opinion on plumbing return configuration and return setup

My "fuge" will have ocean mud and a DSB... how is that not beneficial to the water in the main tank being filtered? Am I misunderstanding a fuge? I thought I build a fuge to protect my copepod spawns, grow macroalgaes on a light cycle that is asynch to the main DT lighting to help deter the larger PH shift you get when you straight up turn the lights off. Atop of that I thought the fuge was the 'filter'. Hence the DSB/Mud/Mangroves/Chaeto.

Thats why I was including it so much.... I thought the flow through the SUMP portion would be faster flow than the refugium compartment because you want slow water flow so the mangroves/chaeto can consume the nitrates from the water?

 

Sorry bje... I didn't mean to imply a fuge was meaningless to the main tank. Of course a fuge is very beneficial to the system. And I did see you were talking about a fuge turn over rate of 3-5x.

So.... I just meant that a "tank turnover rate" of what ever through the fuge means nothing to the tank flow... means a lot to the fuge.... the DT dose not care.

Your understanding is fine. Just the fuge has it's own requirements of flow separate from the display tank. There are two schools of thought about very low flow and much higher flow through the fuge. I've been reading some stuff recently about higher flow and tumbling the cheato works better. Have not made my mind up yet. I never had mangroves, but I thought those liked high flow. Luna could probably tell you better than me what type of flow Mangroves need.

These are little fine tuning issues. You will get it working best. At least now we all agree you don't need a 2000gph return pump.

 

lol yeah thats for sure no more 2000gph pump.

well with a 40 long i could have a high and low flow fuge

 

In your flow range the Eheim 1262, OceanRunner 3500 and Mag 9.5 are popular choices. I hate Mags personally as I have had trouble with 4 of them in the past so it would be the OR followed by the Eheim for me based on some testing I have done using a 1" flowmeter, KillAWatt meter, 10 psi pressure gauge, graduated containers and valves to monitor flows and power at different heads. I found the OR to be slightly better but very close to the Eheim and both blew others in the size range away including a Quiet One 4000, Rio HF and Via Aqua.

 

can i plumb the eheim? i personally like pvc because its easy to route and stays in one place. ive got a 8'x6' room to work with, so i dont care about aesthetics. id have a check valve for power outages and a union for maintenance on the pump i think

 

Yes, it's a 3/4" connection.

There is no real reason to use a check valve. Keep it simple. As long as you have room in the sump for the pump off. If not, you can use a check valve, but everything fails at some point. Plus they add resistance. A union and a ball valve is good.

 

The Eheims and OR are both easy to plumb. I always use a short section of clear or reinforced flex tubing off the pump so it breaks up any vibration and associated noise transmission. Its easy to transition to PVC from there. NEVER use a check valve in a saltwater aquarium, they fail, its not a matter of if but when and its usually when you are not home! It does not have to be a catastrophic failure, even a grain of sand, particle of food or a small snail can defeat a check valve and over time it can cause a flood. Always plumb your returns so they are just below the surface so only a small very easily calculated amount of water backsiphons before the return is exposed to atmosphere and the suction breaks. Some will recommend drilling holes in the return but that is also a failure point as drilled holes require regular cleaning and maintenance and even then whats to stop a snail or anemone from parking over the hole and plugging it. Don't chance it. If you are just starting out fresh its worth the time to do it right the first time. Drilled holes and check valves are often used to correct an existing problem which you should not have.
My 100G with a 30G sump siphons a maximum of 3.8 measured gallons back to the sump on a power outage and I always maintain about 8 gallons worth of freeboard or empty room at all times so flooding is not even a possibility. The returns are about 3/4" below the surface which is about the same as the teeth on the overflow so both break suction at about the same time with no worries about failing check valves or drilled holes.

 

Hey AZ.... I have a hum form my Ehiem, but it is hard piped. I thought about putting on some vinyl tubing, but at 3/4-1" they are usually pretty hard and rigid. I understand we want to isolate vibrations, but does it help that much?

 

I think it does myself. I've tried both ways and always use 6-8" or more of vinyl tubing now. If the O.D. of the barbed nipples is a concern I upsize the tubing from 3/4" to 1" or from 1" to 1.25" so there is less restriction inside the PCV or nylon nipples.

 

I think I'll have to give it a shot. I have not wanted the longer piece, but it is what is needed.