Alrighty then

[Flounder]

So time again for me to ask for help. I am always doing this, but hey that is what you guys are for. Someday I will be able to help others. Just not soon!

I am trying to play catch up on my tank. It was set up incorrectly. There are canisters on there and a really weak return pump. So call this a pole but what do you all use? What brand? I have a 200gallon tank. I need about 6 feet of lift and want about 1000 gallons at that height. All the pumps I am looking at are real NRG suckers too. Any ideas?

Drilling for oil, okay, not oil. But drilling none the less. I am planning to drill my tank. It is 8 feet long....should I drill 4 holes? All of the holes would either be return or just plugged for future use. I have two drilled holes on one end for the intake to the sump. I figure that if I am going to empty the tank to drill it I should drill lots?
I am really scared to drill it. Please give me advice. What size hole? What kind of bit. Someone (pro) that I should talk to. The tank is acrylic, which helps some.

When I do this, I think I am going to do as much stuff as I can. I am going to aquascape at the same time. Anything else I could do when its dry? (Move it I guess, but I like the location)

Please reply to this even if it is just what kind and size of return you are using.
Thanks

[hypertech]

Other people know more than me, but if you have any scratched on acrylic you might want to repair them while its empty.

I'm also pretty sure a normal hole saw will go through acrylic just fine. You probably want a drill with a bulls eye level on the back, drill press, etc to make sure your hole is nice and straight.

[David Grigor]

Acrylic tank, a wood hole saw will be fine. Best to go with 2.5" holes which are big enough for 1.5" bulkheads. Two 1.5" bulkheads should handle pretty much any reasonable flow and room to spare. Handdrill is fine, the pilot bit keeps it steady, plus the hole doesn't need to be perfectly straight etc. as a gasket on the bulkhead make it waterproof anyway.

I'm really confused, you say you need to drill it but already have 2 holes. Are the holes too small ? As long as they drilled for a 1" bulkhead, 2 holes should be fine and can make that work without need to drill additional.

If this were my tank, if you had to do submersable ( not my preference becuase of heat ) OR3500 would do be adequate. For external Gen-x Mak4 pump is what i'd use. Good reliable pump, low cost, low energy ( for an external pump ). OR3500 can be used externally to but I don't like to because the metric fittings are more difficult to get water tight. When I had the 320g tank up and running at approx. 4ft of head the pump used 108w which pretty darn good for a 1000-1100 gph.

Really, assuming you have other pumps/powerheads in the tank for circulation even a OR2500 would be fine for a return pump and they are super cheap and only run 28W.

[Flounder]

The two holes I have now are on the far end of the tank and serve as overflows into the sump. Then the way the tank is currently there is a mag 350 running return to the other end and comes in through the lid.


OR as in ocean runner?

[Flounder]

20 views and only two people respond...lame! Just in on sentence tell me what kind return pump you use and why.

[mtfatwork]

Carl, I have to go cook dinner, but I promise I will respond in a bit to some of your Q's :)

[mtfatwork]

I use a sequence Wahoo, but if you are only going for 6 ft, I would look at maybe a tarpon with the return split, and penductors on it. I love sequence pumps, super reliable, good warranty. As far as the drilling get a plan of what you want to do before you drill it. If you are not doing a closed loop system, there is no reason to drill extra holes. What size sump you putting under it?

[Mr James]

20 views and only two people respond...lame!

Relax. Those kind of impatient remarks will get you zero responses. Most people including myself have better things to do.

I used an Iwaki 40RLXT which did about 1200 gph. It's not the size of the tank, it's the size and number of overflows. I have read that the rule of thumb is that 1" holes can do about 600gph each.

[Flounder]

Relax. Those kind of impatient remarks will get you zero responses. Most people including myself have better things to do.

I used an Iwaki 40RLXT which did about 1200 gph. It's not the size of the tank, it's the size and number of overflows. I have read that the rule of thumb is that 1" holes can do about 600gph each.

I know, I should be patient. It is just a bit frustrating when I can see people reading it and not answering. Ya know? Maybe I am just so young that I expect along with my generation instant answers and gratification :)

[Mr James]

Maybe I am just so young that I expect...

