scuby_snax84 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 So I'm trying to nut out the plumbing side of my new Breeding rack and was wondering if this particular design would work and if anybody has tried similar with positive results. All bulkheads will be 25mm with 25mm PVC Pipe and elbows. The plan is to feed the drain from the top tier into the middle tier then the drain from the middle tier back to the sump. This way I only have to pump water from the sump to the top tier. Please see the attached picture. (Forgive my MSPaint Skills... lol) If anybody has an info or advice which could help this build I would greatly appreciate the help. Thanks in Advance Brenton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictoga Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Yer that would work. I would opt for larger main drain lines tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneakypead Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 If it was me I'd be putting inlets to all tanks not feeding the bottom racks with second hand water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuby_snax84 Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Why do you say that sneaky? Lic, do you think I go from 25mm down into a 32mm pipe then 32mm bulkhead inlet into 2nd tier? And still 2 x 25mm drains from 2 tier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lictoga Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Top teir 25mm bulk head, draining into say 32-40mm going to second teir then your 2 25mm drains per tank draining to sump as shown. Depending on how much lph your pump puts out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbunamad Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 If it was me I'd be putting inlets to all tanks not feeding the bottom racks with second hand water. I agree with this.Why have "dirty" water flowing into other tanks with inhabitants? Its not a huge issue but my tanks all individually fed back to the sump. If you need to quarantine/isolate a tank you just stop water supply to that tank and all others carry on as usual. JMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted December 8, 2015 Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Unless you have an over powered pump, i would put your return taps on a loop instead of a dead end. This will allow uniform pressure to all taps efficiently. And if you do have an over powered pump, i would add a bypass so you can recycle unwanted water back through your sump via biological portion. This will maximise pump use instead of just throttling the flow rate down and also allow you to isolate tanks but keep filter alive. You might have to medicate or remove tanks occasionally. Also - make sure your tank drains have pre filters if all tanks drain into one central pipe. A clog would be disastrous. You will find 90mm storm water pipe is more cost effective than 40 or 50 mm pressure pvc. I would drop smaller pipe into bigger pipe with an overlap to stop water escape. Don't glue or you won't be able to remove a tank easily. How are you setting water levels in each tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuby_snax84 Posted December 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2015 Ok thankyou all .You all raise valid points. I am going to avoid this and run individual water feeds to each tank with larger common drains. I hadn't considered setting water height, that point sealed the deal. What's the best way to feed the water back into the tanks? Pvc pipe? Poly pipe? I was thinking the 19mm black poly pipe(possibly smaller) through a corner cut in the glass lid all with individual taps. My other sumped setup I have bulkheads for inlet and outlet but was wondering if there is another easier way which doesn't involve more drilling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuby_snax84 Posted December 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 (edited) So this is what I have come up with for the water being pumped into the tanks. 19mm Poly pipe from Pump to the top and middle tier. Reducing Tee's above every tank reducing the pipe to 13mm then into a 13mm tap and down into a 13mm elbow which will sit just under the lid and aim the water flow forward. See attached picture. In regards to tank drains I am going to leave the top 8 tanks with a single 25mm bulkhead flowing into a common 40mm pipe and then to the sump. The two 4x2's on the middle tier will have a single 32mm bulkhead in each flowing to a common 40mm pipe and into the sump. So two 40mm pipes going to the sump. Any suggestions for further improvements? Cheers PS. Am going to be using a 4000lph sump pump. Edited December 9, 2015 by scuby_snax84 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msc0433 Posted December 9, 2015 Report Share Posted December 9, 2015 I have a set up that goes from 25 mm poly to 13 to the tanks and you need a high pressure pump to get decent water flow to the tanks. Try keep all the plumbing 25 mm minimum as you have a lot of tanks to feed water to. You loose LOTS of water flow from the pump when you restrict the size pipes it is pumping through I am running a aquel 10000 pump on a small setup and it struggles to get decent water flow to tanks as they are feed by 13mm pipes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted January 7, 2016 Report Share Posted January 7, 2016 I would use a complete loop to encourage uniform water pressure everywhere. Only a small alteration to your plan. Also agree your main line should be kept 25mm if possible. Rigid PVC pipes to the taps will be better than flexible polypipe unless you oversize the pump. It just depends what height you need to pump up to (head height) and what flow rate you are looking for. The tank cover with corner removed is not ideal for some fish species. You may have to stuff wadding to prevent escape as well. A more effective solution is to drill a hole away from edge and use flexible hose through. You don't need the elbow (side view) as this just reduces output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
