Author: Mark PetersonSubject: Sump manifold question.
Posted: July 15 2017 at 9:32am
Others will come along with their ideas but here is my 2 cents worth of advice.
FYI, fittings (tees, elbows, valves, etc.) cause drag. Even full open ball valves cause drag and can be critical places where, over months and years, organic crud will grow, causing flow obstruction.
One Gate or Ball Valve above the Return Pump is all I use to control the flow returning to the display. Before that valve is one main branch leading to all other filtration equipment. Before or after each piece of equipment is it's own small valve to control flow to that piece.
Often there is no branching at all off of the Return Pump. Branching off to other plumbing connections can and does lead to failure and flooding. Instead, small pumps are situated in the Sump to send water to each piece of equipment. Often that equipment is situated in the sump to avoid problem leaks and/or flooding. While I'm on the subject, situating the entire Sump in a water proof "pan" is a really good idea to prevent all kinds of leak and flooding problems. The branched equipment I'm speaking of does not include a Skimmer, if used, because the skimmer needs its own specialized pump to create a good froth.
These two optional setups result in minimal drag/maximum power on the main flow.
Of course there is another option. I realize that a manifold looks cool but there are reef aquarium setups that do not use these pieces of equipment. I have found over the years that there are simpler ways to set up a reef aquarium and accomplish the job without any extra equipment, including NO Skimmer. The KISS principle is my motto. See below for an explanation.
Feel free to ask here in the forum or by text/call to 808-345-1049, if you want to discuss the options I have used for over 20 years of hobby and professional reefkeeping.
Aloha,Mark 808-345-1049 text/call for immediate help or just to discuss reefkeeping
P.S.My advice may not be what you thought you were looking for but in the long run, I know it will help you have a better reefkeeping experience and a less troublesome, more enjoyable one.
Keep it simple, stupidKISS is an acronym for "
Keep it simple, stupid" as a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960. The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore simplicity should be a key goal in design and unnecessary complexity should be avoided.
KISS principle - Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle
