Coming back to the hobby -- Question on plumbing

[sumant19]

Hi

After a break of almost a year, I am starting back again. As far as equipments go I have

• 72 Gallon bowfront with a crystal sump (30X12x15)
• Reef Octopus Classic 150 Space Saver Protein Skimmer
• EHEIM 1260 Universal Pump (640gph)

The tank came with Durso overflow kit and connections. There are no ball or check valves. I am planning to keep atleast 6" space in the sump at the top and the keep the return fairly close to the water surface so I am thinking the return flow may not be a problem.

I want to take opinions around the plumbing before I start filling it with water. Having never plumbed a thing in my life I am little hesitant to build the plumbing setup with PVCs and valves. What are the advantages/disadvantages of the current plumbing I have?









Thanks
Sumant

 

[s_kelley]

Lookin good, make sure ya put some type of clamp on those hoses Unser the tank, last thing ya want is for the return to wiggle loose and spray water everywhere. What you planning for livestock
The advantages of valves is you can close them and not worry about water flowing. Also if the return pump is too strong you might want to shut the valve a little to restrict the flow going into the tank. Gotta make sure the overflow can handle the return rate

 

[jah-hoeva]

^Exactly. I had to dial my return back a bit because it was filling the display faster than it was flowing into the over flow. Even if you don't think you need them, adding a valve and unions is a good idea.

 

[JohnK]

You may find that the flexible drain hose can be a bit annoying to live with, they can be a bit erratic if anything ever disturbs them. Usually just a noise issue, but annoying none the less.

Yes on putting a valve on the return line from the pump, but never on the drain line (unless you have a back up drain).

jah-hoeva? Do you mean the return was moving faster than the drain could drain, or faster than the water could get into the overflow box?

 

[sumant19]

Thanks for the advice guys.. just ordered a ball valve for the return line..