Help! How to add a frag tank to my system

[Aquascapes]

Hello everyone,

I have an empty 29gallon biocube that I am using to mix saltwater right now but I really want to add this onto my 90 gallon reef tank somehow to use as a frag tank. It would also add some water volume to my system. I have run the plumbing for my chiller through the wall into my walk in pantry/fish room. It's about a seven foot hose run from the refugium to the chiller. I was just wondering how hard it would be to add the plumbing for the addition of that biocube. Is it as simple as two identical pumps, one to put water in and one to send it back? What if that return pump fails? I was thinking it might be nice to add a calcium/media reactor and all that stuff out of sight and maybe move some of my zoos under PC lighting. Any Suggestions?

Thank you,
Dan

 

[DaveJ]

@Aquascapes wrote:

Dan, I would stay away from multiple pumps. Multiple tanks are usually done with overflows and drain lines. You could probably drill the biocube, put a couple of bulkheads in the back, one as a return and one as an overflow. You would feed from the pump that feeds the 90, split it in a T over to the cube, then overflow the cube into the chiller and out of the chiller into your sump.

 

[Monti]

Agreed, never use a two pump system. You'll need to rig some sort of overflow for a drain and you can either add another pump for a feed or tee off your main return like Dave suggested.

 

[saylor]

One direction (drain) should be gravity fed... That's why not 2 pumps. Also make your drain line 2x - 5x size of the return pump line. If you use an overflow box or a weir it will not overflow or lose siphon, as long as the box/weir is built correctly. Study my posts in here, marc helped me out a lot in design when I posted mine up. Also meleves reef site has a lot of sump/fuge examples.

 

[Aquascapes]

Thank you guys so much! I actually saw on Dave J's build how he did what he described after I posted this. So just to be clear, I need to add another overflow to my 90 gallon? I am guessing I will need a stronger pump too. I currently feed the chiller with a mag 5 and the main tank is fed with a mag 12. I noticed after setting that up that the display tank is a little too full now though, the water touches the support brace in the center of the tank. Thanks again..

Dan

 

[David Gibson]

I wouldn't think you would need a second overflow if you are able to split the current overflow. I guess that depends on your current plumbing and the height of the new tank.

 

[DaveJ]

@Aquascapes wrote:

Dan, nope not a second overflow in the 90. Keep the 90 with 1 return and 1 overflow and drill a similar setup in the nano. Your plumbing can be done a number of ways. Do you know the max flow for the chiller? That will determine the best way to plumb it. Ideally, as David Washington pointed out in a PM to me, is to run from the pump into the chiller then split from there for the returns and then run a drian line that combines the two tanks into one drain line back into the sump. How the return is actually plumbed will be determined by the pump and max flow for the chiller model you have. So let us know what that is and then we can suggest how to plumb the returns. The drains will be straight forward though, just run the drains into a single pipe that drains into the sump. If the bulkheads are 3/4, you may want to have the bulk of the drian 1" using couplers to bring the 3/4 into the 1" pipe.