Salt4Us
Aquarium Advice FINatic
below is a rough drawing on an idea to set up a pump & chiller. Can/should it be done this way?
All thoughts/suggestions are welcome
All thoughts/suggestions are welcome
pump chiller set up
- Thread starter Salt4Us
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
BillyZ
Aquarium Advice Addict
is the tank drilled as sketched? If so then your plan should work ok. What kind of chiller are you using? is it a DIY?
Salt4Us
Aquarium Advice FINatic
it's a 60g tank, Mag 7 pump & an Aqua Logic DS2 chiller. the tank is sketched in the upper right w/ the outlet/drain on the far left & inlet/return to the right.
Water direction arrows are as shown, of course.
Would it be OK to put a ball valve after the pump before it goes back into the tank to control water flow or would that be too much preassure for the pump?
Water direction arrows are as shown, of course.
Would it be OK to put a ball valve after the pump before it goes back into the tank to control water flow or would that be too much preassure for the pump?
MadManMac
Aquarium Advice Freak
I would think a Mag7 would be way too much pump for that unless there was some serious head height to contend with. Remember, a chiller needs to contact the water as long as possible to cool effectively. If the flow is too fast the water will not get cooled efficently and the cooler will be a wasted effort.
BillyZ
Aquarium Advice Addict
as far as flow rate, you want a happy medium. You want it to be in the chiller long enough to be cooled, but you don't want it getting chilled too much. (it would be like adding cold water directly to your tank) Of course, perhaps you chiller has safeguards against that. A good one probably will. I ball valve is never a bad idea, for maintenace if nothing else. And as far as back preasure on the pump, it depends on how far closed you think you'll have it. How much head height is there going to be between the pump and the top of the tank where the water returns to the tank?
Salt4Us
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Billy, the head height is approx 4 feet.
We'll probably get a Mag 5 & see how that works for flow. The ball valve is always going to be an option depending on the water flow.
Thanks for all the suggestions!
We'll probably get a Mag 5 & see how that works for flow. The ball valve is always going to be an option depending on the water flow.
Thanks for all the suggestions!
BillyZ
Aquarium Advice Addict
There is a chart out there somewhere that gives the flow rate for the mag pumps based on head height.... [googling]... Ding. Gotta love google 
heh... we need a "i'm currently googling" emote 
so, back on topic, a mag 5 @ 4' will give you apx 310 gph. Thats with an optimum flow, bends, elbows etc will slow that down a little, but I think 300gph is a good estimate to work with. Does your chiller have a "recommended flow rate" ?
heh... we need a "i'm currently googling" emote so, back on topic, a mag 5 @ 4' will give you apx 310 gph. Thats with an optimum flow, bends, elbows etc will slow that down a little, but I think 300gph is a good estimate to work with. Does your chiller have a "recommended flow rate" ?
Salt4Us
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Accroding to Marine Depot, they give a flow of 6 GPM minimum and DFS (Doctors Foster/Smith) website, they give a flow of 360 GPH minimum. That being said, it looks like the Mag 5 is on the low end of this minimum?
