Help with plumbing a new rack

[joenaustin04]

I'm putting together a 325 gallon fish rack and I have a few plumbing questions.
The top shelf holds (5) 25 gallon tanks
The middle shelf holds (2) 50 gallon tanks
The bottom shelf holds (2) 50 gallon tanks

If I plan to run 2.5-3x the volume per hour, can I use 1" bulkheads and PVC for my overflows? I have purchased 25mm/2.5cm/1" inside diameter bulkheads and will be having the glass drilled this week if I am not mistaken in my basic understanding of centralized filtration setups. I have a pump capable of returning almost 4x the racks volume per hour after considering the head and elbows in the setup. I will slow down my return flow rates with valves but I am hoping a 1" bulkhead can capably handle 60-75 gallons per hour without being too loud with that dreadful suction sound when you overwhelm a bulkhead with too much water flow.

I didn't add in my schematic but plan on adding a 1" air breather to assist with keeping an optimal water flow. Anything I am missing?

I will also be using the pump to run a couple fluidized beds in the sump ( a 55 gallon drum ) and a UV inline (to be added later).

I used the pump head loss calculator found here to make sure my pump was going to get the job done. I am in Asia but the pump is similarly rated to a Little Giant 4MDQX-SC (1000gph @ 6ft head)

The goal here is the have 12 adults in the top 5 tanks and growout tanks in the 50 gallon tanks below.
http://reefbuilders.com/2007/06/12/p...ter-aquariums/

Thanks in advance for any input

Joseph

[joenaustin04]

Ok, I organized myself a bit and have a better layout for review. My main question is what kind of flow rates can a 1" bulkhead handle using gravity to return water to my sump from 6 feet up with (2) 90 degree elbows? If a bulkhead running into 1" PVC can handle 150 gph then I am fine. I am more than a little worried it can't handle that kind of flow. Otherwise I will need (2) bulkheads for my 50 gallon tanks. I know a 1" hole can return water at a gallon per minute so my 25 gallon tanks will be fine.
Thanks for any input you have....I have seen many central filtration in operation but this is my 1st one being built from scratch on my own and I want to get as much right on the 1st shot as possible as these fittings are super expensive here.

[MKD]

i think you're ok with 1" pipe (see below link) and bulkhead needs to be under water level.

http://flexpvc.com/WaterFlowBasedOnPipeSize.shtml

have fun!!!

Tony

[joenaustin04]

Thanks for the reference site. It was very helpful. I wasn't sure about the size and was feeling like I may have cut it a little too closely. I decided to have the 1" PVC coming out of the bulkheads drain into a 3" pipe once it hits the 1st 90degree angle to keep the flow rates from being too restricted. Will upload some photos this weekend once things start pulling together.

[joenaustin04]

OK, so I dropped the PVC idea completely once the costs exceeded $300 without including any valves or a water pump. I went with a simple steel rack and sponge filters instead. Anyhow, here's the latest...
(5) 25 gallon tanks 50cm x 42cm x 45cm
(2) 50 gallon tanks 90cm x 45cm x 45cm with a triple 30 watt CFL strip light for each.
The bottom shelf isn't loaded with tanks yet, I think I will build my own after having no problems making the (5) 25 gallon tanks.
So rack one is just about completed....(7) tanks, (1) air pump, (1) rack, (7) sponge filters and (7) heaters = $500

The next step is the 600 liter water tank ($125) for water changes and a pump ($40) for filling up the tanks.
Can you tell I am on a strict budget? I'm watching every penny so I can get the next rack up by end of year.

[MKD]

Wow very simple and clean set up. I'll have to ask your help when i redo mine. Wondering why you dropped PVC idea and how do is your plumbing now?

thank you for sharing

tony

[joenaustin04]

Wow very simple and clean set up. I'll have to ask your help when i redo mine. Wondering why you dropped PVC idea and how do is your plumbing now?

thank you for sharing

tony

I dropped the pvc idea when I staryed getting quotes that exceed $300! For some reason pvc is crazy high here.
Im using simple 5/8" garden hoses to change 50-75% of the water 3-5x weekly. The city has been changing the municipal water pipes this past month which has my fish frieking out. I'll post photos next week. Here's one of my babies.....

[joenaustin04]

Here's a couple of the fish I am working with.
I got'em from a breeder here, could use some help figuring out what the red one is in the photo. I will post better pix next week when they calm down with better water. Not sure as to what it actually is due to the communication/language barrier. Going to bed for now, its almost 2am and need to work in the morning. Happy Friday!