Advice needed on 50 gallon FOWLR

[chromis]

Hi all.

I am just coming back to the hobby. I sold everything a few years ago and now I feel that nag coming back.

My very first tank was a 50 gallon and I still have it so I've decided I want to put a few chromis in and a single cinnamon clown; nothing too fancy. I am trying to work with what dry goods I have remaining. As for usable equipment I have a 660 IceCap, 4x 36" VHO (2x actinic, 2x daylight), a tank and stand, an old PLO light, and thats about it. I do have a couple skimmers. One is a 500 gallon Beckett-style but it is way too big and I cracked it. I also have an old CPR SR-4 skimmer. The crappy Rios it used are long dead so I would probably need a new pump (different brand). The skimmer wasn't bad and I'm sure I can mod it.
My return pump is 1350 gph which is a bit much but I do have a Mag 24 pump I used to use for the Beckett skimmer that might do. I can drill the 50 because I have a diamond drill bit floating around somewhere. I might even have a 2" bulkhead stashed away somewhere.

I don't want to spend too much. I was thinking about filling the tank with regular tufa rock but I hate the way it browns. Maybe I'll do 50/50 live to tufa but I need to find some good (but cheap) liverock.

I was doing some reading and I have decided on a manifold for the return. I have three pumps currently. One is a Quiet One which I'm not sure even works anymore, one is a Little Giant 4MDQX, and the other is a Mag 24. I was thinking of using the Little Giant pump. It is rated for 900 gph at 5' but this does seem a little strong for a 50 gallon tank. Do you think the maniform would reduce the flow of this to a more acceptable rate? Also, can either the Mag or the LG pump be restricted in flow with a gate valve? I know that some pumps end up with bent impeller shafts if it's done. I figured a magnetic pump wouldn't suffer this. If this is so, I could just use the Mag.

Thanks for any input.

[Woodstock]

I can't answer your plumbing questions, sorry.

Welcome back!!!

[mkpaulson]

Welcome to the reefs sanctuary!
my first tank was a 75 gal. and I used a Little Giant 4MDQX pump for my return. I used a ball valve on the discharge side to reduce some flow to the tank and it worked ok, I would get a try.