I have no idea what I'm doing tbh
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I followed this with a Modular Marine bean animal overflow and boy it was a huge mistake. It was hell getting everything quiet after a water change. I even added a gate valve on my secondary pipe. I finally tore down the tank, took a huge chance, drilled the return hole larger and went with equal size PVC pipe. Problem solved!Well, i always tought that return pipe diameter is related to drain pipe diameter.
And always, i follow guideline that i read (or maybe heard) somewhere, and it says -
1" for drain, and 3/4 for return.
5/4" for drain and 1" for return.
6/4" for drain and 5/4" for return.
2" for drain and 6/4 for return.
So, basicaly, return is one number smaller than drain pipe, of course, main factor for determining diameter is pump flow and lifting height, and do one have splitted outputs, manifolds, etc....
For me, pumps are bit on weak side, two pumps, 4000lph each, and with 3/4" return pipe, two 1" drain lines have no problem, even with stronger pumps, all i need to do is open valve bit more.....
I have the same issue. I needed to reduce the power of my Vectra S2 because the drains could not keep up. When I first installed the pump, I nearly had a major flood.I have plenty of return flow capability. My problem lies with the drain flow. If I crank my Varios 8 past 35% the noise from the drain pipe is unbearable.
Awesome I didn’t know that!This can be true. There are different styles of fittings out there. If you get what is called a "full port" fitting it will have the stated diameter all the way through the fitting. So a 1 inch "standard" ball valve vs. a 1 inch "full port" ball valve will have different flow rates. The full port valve will be larger and that will need to be taken into account for the given application.
Here are a couple things that have caused that problem for me....
The feed pump. When you manually cycle it, it should run from 1 to 99 very quickly - if it is too slow (clogged filter), or if the one way valve is not working - or if it the valve is too stiff and impeding flow - you can get the same problem. I had to find a different one way valve, the one supplied by Deltec caused too much resistance. You can just try and blow through it to see how stiff the one way valve is. If your ears pop and your eye balls pop out - it's too stiff!
Also, make sure the effluent line is not submerged in the sump.
Faster turnover is better... but it depends on your sump design and returns.I know everybody is now saying 3-5x is "enough" or that's a good target or whatever.
But my question is this:
Is there a downside to having a higher return flow? Other than the cost/size of a stronger pump of course.
IMHO: Isn't a higher return flow = more aeration for the livestock, more stable heat/cooling for the livestock, and overall better particulate filtration?
Because we can agree that 1.) more aeration is better (assuming you dont have high CO2 room 2.) Stability is better.
So a quicker turn over will mean quicker distribution of dosing additives and more stable temperature (maybe slightly) if your heaters are down in the sump.
Also regarding the longer contact time with skimmer, I mean, isn't that dependent on your skimmer setup? Although yes, maybe there is longer contact time with the DT water, more water from the DT <> SUMP is flowing through, so if the fish took a poo, the faster the poo will be processed down in the sump.
For someone who likes to feed heavy and export heavy, I think the faster particulate filtration is beneficial on keeping nutrients in check. But i dont know, that's the way I see it.
Why is faster turnover better? As long as you have strong flow with your powerheads i see no reason why it's necessary to have fast turnover.Faster turnover is better... but it depends on your sump design and returns.
It comes down to practical limits. What can your sump handle without microbubbles?.... and if you run mechanical filtration, at some point high flow just overwhelms your socks and rollers. I voted that my flow was "fine" only because I would have to redesign my sump system to handle more.
My concern is keeping stuff in suspension and directing it to the overflows - so I don't have to siphon my bare bottom all the time. Still trying to figure that out!
I challenge you back! If you COULD turn your tank over more through your sump with no consequences or any kind.... why would you not?Why is faster turnover better? As long as you have strong flow with your powerheads i see no reason why it's necessary to have fast turnover.
This one of those assumptions that could use a challenge.
I'm interested in how you are setup - which peninsula do you have - what are the dimensions? What pump and return outlets - i.e. random flow generators? And did you place outlets through the base of your tank before installing or use the stock ones from the return? I personally feel this might be the best way to provide flow at the far end of a peninsula but involves cutting the glass (scary) and scaping around the outflows (probably not too bad but would have to try and ensure they stay free of debris in a sand bottom tank). We have a 6ft and getting decent varied flow at the far end is a challenge.My main goal was to eliminate pumps in the tank. Peninsula tank with no powerheads on the far side to muddy up the end panel.
So for me high flow through the sump was nessacary to push the return water all the way across the tank.
I know that people tend to not use their return as flow in the display but I designed my system with that intent.
I do have one powerhead to help with random flow but it is tucked away on the weir side and not ruining the look by hanging off of the far end of the tank.
Funny enough, my low flow area of the tank is not on the far side of the peninsula, it is on the bottom, below the weir and returns.