Installing Prop Tank

[OUsnakebyte]

Alright, talk to me like you would to someone who knows absolutely nothing about plumbing (and, you won't be too far off...). Okay, I know what pvc is and how to glue it together (cement, not superglue...) and elbows, 90s, 45s, returns, etc. But much more beyond that, I start to get a little fuzzy.

 

 

So, here's the scoop. I have a 75 gal display (reef ready) with a 20 gal sump. I would like to plumb a 40 gal breeder (already drilled with either 3/4 in or 1 in - not sure; I'll have to check) into my main display as a prop system, as it will have the effect of increased water volume, maintaining one system - all the good stuff.

 

How do I do it? Does the stand for the 40 have to be higher than my sump for the 75 to drain into it? Do I have two return pumps in the sump - one going to the main display and one going back to the prop tank? As you can see, I don't know much...

 

Now, here's the kicker. Would it be possible to design it so I could shut the prop system off from the main tank and run it as an autonomous system? I would like to do this so the prop tank can double as a quarantine/hospital tank for new/stressed fish. I have an extra HOB filter that can sustain the prop tank until all is cleared and safe to return the main system. The only problem I can see here is if I need to use hyposalinity. The corals would not take kindly to that. In that instance, I can set up the 29 for short-term needs. I'm basically stocked as far as fish go, so I don't anticipate needing to use hyposalinity in the forseeable future.

 

So, is this possible? Am I wanting too much?

 

I can delve into lighting this sucker later, much later...

 

 

Cheers

Mike

[Guest clownfish4]

Set the prop tank higher than your sump. Run the out pipe to your sump and split the return from your sump to go to both your main and frag tank. Then put ball valves on the exit pipe and return pipe to take it off the main system.

[flowerseller]

Clownfart4's on the money.

You sure you want to run it inline again after you had a messa sick fish in thare?

[Guest clownfish4]

Who you talking to Chip? And you should really save the childish names for other people! :D

[OUsnakebyte]

Thanks fellas. That sounds simple enough. I'm sure I can find some way to mess it up though...

 

 

Clownfart4's on the money.

You sure you want to run it inline again after you had a messa sick fish in thare?

31788[/snapback]

 

Well, the idea would be to keep the system shut off from the main tank until the parasite's cycle had completed. I don't know if I would use it for this though - that was just an add-on. Like I said, it would be hard to run hyposalinity in a frag tank...

 

Thanks again,

Mike

[GaryL]

clownfart4....... :68: come on flourboi. :D too funny!

 

mike, the other mike has a great idea. when you quarantine the fish you could remove the frags depending on how many you have. and lower the salinity the raise it back after the fish is muy bueno. then you could go back to normal. if there is a normal in this "HOBBIE". you could get a combo skimmer filter to use until the parasites went bye bye. HTH

Gary

[steveoutlaw]

Wouldn't it be easier to have the overflow from the main tank "T" off into the prop tank? That way you can control the amount of flow into the prop tank with a ball valve or shut it off altogether. You would still have to have the prop tank higher than the sump so it could drain into the sump but it would just be an added loop in the overflow. This way your not killing the flow to your main tank by "T"ing off of the return.

[michaelg]

I would run a common sump and if possible 2 different return pumps. Would plan it as suggested for potential quarantine issues, but just putting in a couple air lift tubes will do wonders- simple and cheap. Not sure how you would locate the frag tank lower than the sump, but if you wanted to, you run a pump from the frag tank to the sump - but then need some sort of overflow in there to drain back to the frag tank. Would not try to match pump flows- that is a definate recipe for wet floors. If a frag tank forsee, might consider a "raceway design". Calfo has some diagrams in his books and JB from New York made a real nice one (pics on RC).

[davelin315]

You could also add on something like what I did to my daughter's tank (it's posted in the general discussion) and build something to put on top that works with one water supply going up and the rest is left up to gravity.