pneumaticbetta
Member
i have a 85 gallon setup and a 15 gallon sump. putting a larger pump will circulate more water? using two pumps would also circulate more water correct?
2 return pumps in the sump
- Thread starter pneumaticbetta
- Start date
panmanmatt
Well-Known Member
Using 2 pumps is not practical as they will have different flow rates and have the potential to overflow your tank.
prow
Well-Known Member
yes and yes.
panmanmatt
Well-Known Member
Even if you were to get 2 of the exac same pumps there is no guarantee that they will flow the same amount of water. One will always flow more than the other creating the potential for a flood. Even with the exact length of plumbing, same number of elbows and fittings there is going to be a difference in flow rates.
Jeremy0322
Active Member
I would just use one pump, it is much easier that way. What are you trying to do by using 2 pumps anyways? Just out of curiosity
pneumaticbetta
Member
well i already bought one pump and by adding another pump would probably be the cheapest way to get most water circulation. but i am convinced im just going to stick with one pump
prow
Well-Known Member
you dont need two pumps. if you just want more flow i would go with a closed loop. all the flow does not have to go through the sump. depending on what you want to do with the sump would determine how much flow should go through it.
but two return pumps is more than do~able. i have dual action return pumps
but two return pumps is more than do~able. i have dual action return pumps
zeus_roush
Member
i have two mag 7 return pumps on my 16 gallon tank and i dont have any problems what so ever. i have an external overflow on my tank as well.
Scooterman
Active Member
you dont need two pumps. if you just want more flow i would go with a closed loop. all the flow does not have to go through the sump. depending on what you want to do with the sump would determine how much flow should go through it.
but two return pumps is more than do~able. i have dual action return pumps
I agree with that why waste head pressure going through a sump when it sounds like all you want is more flow through the tank, making a Calfo manifold overhead CL would be easy to add to a tank without drilling holes & get great results.
You really can not run a lot of water through a 15 gallon sump without producing huge amounts of bubbles and probably a lot of over spray. A 85 gallon tank that is set up as a mixed reef tank would commonly have about 2550 gph of water circulating at any one time. A typical "Reef Ready" overflow system flows about 350 gph per overflow. Even a really good hang on back overflow would be hard pressed to provide 700 gph flow, and that would be very noisy through one overflow. So you can not pump any more water out of the sump then what your overflows can feed in to it.
A closed loop would be easy to set up and you will not lose any flow to static head. You can even avoid most of the friction head loss caused by pipes and fittings by using a pipe size at least one size larger than your pump exit and running up to your tank edges before reducing back down to the regular pump exit diameter. Or split it at the top and make a multiple return out of it.
An example: using a Pan World 50PX-X which has a 1110 gallon per hour and a pump exit of 1" diameter return. Increase to 1.5" diameter pipe, put in a true union then a ball valve then run up to near the level of the top of the tank then put in a true "Y" fitting or a manifold fitting then run to opposite sides of the back of the tank and reduce to 1" pipe. Then use ninety degree fittings and go over the edge of the tank and put a short piece of pipe with another ninety degree fitting that has female pipe threads on the end in the water and screw a bushing in the pipe that reduces the diameter to 3/4" and in this thread a Loc-Line 3/4" male adapter which has a swivel nozzle pressed on to it. You will have almost no flow loss and the combined areas of the two 3/4" nozzles is only about 10 percent larger than the 1" diameter pipe so the reduction in velocity will be small.
If this reply is too hard to understand as far as the types of fittings all the fittings but a true "Y" or manifold fitting can be bought at Home Depot or Lowes etc. The true "Y" fitting or manifold fitting would have to come from a place that sells, install and repairs Hot Tubs or Spa parts or Buy flexible pvc pipe at FlexPVC.com PVC pipe, hose, & pvc fittings online @ wholesale discount prices (flexable). I buy mine on line from flexpvc.com. They provide a smooth even split of the water flow allowing for very little friction and good even distribution preventing the need for ball valves to balance he flow as is often needed when using "T" fittings. The Loc-Line fittings I buy from Glass-Holes.com dope aquarium stuff.
Putting a closed loop circulation system that runs over the tank wall is a bit more obtrusive than a closed loop run through drilled holes, but that would require draining the tank to accomplish normally. There are a few tricks to putting in the inlet piping to the pump as you want to be able to prime the pump and have a good bit of water in the feed pipe prior to turning the pump on. This just require a "T" fitting at the top of the tank on the feed line with a simple pipe plug that can be removed to prime the pump and the feed pipe.
A closed loop would be easy to set up and you will not lose any flow to static head. You can even avoid most of the friction head loss caused by pipes and fittings by using a pipe size at least one size larger than your pump exit and running up to your tank edges before reducing back down to the regular pump exit diameter. Or split it at the top and make a multiple return out of it.
An example: using a Pan World 50PX-X which has a 1110 gallon per hour and a pump exit of 1" diameter return. Increase to 1.5" diameter pipe, put in a true union then a ball valve then run up to near the level of the top of the tank then put in a true "Y" fitting or a manifold fitting then run to opposite sides of the back of the tank and reduce to 1" pipe. Then use ninety degree fittings and go over the edge of the tank and put a short piece of pipe with another ninety degree fitting that has female pipe threads on the end in the water and screw a bushing in the pipe that reduces the diameter to 3/4" and in this thread a Loc-Line 3/4" male adapter which has a swivel nozzle pressed on to it. You will have almost no flow loss and the combined areas of the two 3/4" nozzles is only about 10 percent larger than the 1" diameter pipe so the reduction in velocity will be small.
If this reply is too hard to understand as far as the types of fittings all the fittings but a true "Y" or manifold fitting can be bought at Home Depot or Lowes etc. The true "Y" fitting or manifold fitting would have to come from a place that sells, install and repairs Hot Tubs or Spa parts or Buy flexible pvc pipe at FlexPVC.com PVC pipe, hose, & pvc fittings online @ wholesale discount prices (flexable). I buy mine on line from flexpvc.com. They provide a smooth even split of the water flow allowing for very little friction and good even distribution preventing the need for ball valves to balance he flow as is often needed when using "T" fittings. The Loc-Line fittings I buy from Glass-Holes.com dope aquarium stuff.
Putting a closed loop circulation system that runs over the tank wall is a bit more obtrusive than a closed loop run through drilled holes, but that would require draining the tank to accomplish normally. There are a few tricks to putting in the inlet piping to the pump as you want to be able to prime the pump and have a good bit of water in the feed pipe prior to turning the pump on. This just require a "T" fitting at the top of the tank on the feed line with a simple pipe plug that can be removed to prime the pump and the feed pipe.