return to tank

[urban79]

I was wanting to know what kinda pump and size of return lines should I use. 150g tank with a 30g sump. the feeds are 2 or 1 half.. dont know yet..

[erick]

It all is relevant to the amount of flow thru the filtration/sump/aquarium that you want. Also dont forget "head space" is very relevant (pump specs) as you loose pump pressure the higher up you go, every 1 ft looses pressure and every 90 degree bend equals 1 ft of head space....

[z28pwr]

It really depens what you are going to keep. For most FOWLR tanks you want to have the tank turnover 10X an hour. For SPS you want to have more like 15 - 20 X the tank turnover if your drains can handle it.

[urban79]

well I got 2 over flows. That are 2inch bulkhead. thats all i really done so far. Its going to be a sps tank.

[caferacermike]

I always say, Eheim. A 1262 would make an awesome sump return if you have supplemental streams in the tank.

I've been getting schooled a lot recently that if your skimmer is in that sump you may not want so much movement in the sump. As in it would be better to have a slow sump with a closed loop pump for making the actual motion in the tank. I run my 75gwith a 1262 return. It may actually be a little fast of a turnover in the sump/fuge. I also have Tunze 6060 and Seio M620's in the tank as the actual current.

[erick]

I agree on the Ehiem. I have an old one that I am running, and it seems to be under spec'd. I believe its an old 1260, and it pumps about 900-1000 gph with over 4 ft of head!! I have it located in a 10 gal sump, which feeds off of another 10 gal trickle filter, with some live rock... It seems to have some protien buildup on the surface (of the sump) and I was planning on putting a small protien skimmer in there also to catch the extra..The Ehiem doesnt seem to create alot of turbulence in the sump from the intake (old style, no nozzle). I am running a return line of 3/4 to 1-1/4" at the tank, spread out by two jets. " The 2" bulkheads should drain an adequate amount of water, just put a gate/ball valve to regulate if you need to, also plumb the same type valve into the return line for same reason. Good luck, go slow, no leaks!