Need advice on my plumbing plans for system

I agree completely with Powerman. The idea that water has to be flowing through the sump at enormous rates makes no sense. Powerheads do the job better and produce less heat. Whatever your skimmer is handling, you don't need much more than that being dumped into your sump (fuge even less). Save your money and electric bill.

 

Don't mean to sidetrack, but how do you like your 45g? Is it still 36 inches long? I really can't go any longer than this, but the 45G almost seems too tall. Wish they added some of those inches in the front to back dimension.

 

Here is a picture of my "skimmers" both powered by rio 1700's





Yes LOTTTTTTSSS of overkill i know but just so you know what im hooking up. Also I will be getting a much larger tank in the near future and the little giant that I bought off a member from here was the a better price then I could have paid for a mag 9.5.

 

Little Giant is a better choice--the Mags run very hot and evaporate a lot of water.

 

Thanks the water that evaporates now is about 5 gallons a week.

 

Get rid of the bio balls and put live rock rubble/macro in that chamber instead with that much skimming there is no need for the bioballs. I would get the bigger tank now if I was you. JMHO

 

Can you define "very hot". How much water loss? Do you have any idea of the heat input from a Little giant pump?

 

Bigger is def the plan and live rock rubble/macro will be put in the chamber. I still need some help with the plumbing please unless someone is working on it.

 

I couldn't give you a specific amount. I remember having one in my sump when I had a 75g tank and just remember dumping tons of water in the sump everyday. It's kind of a well-known knock on mag pumps that they run hot. I suppose if the mag is run in-line and not submersed it really doesn't matter how hot they run.

 

It's well known Mags run a little warmer than other quality pumps. Yet going from my Mag 9.5 to a Ehiem 1262 only saved me 13 watts. 13 watts for the same amount of flow. That is a savings in heat input, but only 13 watts... that is very easy to number crunch and how much heat that is and how much water it will evaporate. Not very much and not buckets. Mags don't run "hot".

That little giant uses 145 watts compared to 93 from the Mag... and most of that will go into the water. Putting a pump in line does not save heat... external pumps are still internally cooled by water. The majority of all those watts will be going into the water heating it up. Only "air cooled" external pumps do not transfer their heat to the water.

All I'm trying to say is blanket statements of Mags are hot and the little Giant is a better choice is silly with out data. You just said a 145 watt input is a much better choice for a 75 g tank than one that only adds 93 watts and 65 watts more than the Ehiem I mentioned.