Clarisea roller mat set height and plumbing question

[mrpontiac80]

So I have a new 180 I am setting up. I’ve never had a sump before and I am currently in the process of filling the tank.
I did all of my own plumbing and I have a new clarisea sk5000 gen 2 I am going to use.

I went ahead and used pvc all the way from the main drain using a herbi style. My secondary drain drops beside the clarisea and I thought I would get a hang on filter sock to place under that drain.
my sump is a triton 44 v1. So I modified it by cutting out a panel and etc since the design of that sump did not use socks or anything.
I am hoping someone can head me in the right direction for the water height and clarisea. Do I need to raise the clarisea? Should I be using the pvc all the way to it or replace with a small section of tubing?
I will add supports on drains and the secondary will be shortened as needed once I get the filter sock holder… if it is even recommended I use one.

 

[WifeOfRatkiller]

Congrats on the new tank and the beautiful sump!

I've also got a Clarisea SK5000 hard plumbed into my overflow drain. I run a Bean Animal style overflow and initially had only the main siphon hard plumbed into the SK5000. It worked great even with the hard line glued to the SK5000's supplied elbow. Removing and reinstalling the SK5000 is a little picky especially when lining up the plumbing with the spray bar threads, but it's not a show stopper. After the plumbing was dry fit, then re-dry fit, I made sure to glue the elbow onto the drain plumbing with the SK5000 in place.

Recently, I've tied my main siphon and auxiliary siphon together using a 45-deg fitting and run both through the SK5000. Not sure that will work for your setup - my drains are only 1/2" since my display is 48-gal (just a wee bit smaller than yours).

My SK5000 is in 6 1/4" of water.

It has roughly the same water height requirements (6-8") as my Reef Octopus Elite 150NT Skimmer, and at approx. 6" of water filters plenty before the float switch is triggered. Should mention that my float switch is at it's lowest setting because my system is significantly smaller than yours at only 70-gal total volume. My sump is also on the smaller side compared to yours with only 25-gal of water, so I used an adjustable Octo skimmer stand to get the skimmer and the SK500 raised to the correct height. (The supplied hangers for the SK5000 would not fit over my sump's reinforced rim.)

Pictures:

 

[mrpontiac80]

Congrats on the new tank and the beautiful sump!

I've also got a Clarisea SK5000 hard plumbed into my overflow drain. I run a Bean Animal style overflow and initially had only the main siphon hard plumbed into the SK5000. It worked great even with the hard line glued to the SK5000's supplied elbow. Removing and reinstalling the SK5000 is a little picky especially when lining up the plumbing with the spray bar threads, but it's not a show stopper. After the plumbing was dry fit, then re-dry fit, I made sure to glue the elbow onto the drain plumbing with the SK5000 in place.

Recently, I've tied my main siphon and auxiliary siphon together using a 45-deg fitting and run both through the SK5000. Not sure that will work for your setup - my drains are only 1/2" since my display is 48-gal (just a wee bit smaller than yours).

My SK5000 is in 6 1/4" of water.

It has roughly the same water height requirements (6-8") as my Reef Octopus Elite 150NT Skimmer, and at approx. 6" of water filters plenty before the float switch is triggered. Should mention that my float switch is at it's lowest setting because my system is significantly smaller than yours at only 70-gal total volume. My sump is also on the smaller side compared to yours with only 25-gal of water, so I used an adjustable Octo skimmer stand to get the skimmer and the SK500 raised to the correct height. (The supplied hangers for the SK5000 would not fit over my sump's reinforced rim.)

Pictures:
View attachment 3029910View attachment 3029911View attachment 3029912

Thanks for the feedback.
so my sump was obviously designed for the triton method. So water dropped into a chamber then the next chamber was a big refugium… the next panel would go into the skimmer area. My skimmer does not fit there so it will be placed with the clarisea. The next panel however looks like the lowest water level will be halfway up and adjustable to go maybe higher.
I guess it sounds like the filter material does not have to be submerged because the water will fill up inside the clarisea. So looking at mine, I may have to raise the clarisea some based on how much water level I want in the sump.

should I expect to get much water exiting the secondary drain? Is a filter sock necessary? My drains are 1”.

 

[WifeOfRatkiller]

Thanks for the feedback.
...
I guess it sounds like the filter material does not have to be submerged because the water will fill up inside the clarisea. So looking at mine, I may have to raise the clarisea some based on how much water level I want in the sump.

That is a gorgeous sump! Wow.

Happy to help - hopefully one of the big-tank folks can help with your secondary drain question.

My secondary is normally barely a trickle. Please don't take my word for it though, your 180-gal is a whole other animal.

For the water filling up in the Clarisea, absolutely correct. With my setup, the water is approx. 3" higher in the SK5000. Even during water changes when my sump water level is low and the SK5000 is fully out of the water, it retains at least 5" of water in the chamber.

 

[mrpontiac80]

That is a gorgeous sump! Wow.

Happy to help - hopefully one of the big-tank folks can help with your secondary drain question.

My secondary is normally barely a trickle. Please don't take my word for it though, your 180-gal is a whole other animal.

For the water filling up in the Clarisea, absolutely correct. With my setup, the water is approx. 3" higher in the SK5000. Even during water changes when my sump water level is low and the SK5000 is fully out of the water, it retains at least 5" of water in the chamber.

View attachment 3029967

Thank you so much! I started with a 65 gallon AIO and have had it running for 2 yrs now. I ended up buying a used 180 setup that included a lot of gear. The clarisea was new in box but the tank was horrible. I finally was able to buy a new tank and I’m making water to fill it now. It’s a learning curve for sure!