External Skimmer

[reef keeper]

ok. So once I win the battle for my new tank (someday) I want to use external pumps for both returns and skimmer. I have an MRC 3 skimmer and its 30" tall. Obviously pump sucks it in and skimmer spits it out. What's the plumbing like for this. I want to have a fuge as well. I'm hoping 7 x 30" x 24 tall tank. I figure sump is a 180 or similar. Maybe 125 for weight. How would all this work. Also need room for Gfo and external return pump.

 

[Sewerat]

You can't use the water exhausted from your skimmer for anything that will need pressure like a reactor, you could let it return into a fuge to add circulation but other then that the pump for the skimmer is dedicated to the skimmer alone. Unless of course you want a pump so frigging big you need a power plant beside you

 

[reef keeper]

Sorry. I meant dedicated skimmer pump.

 

[EricTMah]

You could use a external pump and run it to a manifold system and basically "T" it all off with ball valves to run skimmer, reactors and return. If you use a 6' long sump. You'll have tons of room for all your equipment and still have a huge fuge.



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[pulpfiction1]

that skimmer is awesome,i miss my mrc ,ran it for 8 yrs, it should have a dedicated pump IMO

 

[pulpfiction1]

and the output directed into a fuge would be perfect

 

[reef keeper]

So make a compartment for the pump to suck water out after the fuge and feed the skimmer? I just don't know where to take water from

 

[pulpfiction1]

take water from anywhere in the sump

 

[AdInfinitum]

Is the sump going to be basement/remote or under the stand?

 

[Jewel]

That's a big Fuge, Good idea, The bigger the better, I know a guy in the Guelph area, His Fuge was massive, A 120 48 x 24. The sand was housed in compartments, plastic boxes 12 x 12 and when over time the sand would degrade. He would remove a box dump it a replace the sand and put it back in with the other compartments seeding it all over again. Great idea for a very long term plan.

 

[reef keeper]

Sump is under the tank. It's an i wall. I have 3 ft behind the tank so it has to go there. I just don't get the way to plumb this thing. I'll be getting a blueline 55 to drive it which is external

 

[Jewel]

The Manifold idea is your best bet, chance are you'll have too much flow with the Blue line so I'd Tee off a line to go back to the water source. You can run a line to the Skimmer but you'll have to have a valve so you can control the flow, You'll have to have valves on everything before and after so you'll be able to take something off line if you need to. And put a few extra lines in if you plan on running Bio-pellets or a Frag Tank or a remote sump to house extra rock. I'd design it to enable water changes through it.

 

[AdInfinitum]

If you can mount the sump a few inches off the floor you can use a regular bottom drilled tank. Use the bulkhead on the drain end of the sump to feed the skimmer pump and use the bulkhead on the other end to feed the return/reactor manifold pump. Also run T's and valves on both bulkhead outlets for drain lines for easy water changes.

BTW my 180 will be for sale soon "Buck a Gallon" mega sump...

 

[AdInfinitum]

That's a big Fuge, Good idea, The bigger the better, I know a guy in the Guelph area, His Fuge was massive, A 120 48 x 24. The sand was housed in compartments, plastic boxes 12 x 12 and when over time the sand would degrade. He would remove a box dump it a replace the sand and put it back in with the other compartments seeding it all over again. Great idea for a very long term plan.

IMO that's the best way to add DSB to the system. That's how I have mine, modular in cut down 5 gallon square totes from work....

 

[Jewel]

Yes, If I had the room I'd do that as well. Glad to see someone else is thinking