SCWD and current ?'s

ok so i had the flow in my 60gal long 48x13x24tank prefect for a while with 2 maxi jet 1200 at both ends, pointed at the surface, hooked up to wave timer. and 2 koralias 2 at both ends at the bottom pointed behind the rocks. well i decided to install a sump with a mag 7 as the return, now my flow is all gone to crap. very linear.
so i figured i try to use a scwd but dont know much about them. thats were you come in.

1)can the scwd be hard plumbed in or does it have to use flexible hose?

2)do you think it will restrict the mag 7 too much?
(at about 3.5+ ft head and the scwd wouldnt that render my sump useless as not much water is goin threw it)

3)the outlet on a mag 7 is 1/2" and the smallest scwd is 3/4" will this be a problem?

4) over all how do they work?do they switch too fast?

5)what should i sawp out for the mag 7 return ,what power heads?
what kinda gph in the tank should i shoot for?

 

The SCWD I believe is rated up to 1400gph, so assuming the Mag 7 is 7000 litres you will be fine. You do have to use flexible hose, but I used a hosetail to hard piping adaptor thingy! They switch depending on how much flow runs through them, so with your pump I would say it would probably switch every 4 seconds or so.

One thing I noticed with mine, which did annoy me a little was that it would produce micro bubbles when switching. It doesn't happen all the time and it may just be the way it is plumbed in. You will need to give it a good soak every 8-12 months otherwise it may get clogged up and stop working.

Overall they are not a bad device, I have heard good things about the oceanmotions, even though they are more expensive it may be worth looking into.

 

Can't see how possible SCWD could produce "microbubbles"...must be air coming from pump...

Is a great device...my "switches" about every ~10 seconds...think it must be based on how much pressure you are putting thru it.

True about maintenance....Kind of a pain to completely unplug...but will greatly extend life. My first one lasted 6+ years...working flawlessly on second...

Good Luck...

Let us know what you come up with.

 

I think the plumbing connections I used before the SCWD had lips on them so as the water went over it the water rippled, hence produced a load of bubbles!

It does work well and for the money you can't really go wrong. I would be happier if they produced a version where you didn't need to use flexible hosing, but that's just me!

 

you could aways use the 1" SCWD, it ios about 80 bucks and the switching time is much greater, at 720GPH its at 155 seconds.

 

Try Using Quick Disconnect Valves

What I did was use three quick disconnect hose valves at each end and removing the SCWD was painless. Just turn each valve latch and the unit drops off, the ring clamps with a small piece of hose attached to it is all that remains on the ends but thats not a big deal considering that it's the inside of the unit that you want to clean with a bit of vinegar and water.

 

Main Reason For SCWD

I think the main reason for purchasing the SCWD was the fact that it does not add additional heat to the aquarium water as additional powedheads would.

 

Omard, ever look in it? its basically a propeller that the flow from the pipe moves and it alternates blocking off one of the outputs. really siple yet effective. I run a 3/4 SCWD on my oceanrunner 900 (900GPH) and it switches every give or take 13 or 14 seconds