Now would be the time to shine and let others see how mature you are. Better to be known as Flounder than "that young annoying kid".

What size are the holes at the end of the tank??

[hypertech]

Maybe I am just so young that I expect along with my generation instant answers and gratification :)

Hey now, don't go over generalizing there. Young != Impatient

:brainoverload:

[storrisch]

I know, I should be patient. It is just a bit frustrating when I can see people reading it and not answering. Ya know? Maybe I am just so young that I expect along with my generation instant answers and gratification :)

Some of the people may be viewing in interest to hopefully help you with your question but might not have a helpful answer. I know I looked at it but I have no experience with larger pumps so me giving you an answer would be useless.

[David Grigor]

Two holes you have now, what size are they, if they are at least 1" bulkheads then no need to tear down the tank and drill, in the other thread you made it sound like you had siphon overflows but sounds like you don't.

I wouldn't drill any holes for the return. I did that on the 320g and regretted it. When power goes out you end up back siphoning more water than you need to. If the tank has top bracing, you can drill that for the return line and don't have to tear the tank down to do it.

[Flounder]

You have to zoom in, but this is what I was thinking. The black dots on the right side are the holes I have been talking about.
The red one on the far left would be the return. The green ones (3x) I wonder, if I am going to drill it, should I drill them both to look better and incase future projects? While I am at it, how about the pink ones? The two on the top. They could also be returns. Or closed loop.

Any suggestions?

[mtfatwork]

I would put your returns at 1/3 spots on the tank (ie. 1/3 should be a center brace, 2/3 should be a center brace). By putting them there you can aim them both in a fashion to make the water move, pretty much any way you would like, but most importantly, it will cut down on the dead spots for flow. You will already have the flow pulling towards the overflow, so there is no reason to put one on that end. The way you have the returns outlined, you will either end up with dead water so to speak either in the middle or on the other end. Make the most of your return pump you select. Placement is important. IMO- there really is no reason for a CLS on this tank. All you are going to do is have more equipment for possible failure, more heat, more energy, and more work in the way of plumbing (not to mention more possible leaks). I would, however, consider drilling out your drain holes so that you can use 1.5 inch plumbing instead, it gives you more versatility down the line... you can always slow down the drains if you need with ball valves. Like I said, if you are thinking CLS you might as well just get a good pressure rated pump as a return, and use some penductors on the returns, you will be amazed on how much flow you will get out of it with the penductors, and you will not be constantly running fans to cool the tank, and dieing of sticker shock everytime you get your Xcel bill.

[Boker420]

http://www.customaquatic.com/customaquatic/itemdetail.asp?itemid=WP-PW150PS-T-115

I don't know if the link worked but that is the pump you need. Pan World 150PS. I have the 200PS and right now it runs my whole system. Skimmer, 120g frag tank and 125g display. It's a bit up on price but they run very quiet and cool. I've had mine running constantly for a year without and cleanings or malfunctions.

[Chris Goetz]

http://www.customaquatic.com/customaquatic/itemdetail.asp?itemid=WP-PW150PS-T-115

I don't know if the link worked but that is the pump you need. Pan World 150PS. I have the 200PS and right now it runs my whole system. Skimmer, 120g frag tank and 125g display. It's a bit up on price but they run very quiet and cool. I've had mine running constantly for a year without and cleanings or malfunctions.

I like the Gen-x PCX-55 which would be a similar pump and not quite as expensive.

http://www.customaquatic.com/customaquatic/itemdetail.asp?itemid=WP-PCMAK-55HP
Chris

[mtfatwork]

I have heard the genx pumps can be noisy? Have you had the same experience.

[Boker420]

The gen x are on the noisy side. The pan world I suggested has a much higher head than the genx 55. It would be the perfect pump for use with enductors.

[morty]

fwiw, I have a gen-x pcx30, and its pipe thread connections seem way out of spec. Even with ten layers of pipe tape they still don't seem tight enough. Not sure if this would be the case with a larger gen-x.