to drill or not to drill???

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the size pump for the skimmer im trying is a petco brand 250 that i use for pwc. the pump that came on the skimmer didnt say what size it was or anything. so i dono
 
thanks. another question i have about drilling. when i drill my return lines how do i make sure it dosnt siphon back to my sump
 
don't trust check valves. they fail. just drill a hole just below the water line in each (inside the DT) so that in the event of a power outage, they returns suck air almost immediately. just make sure they are below the water line or you will get some serious salt creep.

also, purchase a quality pump. a popular pump is a danner mag drive. i happen to like "quite one" pumps. either way, don't buy a rio or some other hoopty. your tank depends on it.
 
ok thanks doug. that would mean i would have to drill the holes for the bulk head close to the rim of the tank is that ok i need the hole to be as high as i can get it
 
you are bringing the returns over the top, correct? i would not drill a hole in a tank that is not needed. drill a hole for the drain, and run the returns over the top. unless you have a rimless tank, aesthetics permits you to run the returns up the back and over and in.
 
go i got a pump today from a guy i bought some live rock from its a mag drive 12.
this thing is powerful. my question is im trying to pick out my glass-holes overflow box and cant decide if i want the 700gph or 1500gph im trying to get 20x per gallon of flow witch brings me around 1200 with the 45 gallons in the tank about 15 in the sump. do i need the 1500 or will the 700 be fine if i back it down with the ball valve???
 
all you need flowing through the sump is enough gph to feed whatever you have in there- a skimmer, a refugium, reactors...all of them don't require a ton of flow.
IMO, 1200 gph through a 15 gallon sump is overkill, and you may be left with a micro bubble problem.
i would go with the 700 gph model for 2 reasons:
1. it is plenty for your system
2. it's half the size of the 1500 gph model, and your tank is small enough to notice the extra space.
 
hey thanks for the reply so i got a mag drive 12 for 40 bucks yesterday and its rated for 1200 gph with a 700gph overflow 2 return lines Y'ed off and one T going to my fuge be good or will this overflow the tank

thanks doug for the good advice
 
ok cool now my other question for u doug is if they say u want 20x for every gallon in the system any with say my 60 gallons 46 with the tank and about 15 with the sump will 700gph overflow with be good for all corals?
 
where are you getting this 20 times thing from? it's not going to benefit corals at all to have more turnover than you need. as i said, if you have a skimmer that has a 300gph pump, and reactors that all have small pumps, add them all up and you'll know how much flow you need through the sump.
i used a quiet one 4000 (1000gph) on my last system. the tank was a 150 gallon. i grew corals just fine.
 
i read that 20x was the normal, but i never truly believe what i read . thats why i asked you i know ill get good info from u and the rest of the people here. so im going to use ball valves on all the return lines and the line to the fuge. im going to go with the 700gph overflow box by glass-holes. i should ordered this thing like a week ago but i wasnt sure if i was getting the right size i needed.
 
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