sand-coated CL manifold

[treesprite]

Been working on the closed loop for a 50 gallon Oceanic tank with a 36x18 footprint.

 

It is a bottom of tank manifold, so I need to use more sand to cover it up. However, I don't want to end up with an in-tank DSB which could get messed up and kill everything. I decided to try coating the up-facing parts with sand. I wasn't sure how to do it at first, but then saw some stuff about using silicone, so that is what I did.The two back outputs are painted black to blend in with the painted black tank back, so I can point them upward more behind the rockwork.

 

 

There are two pipes in the back, one near each end, to be fed using a 3/4" SCWD, I didn't want most of the flow coming out of the back outputs, so I used 1/2" pipe in the back section between the two pipes where those outputs are, and 1/2" 45s. I want to aim those back outputs up more, so I painted them black  to blend in with a black painted tank back. The manidold sections going from the feed pipes to around the sides to the front outputs, are 3/4" pipe, with 3/4" outputs. Since I will be using a SCWD, I wanted some restriction between the front outputs, so the section of manifold between the two front outputs is only 1/2" pipe. The black pipe with holes is my CL intake pipe. This is my first closed loop, and I'm am hoping the design will work out okay.

[madweazl]

Cool idea; will you be able to easily maintain the setup? Do you use a screen or something similar to keep critters out of the plumbing? 

[treesprite]

I should have sanded the PVC first and forgot, in spite of the fact that I had gotten sand paper to do it.

 

I don't know about putting screens over outputs. I imagine it would block flow. Snails would be the only thing going against flow into a pipe, but most snails don't go on the sand bed, and snails like nassarius bury in the sand and usually don't hang out on hard surfaces exposed to all that flow.

[zygote2k]

Welcome back to 1990. We made those things in a bazillion combinations and used every pump imaginable to power them.

Then cheap powerheads came out and that was the end of those contraptions.

I made one sandwiched between flat rocks to make an arch 32" across and 24" high on my very firat service account, a 380 gal reef.

[treesprite]

People still use CLs because they can do things powerheads can't do, and because people don't always want powerheads in their tanks.

 

I actually almost bought a set of controllable low profile powerheads I saw. But I changed my mind because powerheads could not prevent the problem I used to have, of mats of featherduster spaghetti in dirt sauce. The only way to stop is was take out sand, but I like a little sand.

 

If anyone has ideas for a CL pump around 1k gph in a reasonable price range, let me know. I was thinking of getting a DCT 4000 because they are controllable.

Edited November 21, 2017 by treesprite