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Sure, see below.@OCDean would you mind posting some pics of your externally plumbed fuge and explain how flows work? Have you ran into any problems when the pump is off?
Sure, see below.
Just noticed that your 525xl has the original sump and mine is the v3 design, so my return chamber is next to the partition that I drilled which made things a bit easier for me. Not sure if it will work for your setup, but perhaps this might inspire some thinking for your design. By the way, that's quite the impressive plumbing setup!
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions or if this helps your build. : )
I'm no plumbing expert but I do think that will work for you. Someone else may chime in with flow expectations, etc. My external refugium is gravity draining to my return section in the exact same manner as yours. The refugium's water level is several inches above the return chamber's water level and gravity does it's thing. Not sure if you will get the desired flow, so perhaps someone with more expertise will chime in there. But in answer to your question, I do agree that the 5" will be enough gravity. Water will always take the path of least resistance and flow downhill. Unless you're in space, that could change things a little! : )Well, I've got the dry side of my cabinet completely emptied, a small equipment cabinet built, and all my Apex gear and power supplies moved into it. All the equipment for the fuge expansion have arrived and I was just about ready to drain my sump and start drilling it when I started to think about an alternative option.
What if I don't drill the main sump on the left and just have two external durso drain pipes to pull water out of the refugium? I can put the refugium on a little riser/stand to give gravity a boost. Here's an updated drawing of it:
By taking this route, I will only have to drill the two bulkhead holes in the refugium tank and won't have to drill anything in the existing sump. The one question I really need help with:
Will 5" of vertical drop be enough gravity force to create a siphon in the main external durso downpipe?
This design will save me from having to completely drain the main sump, reduce the risk of cracking the main sump during drilling, and will give me about another 4 gallons of total water volume in the refugium due to me being able to raise the water level above the main sump.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I'm no plumbing expert but I do think that will work for you. Someone else may chime in with flow expectations, etc. My external refugium is gravity draining to my return section in the exact same manner as yours. The refugium's water level is several inches above the return chamber's water level and gravity does it's thing. Not sure if you will get the desired flow, so perhaps someone with more expertise will chime in there. But in answer to your question, I do agree that the 5" will be enough gravity. Water will always take the path of least resistance and flow downhill. Unless you're in space, that could change things a little! : )
Cool! I suppose in your case because you aren't drilling the sump, if you don't end up liking the final setup you could always reverse the changes....?Flow is definitely my concern here. I've done these types of short-run siphons before when I had the little 4gallon ATO converted into a fuge, but that was a lot less volume of water. This new fuge will handle 100% of the flow from the display, so we're looking at around 500gph.
I'm gonna roll with it. I can always add a 3rd durso which would make it a bean animal to provide some protection if I needed it.
I'll get the table saw out and start making the riser/stand for the tank and drill some holes for the bulkheads in the new fuge. I'll post pictures with progress.
Cool! I suppose in your case because you aren't drilling the sump, if you don't end up liking the final setup you could always reverse the changes....?