tank arrived - baffled by the bulkheads

GuppyHJD

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My Aqueon 120 RR tank arrived today. It has two overflow towers. Each tower has a 3/4" and a 1" bulkhead. The tank came with two drain pipes for the 1" holes and two return pipes for the 3/4" holes.

My questions
1) The bulkheads that came with the tank have hose barbs for the plumbing to the sump. Should I use them with short sections of vinyl hose to the PVC over the sump OR should I replace the bulkheads with inside threaded bulkheads, and then use PVC down to the sump with unions?

2) Any recommendations on plumbing ? Should I use both returns and two return pumps? Or one pump up to a T to send water to both returns?

What else am I not seeing or thinking about?
 

JumboShrimp

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If it is the Aqueon Megaflow system, there is a very helpful how-to video online, mainly for the 'top side' plumbing set up inside the tank. Whether you want to plumb below the tank by going with soft or hard plumbing (or even a combo) is a little bit of personal preference, and a little bit of a skill-level decision mixed right in. There, too, is where watching a few good plumbing videos will help-- like on Bulk Reef Supply and Marine Depot. Best wishes... go slowly! :)
 

tripdad

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It's personal preference. You can run flexible tubing from both returns into your sump. Keep them as separate hoses for safety's sake. I would run two return pumps for redundancy in case one fails you will not, hopefully, overflow the sump before the siphons stop. Most important thing..... read up on siphon breaks inside the tank on the returns. Make sure to either drill a small hole on the underside of the loc line blowing water back into the tank or keep the tips very near the water's surface. This will limit drain down into the sump in a power failure and stop a flood.
 
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GuppyHJD

GuppyHJD

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I have read a bunch and watched a dozen plumbing videos. The LFS recommends just using the equipment that came with the tank.
SOOOO....that would leave me at 2 durso drains and two returns. Placement is not an option since the holes in the tank determined which are drains and which are returns.
LFS is recommending using a short section of flex tubing from each bulkhead to separate the tank from any moving parts below. Using all flex tubing might be easier but from the other posts and videos, I am going to put gate valves in the return lines, as close to the sump as possible...this is supposed to help with the siphon/sounds. For now, since my return pump is a DC variable speed, I am going to use one pump and two ball valves up to the two return lines. Both return lines have a small hole drilled as siphon breaks.
Drilling the stand today.
 
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GuppyHJD

GuppyHJD

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Well I was wrong...the holes in the bottom of the tank are all sized the same and will take a 1" bulkhead. Order ordered 4 1" bulkheads with slip fittings from BRS and they arrived. I will use a bushing to reduce the 1" bulkhead down to 3/4" in the overflows so I can use the 3/4" return pipe supplied. Under the tank, all plumbing is going to be 1" PVC with a union about 1" below the bulkhead and then the drains will have a gate valve near the connection at the sump. The return pump at this point is going to be a single variable speed pump with flexible tubing about 16" up to a "T" in the 1" PVC going to the unions for the returns.

Any science or logic on which overflow opening outside or closer to center is the return vs the drain? For lack of any other plan, I am thinking the two holes closest to the center are the returns since they connect under the tank from the pump. The two outer bulkheads would be for the drains. Any tricks I am missing? Thank you.
 
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