Yo! New 50 gallon reef tank plumbing question!!

[LetUsSeeYourLettuceSea]

Hello! I am building a Reef tank with a 50 gallon Seaclear acrylic tank, a 34" trigger sump, and an Eshopps M slim overflow. I need some assistance figuring out what size PVC/tubing to get to have approximately 500 gph per hour for the output. I plan to install a valve directly after the overflow to control flow to match the pump's gph, however the sizing is confusing me because I was told to use 1" for the intake line and then 3/4 for the return line. Also the fittings are making my head spin for some reason (I would be a terrible plumber) and am a little confused what type of bulkhead I should get to connect the output line to the bulkhead, and then some Locline probably. Any tips from all of you pros will be appreciated greatly!!

 

[laverda]

your flow will be a combination of things. The flow ratting of the pump your using at the head height you will have. It is best to use flow charts from the pump manufacturer to figure this out. Pump flow is usually rated at zero head. Head height is calculated based on the vertical height, horizontal length and any bends and fittings you use. The more of each you will have the less flow you will have. A well designed system on a 5' tall tank may have only 6' of head pressure, while a poorly designed system for the same tank could have 12' of head pressure. What pump are you using? Generally you want to match your piping to the output diameter of your return pump. You then want the drains at least one size bigger. For the drains you only have the pressure of gravity.

 

[LetUsSeeYourLettuceSea]

your flow will be a combination of things. The flow ratting of the pump your using at the head height you will have. It is best to use flow charts from the pump manufacturer to figure this out. Pump flow is usually rated at zero head. Head height is calculated based on the vertical height, horizontal length and any bends and fittings you use. The more of each you will have the less flow you will have. A well designed system on a 5' tall tank may have only 6' of head pressure, while a poorly designed system for the same tank could have 12' of head pressure. What pump are you using? Generally you want to match your piping to the output diameter of your return pump. You then want the drains at least one size bigger. For the drains you only have the pressure of gravity.

Thank you, I just found a 792gph adjustable flow pump (The varios-2 by Reef Octopus), do you think this would work if I dialed it down an bit and see what works best? Also for the drain will a 1" PVC work while my return has 3/4" PVC?

 

[laverda]

What size tank Re you going to use it on? What does the flow chart show the flow is at 6-7'? A single 1" drain is riskier than 2 would be or a 1.25". A restriction or blockage could cause the tank to flood.

 

[LetUsSeeYourLettuceSea]

What size tank Re you going to use it on? What does the flow chart show the flow is at 6-7'? A single 1" drain is riskier than 2 would be or a 1.25". A restriction or blockage could cause the tank to flood.

Hey it's a 50 gallon. I'm hoping for the best for no cloggage!