# Please advice...stand & sump questions



## a_bustamy (Oct 29, 2013)

Hello every one .

i just finish my Aquarium table with 2''x4'' , and this table is 2 levels , 1st level will take 5x 20gallons aquarium and the is 44'' high from the sump , and the 2nd level above will take again 5 x 20 gallons aquariums , and it is 67'' high from the sump .

the aquariums drilled with 1 3/4 Hole to tale 1'' bulkhead and all the bulkhead will be connected to 1.5'' PVC tubes to the sump .

The sump is 4x 18 gallon plastic containers then 20 gallon tank to take the heater and the sump pump . 
i did not drill the plastic containers yet , and i am thinking to dill it to take 1'' bulkhead too to connect them all together ,

from the sump i am thinking to connect from the pump to all the 10 aquariums with 1/2'' PVC ( i am not sure if i am right )

*NOW we will come to my questions :*

1. what do you think of this setup ?

2. what is the sump pump Size i should look for ? GPH ?


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## MEDHBSI (Sep 4, 2011)

I'd go with a minimum of 3/4 pvc for the return line 1/2 will be way to small. What size of pump are you putting in? so the sump will pump into the first 20g aquarium then it will go through all the other tanks with 1" bulk heads? are you planning on doing durso style piping to silence the whole setup or does noise not matter?


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## a_bustamy (Oct 29, 2013)

i was thinking that the water will go from the pump into the 3/4 or 1/2'' aprox 65'' high then a PVC T concocted to send water to the 1st level and 2nd level equally , then from the tanks water will go into 1.5'' pipe to the sump . 

durso style piping to silence the whole setup ??? do you mean the small hole to let the air go out ?? YES

and i m still searching what size pump i should buy ? GPH

what is the best ?
pump the water to all the tanks in same time from the sump with PVC T , OR pump water to 1st level up only , then the water will flow to lower level , then to the sump ? and witch one less sound because it will be in my basement .

Note : all the aquariums drilled in the right back , 3'' from the right and 6'' from the top


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## a_bustamy (Oct 29, 2013)

i am attaching photo of the plumping with the bulk head , but what is confusing me is the strainer , i saw some they put it down and some up , what is the best ?


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## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

It is less plumbing to pump water just to your upper tanks. Then run the overflows to your level below, and then again back to the sump. Noise will be about the same no matter what.

I use a Mag 12 on my 155g tank with a 46g sump, and am extremely happy with it. It's made of solid metal and is extremely durable. At 5' of head pressure it pumps about 800 gph (1200gph at 0ft head) through a 3/4 flexible pipe that I T once. That's a turnover rate on the tank of about 4.5 times an hour. This doesn't include the powerheads. I think that's a good amount of flow. You'll have approx the same number of gallons, or a little more, so I would get a pump at least that large.

Do 3/4 out of the pump, up to a 3/4 bar, and then 1/2 into each of the upper level tanks.

I use 2x 1 1/4" return lines, but that is more than necessary.

I also have a water detector alarm on the base of my sump that sounds like a fire alarm if it gets wet and should something start to overflow (Hasn't gone off yet!  ).

Have fun plumbing. It's lots of fun powering it up for the first time and seeing if you did it corriger.


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## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

My dursos have the strainers down.


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## a_bustamy (Oct 29, 2013)

for the circulation , i have nothing to circulate the water , this tanks will be to breed guppy and platy , do i need more circulation ?
and i was thinking to buy one like this PUMP OR like this PUMP

Don i need more strong pump ?

and about the Alarm is it like this one ALARM ?


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## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

Mag drive 12 pump. Amazon.com: Danner 12 Supreme Magnetic Drive Pond Pump, 1200 GPH (Black): Patio, Lawn & Garden

Much higher quality than the plastic ones you listed (in my opinion). Your cheapies don't list the GPH at different levels; bad sign. Mag drive performance here: marineandreef.com Reef Aquarium Supply (LED Reef Aquarium Lights, Aquarium Lighting, Coralife light, Aquarium Light, Aquarium Pumps, Coralife lighting, Reef Aquarium, JBJ Nano Cube, protein skimmer, JBJ Arctica, AquaticLife T5 HO, Oceanic BioCube, Re

Water alarm Zircon 63931 Leak Alert Electronic Water Detector Batteries Included, 3-Pack - Amazon.com

You can play around with the outlet lines to create flow. You want to make sure they splash down to create enough current in the tank, or have the outlets at the bottom of the tank. Otherwise your 'fresh' water will just go back out the overflow.


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## a_bustamy (Oct 29, 2013)

thanks for the info , i will start to look for the pump now


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## a_bustamy (Oct 29, 2013)

*what you think*

i am attaching picture of the setup i am doing , let me know what you think about it .
Note : all tanks to breed Guppies only

the total water in the aquariums will be 160 Gallons , and the sump will be 92 Gallons

from the pump will be 3/4'' pipe then a tee with valve and 1/2'' exit to each aquarium , in the back of the aquariums , bulkhead 1'' connected to 1 1/2'' pipe to the sump .

the sump will be finally 4X18 Gallons ( Plastic Containers) = 72 Gallons + 20 Gallons Glass Aquarium for the pump and the heater , so total 92 Gallons 
in the picture i wrote 19 gallons in the sump but it is 18 Gallons each.

Just finish the table , and drilling hols in the back of each aquarium , waiting the bulkhead to arrive to start plumping i will be posting photo as soon as i finish .

any advice before to start plumping ?

still thinking what pump size to get .


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## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

That looks good.

I've seen breeding setups that use dual pumps in case one goes down. A line from each pump going through one way valves. Of course you'll also want multiple heaters.

It's easier to oversize your pump (s) a bit and dial it back if need be with a ball valve.


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## a_bustamy (Oct 29, 2013)

sure i will put one way valve , but what size pump do you think will work good for this setup ?about the sump i don't have too much space to make it bigger , but i can add a 55 Gallon drum in the beginning it is necessary .


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## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

I don't have any experience breeding bettas, so I'm unsure of the necessary turn over rate. If you can figure out the rate, it's simple math to calculate the size of pump you need. I'd guess something like 2-3 times per hour. If you've got 250 gallons, to turn it over 3 times per hour you'd need a pump rated at 750 gph at 4' head or so.

Lots of betta breeding tips here: Betta spawning mistakes, remedies and helpful hints


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## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

Mag pumps on sale at J&L. Free shipping.

Mag Drive Water Pumps


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## a_bustamy (Oct 29, 2013)

smccleme said:


> I don't have any experience breeding bettas, so I'm unsure of the necessary turn over rate. If you can figure out the rate, it's simple math to calculate the size of pump you need. I'd guess something like 2-3 times per hour. If you've got 250 gallons, to turn it over 3 times per hour you'd need a pump rated at 750 gph at 4' head or so.
> 
> Lots of betta breeding tips here: Betta spawning mistakes, remedies and helpful hints


it is Guppies not betta, and i will look at the pump now


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## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

Sorry, dyslexia moment.


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## a_bustamy (Oct 29, 2013)




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## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

How goes the setup?


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## a_bustamy (Oct 29, 2013)

Thanks for asking 
last week i finished all the holes in the aquariums and i painted all the aquariums back with black color.
Today i received the order of bulkheads from USA and i will be working in the plumping in Monday . when i finish i will make video of all the setup i made , i hope it gos well , because it is my time doing this .


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