Return location

#1
I am planning where to drill holes for intake and return on my aquarium and have a question regarding the return location. I'd like them to be low on the back wall towards the bottom. If I run plumbing above the water line with an anti siphon then have it drop down to the return holes will it cause too much back pressure and will it end up being an enormous PITA? Here is a rough sketch....
 
#6

zombie

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#7
Good idea in principle. If you dont regularly maintainance the syphon breaks, I see a disaster waiting to happen. If I were you, I woyld install both siphon breaks and check valves and thouroughly clean both every 1-3 minths depending on buildup. If both fail you are still SOL with and entire tank crash, but two are much less likely to fail than 1.
 

zombie

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#8
You could try something like this too with loc line and that would give you some redundancy.

 

CRW Reef

Blue Whale
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#9
Frostyfish;313748 said:
The reason I want them low is because I am planning on making an in tank overflow box the entire length of the back wall. In my opinion drilling holes lower would avoid sending water from the return straight back to the sump, and help churn the water more.
So you are going to be building a coast to coast overflow? What size tank are you doing this too? Have you looked at the glass holes overflow kits? http://www.glass-holes.com/Overflow-Kits_c3.htm

In my opinion you are better served not worrying about the returns to take care of the flow, rather rely on power heads to cover the flow. However if you are relying on your returns to supply all the flow to the entire tank then I assume you are not planning to use the sump/refugium in the traditional manner of housing DSB (Deep Sand Beds), Macro Algaes or a skimmer as these things require low flow and you will need high flow through the sump area if you plan for the overflows to be the only means of flow in the DT (Display Tank).

* I agree with Zombie though you need to have some sort of siphon breaks in order to stop sump flooding when the power fails or return pump fails (its not if its when). If you plan to use a check valves in addition to the siphon breaks, I would recommend unions on both sides of it so that you can take out regularly and clean them.
 

zombie

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#10
If I am understanding him correctly, I think he wants it low to make sure freshly filtered water and critters from the sump enter the bottom of the tank so there is less chance that gets sucked right back into the sump. Not for flow. OP correct me if Im wrong.
 

FishTV

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#11
If you have good circulation in your display, I don't see the low return being worth the risk. Siphon breaks, and check valves make me nervous. I realize they work, but life always seems to get in the way of cleaning and maintaining things that seem to be working just fine.
 
#12
zombie;313761 said:
If I am understanding him correctly, I think he wants it low to make sure freshly filtered water and critters from the sump enter the bottom of the tank so there is less chance that gets sucked right back into the sump. Not for flow. OP correct me if Im wrong.
You got it, also they would be easier to hide. I'm not relying on them for flow though. I just want better surface skimming with the long overflow and better churning of the water with low returns.
 
#13
CRW Reef;313759 said:
So you are going to be building a coast to coast overflow? What size tank are you doing this too? Have you looked at the glass holes overflow kits? http://www.glass-holes.com/Overflow-Kits_c3.htm

In my opinion you are better served not worrying about the returns to take care of the flow, rather rely on power heads to cover the flow. However if you are relying on your returns to supply all the flow to the entire tank then I assume you are not planning to use the sump/refugium in the traditional manner of housing DSB (Deep Sand Beds), Macro Algaes or a skimmer as these things require low flow and you will need high flow through the sump area if you plan for the overflows to be the only means of flow in the DT (Display Tank).

* I agree with Zombie though you need to have some sort of siphon breaks in order to stop sump flooding when the power fails or return pump fails (its not if its when). If you plan to use a check valves in addition to the siphon breaks, I would recommend unions on both sides of it so that you can take out regularly and clean them.
It is a 30 breeder. I have looked at the overflow kits on the glass holes site. I would like to make my own overflow box that is the length of the back wall and as shallow and thin as possible without being flood prone or not draining enough water. I like the idea of more surface water being sent to the sump. I do plan on having chaeto and a sand bed in the sump and not relying on the returns for flow.
 
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