dual returns

[Saltwaterking]

i need some help i have a 75g reef set up now for about 4 years and i only had one return but i want a lot more flow so last night i changed the fittings for the return to dual and my tank almost over flowed i believe becasue the returns are pushing in more water faster then the water can get back to the return anyway to fix this so i can have dual returns ?

 

[Kio707]

Only thing I can think of is adding another over flow. Gotta put out what ur putting in.

 

[Saltwaterking]

yeah thought about it but i seen a lot of tanks have one over flow with dual returns so thats why i dont get why it happen to me

 

[Kio707]

May be dialed down. A restricter on the return pump or a smaller pump.

 

[Saltwaterking]

oh ok so you think a smaller return pump should do it ?

 

[Kio707]

oh ok so you think a smaller return pump should do it ?

Should. No reason it wouldn't.

 

[Saltwaterking]

thanks gonna try it and see what happens

 

[Jabibi]

If you are using the same pump you were using before it should not overflow. Just because you added a y connector to ur return with the same pump the flow did not become any greater. All you did was redirect some of the flow. I think your problem is some where else

 

[Saltwaterking]

yeah im not sure once it was going to overflow i shut my pumps off and put the single return back and it went back to normal so it has to be the reason what else could it

 

[Jabibi]

It shouldnt happen if you are using the same pump you were aleays using. That is very strange. Unless you got something stuck in the overflow pipe and it came loose again when you turned it back on. The pump is going to pump the gph no matter how many return nozzles you have. It should not change. Maybe you should put a ballvalve on the teturn and regulate it and see what happens

 

[Saltwaterking]

yeah i thinking about doing that or just replacing the pump with a smaller one bc if i put a vavle i gotta replace my line and find a way to connect it to the vavle

 

[Jabibi]

Is ur line pvc or clear hose?

 

[Saltwaterking]

its clear hose

 

[Jabibi]

They sell ball valves that have the ends you can slode into the clear hose. All you have to do is cut a section out and replace it with the valve. You wont have to redo the whole line

 

[Saltwaterking]

ok where can u find them and after i do that ill be able to control the flow rate this way my tank wont over flow with dual returns ?

 

[Jabibi]

Yea you will be able to control the main return pump and go back to the dual returns. You can get the vavle at a fish store orr even at home depot

 

[Saltwaterking]

great im going to Pickle it up to night And let u Guys know what happens thanks again

 

[Rutrag]

I've never come across ones that were set up with barbed ends for hose. I'm not saying they don't exist, but I've never come across them at Home Depot. I believe you can probably piece on together from stuff at the hardware store though. Get a ball valve (same diameter as your hose or a little larger) with threaded fittings and then two nylon barbed adaptors sized for your hose and the ball valve. This will probably run you about $9 tops. (About $5 for a valve and $2 for each barbed adaptor.)

As far as the issue, if the pump has't changed, all I can figure is that your single return constricted the flow to the point that it acted like a valve on your pump and wye-ing the return for dual opened up the restriction enough to releive the back pressure. That or something is clogging the overflow. . .

 

[Jabibi]

Yea at home depot you buy the treaded ball valve and look for the barbed ends

 

[Saltwaterking]

that could be im going to buy a ball valve And try that And then go from their