zygote2k February 22, 2009 Share February 22, 2009 I recently purchased a used 112 gallon acrylic tank that has some weird plumbing configurations inside. I'm thinking about using some of the plumbing for a closed loop system, but have never set one up. I have a Little Giant 4MDQ pump for circulation. There are 2) 3/4' bulkheads in the middle bottom of the tank spaced about 24" apart. They look like they could be used for standpipes. There are 2 more 1" bulkheads on the right side pane down low about 2" off the bottom facing the opposite wall. Maybe with some 90's, I could run them up near the surface to blow water across the top. There is also a 2" bulkhead on the same side but at the top. Maybe this will be the overflow to the sump. If I make a closed loop, do I need to have some sort of sediment trap or filter to prevent sand particles from getting into the pump? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 February 22, 2009 Share February 22, 2009 Add another bulkhead of a larger size somewhere in the middle, 1.5", get yourself a larger pump, and then use all of the holes except for the existing larger one for returns. If the feed for your pump is too close to the sand, it will suck sand in. I would suggest no lower than about 1/3-1/2 of the way down. Any lower and you'll pull sand in, any higher and you'll get air in the line from the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveoutlaw February 22, 2009 Share February 22, 2009 You could always use the two 1" bulkheads to feed the closed loop, the two 3/4" as the returns of the closed loop, and the 2" bulkhead as an overflow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 22, 2009 Author Share February 22, 2009 What do I use for an intake filter? To prevent fish and other critters from getting sucked in- not to mention all the detritus that would accumulate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Ward February 22, 2009 Share February 22, 2009 Take a look at www.oceansmotions.com - there's a discussion forum that is almost exclusively closed loops. Lots of great ideas, so I'd browse through there for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 22, 2009 Author Share February 22, 2009 Take a look at www.oceansmotions.com - there's a discussion forum that is almost exclusively closed loops. Lots of great ideas, so I'd browse through there for a while. Thanks for the tip, but that forum is kind of confusing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zygote2k February 23, 2009 Author Share February 23, 2009 Here's the finished product. Tank is still going through vinegar de-calcification process... If anyone sees anything wrong with the design, fee free to post. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boret March 19, 2009 Share March 19, 2009 Here's the finished product. Tank is still going through vinegar de-calcification process...If anyone sees anything wrong with the design, fee free to post. Thanks. Looks great!!! Have you thought about using a SCWD for the to CL returns on the left side? That would give you more "random" water movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC Pollman March 19, 2009 Share March 19, 2009 I have given up on closed loop systems as they never seem to hold up for very long. In the tank I am building, I will use a Tunze pump with a DIY wavemaker controller. Here is a video And here is a link to building the controller: DIY Controller If you have LPSes, or softees, I think this is the way to go. Plus, the Tunze pumps are very low power users. JC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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