Plumbing questions for a first build

Pth03001 · Jun 13, 2017

Hey everyone, thanks for looking at the thread and giving what advise you can.

SO, I am building my first tank which will be a 180 gallon reef ready tank with a Trigger 39 underneath it. I am at the point of plumbing the tank and I've been seeing differing opinions on one piece of plumbing I am (was) considering, Check Valves. I've watched videos (thank you BRS) and read a bunch of forums and I'm finding a split on opinions. What are everyone's opinions on George Fischer Wye Check Valve or the Spears True Union Check Valve. I like the idea of having the fail safe to prevent my basement from flooding (so does my wife) but I keep seeing posts with people saying check valves can and will fail in pure Murphy's law fashion. So, thoughts?

And bonus round question, as part of the deal I got on this tank I ended up getting a UV sterilizer. I have a BRS carbon GFO reactor that I will put into the sump as well (pump included in the package). I was wondering about the best placement for this item. My first thoughts were to place the reactors separately on the return line using gate and ball valves for when they are in use. One problem though exists in this plan though, I was shooting for a in sump refugium which could be a "safe" zone for copepods to flourish for the possible introduction of a mandarin once the tank stabilizes for a year or so. With this safe zone in mind would it be better to have the items interconnected in the following fashion => intake line with water pumping from post filter sock, pre protein skimmer chamber, water flows though reactor and then through the UV sterilizer and finally drains into the protein skimmer chamber. Would this be an advisable plan or am I going about this all wrong? Any suggestions on how to best implement these items? And lastly should I simply choose to find a cheapo tank and create a separate refugium chamber instead.

Well if you made it to the end of this post then I am very thankful and appreciative of the time invested. I am looking forward to hear from your opinions and some creative solutions if there are any to be had. Thanks again!

swensos · Jun 13, 2017

You can design the system to not require a check valve, which I think is safer than relying on one since they can clog or get stuck.

To do this, you need to have the lowest part of the system designed to handle the backflow from all the pipes and whatever water could be siphoned from the display. Also, more importantly, you want the return to only barely be under the water level in the DT so only a small amount is siphoned back.

For my tank, my sump completely fills with the water from my pipes and my overflow and my return terminates about a quarter inch below the water line in my DT. This siphons out a quarter inch of the tank, but doesn't overflow my sump

For your second question, I think there are multiple ways to have your sump have a refugium and have reactors. My setup us refugium/ return chamber / skimmer chamber. The overflow drains into the skimmer chamber, and I've teed-off a manifold from the return for the reactors. I have a slow trickle of water draining into the refugium to slowly cycle water and overflow back into the return.

bif24701 · Jun 13, 2017

No check valve, your sump is large enough to handle the back flow as long as your overflow stand pipes are just low enough to keep the water in it below the water in your tank, about an 1-2" is good. This also reduces and noise from water going into the overflow/s. Second your returns need to be close to the surface so not too siphone much water from the display down to the sump. If you can find a good spot to drill a tiny hole somewhere in the returns so that it won't shoot water out the tank but will suck air when pump shuts down is a good way to prevent siphon quickly.

Putting multiple reactors and a UV on the return causes an unstable flow to the display which can cause problems tuning the drain and quieting it down. Also having multiple valves cause inconsistent pressure to all the equipment when you adjust only one of the valves. Since both the UV and reactors need very little flow I would get one small pump for all accessories.
Also if your display is a floor above the sump your going to want to remove all the pressure lose you can to the display for optimal flow right? I used a Maxijet 1200 each for my dual BRS reactors and UV, a pump for each.

Pth03001 · Jun 13, 2017

Thank ya'll for the quick replies to my questions. I'm glad to hear that I can simplify my design a little bit and be more successful in the process. I am planning on putting in a bunch of unions so if circumstances change I can still be flexible with the setup. If anyone else has some advise or even "wish I would have" recommendations when it comes to plumbing and sump work I am all ears. Thanks again!~

bif24701 · Jun 13, 2017

Pth03001 said:
Thank ya'll for the quick replies to my questions. I'm glad to hear that I can simplify my design a little bit and be more successful in the process. I am planning on putting in a bunch of unions so if circumstances change I can still be flexible with the setup. If anyone else has some advise or even "wish I would have" recommendations when it comes to plumbing and sump work I am all ears. Thanks again!~

Use threaded fitting in bulkheads, I used a threaded adapter so they can be taken off not cut. Lots of Unions. Sch 80 fittings are more durable I use them only, even if I have to order them. Cepex valves from BRS are as good as they say. The True Union ball valves from hardware stores are not too bad either. Use the largest diameter PVC you can for the plumbing. Reduces head pressure lose and increases flow. Even if your return or bulk heads are smaller, it still will count.

bif24701 · Jun 13, 2017

Also get you skimmer first before the sump, that way you are sure it will fit.

DC return pumps are great, I have a Varios-6 and it's great

What kind of drain system do you plan to use? Important***

Don't forget thread tape

Are you comfortable with glueing PVC, if not watch a few Videos.

Do not glue your stand pipes in the overflow, no risk of leaks and can be taken apart is a snail or fish gets stuck in it.

Use a few inches of soft silicone tubing on your return pump between it and the rest of the plumbing. This helps to greatly reduce vibrations and noise.

Do not use metal clamps anywhere, they will rust even if Stainless.

BRS has a lot of very useful fittings that can make your plumbing easier, simpler, shorter, or use less of them and reduce friction.

Big box hardware stores have SCH80 PVC fittings and unions in stock where the sprinkler system stuff is, or near by. Don't use nylon barb fittings they cost a lot more.