Plumbing

For the past two weeks, I was thinking about modifying my Euroreef protein skimmer so it could work in conjunction with my NextReef biopellet reactor. I was considering drilling a hole in the body of the skimmer, inserting a uniseal and then pumping the effluent of the reactor into the reaction chamber of the skimmer. In this way, it would definitely export dead or dying bacteria exiting the reactor. Perhaps that stuff was causing the dinoflagellates in my tank, I really don't know.
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My 400g reef had five drains in the external overflow. They are equally spaced apart, and plumbing these into my sump was a little challenging. I'm sure I got a few gray hairs trying to come up with the perfect plan.

First of all, it needed five Durso Standpipes. All five are 1.5" black PVC going into 1.5" bulkheads. The drainlines are 1.5" as well.

Each Durso is drilled with a 3/16" hole in the cap to vent the drain. None of the Durso Standpipes were glued. They ...

With the return section completed, it was time to build the second section that is called a manifold. It has its own pump, and feeds a few items. The beauty of a manifold is that one external pump takes the place of multiple submersible pumps, and a series of valves provides the user to control flow rates to each item.

My goal was to run three reactors and a frag tank, and also have it available as a secondary back up to the main return pump if needed. I wanted to run the manifold ...

With all the months of planning, I still found myself thinking about how I wanted the plumbing to be, pondering on what would be the ideal layout that wouldn't result in having to make changes and modifications later. I had some crazy ideas in mind originally, but modified them some.

The principle is simple: Water drains into the sump. Water goes back up to the display tank. Avoid too many turns and fittings, and keep it looking clean.

The return assembly was a big ...

For years, I've used wrapping paper containers to hold 20g of RO/DI water for my reef's evaporated needs. With the new tank, I decided it would be sexier to put a custom-made acrylic vessel under the tank. I measured twice, opting to use every inch at my disposal, and proceeded to build it. The reservoir is 22" wide, 32.75" tall, and 15.5" deep. It has a small access door on the top to allow me to adjust the float valve when needed. It is made with 3/8" AcryLite GP.

The purpose ...