I think I might've drilled the wrong side of my tank... plumbing advice please?

[Elbereth]

I drilled a 2.5" hole in my 46g tank for an overflow box on one side but now I'm thinking I'd rather have the return line there. Long story short, I'm thinking of putting the tank in a different location where the drain would look much better if it was on the other side.

According to here (https://www.dursostandpipes.com/fre...t-physical-hole-size-is-needed-for-a-bulkhead) I'd need a 1.5" bulkhead to fill that hole. Since my return lines are only 3/4" I was thinking I could use a 1" return pipe and then go up to 1/5" for the fittings into the tank to reduce friction. My return pump has a 3/4" outlet which I know will limit the gains I'll get from the larger pipe size though.

Another option is to use the existing hole for one drain and drill a second hole on the other side for a second drain, with an over-the-top return in the center. One drain line could empty into the skimmer chamber, the second into a refugium. Sump could be: skimmer > return < refugium. I'd have redundancy when it comes to drainage and I'd have the option of greater turnover. (My original overflow box is rated for 400GPH so I could go up to 800GPH with two. Not that I really need that much GPH though.) I'd have to buy the second overflow box and another pump though because my current one isn't powerful enough. Or I could also add a second pump and plumb two return lines for redundancy - also nice but plumbing gets more complicated.

So my main question is: is it worth having two drain lines on a 46g tank or would that be overkill? Any advice/feedback to help me decide between the two options?

Thanks in advance!

 

[braaap]

I drilled a 2.5" hole in my 46g tank for an overflow box on one side but now I'm thinking I'd rather have the return line there. Long story short, I'm thinking of putting the tank in a different location where the drain would look much better if it was on the other side.

According to here (https://www.dursostandpipes.com/fre...t-physical-hole-size-is-needed-for-a-bulkhead) I'd need a 1.5" bulkhead to fill that hole. Since my return lines are only 3/4" I was thinking I could use a 1" return pipe and then go up to 1/5" for the fittings into the tank to reduce friction. My return pump has a 3/4" outlet which I know will limit the gains I'll get from the larger pipe size though.

Another option is to use the existing hole for one drain and drill a second hole on the other side for a second drain, with an over-the-top return in the center. One drain line could empty into the skimmer chamber, the second into a refugium. Sump could be: skimmer > return < refugium. I'd have redundancy when it comes to drainage and I'd have the option of greater turnover. (My original overflow box is rated for 400GPH so I could go up to 800GPH with two. Not that I really need that much GPH though.) I'd have to buy the second overflow box and another pump though because my current one isn't powerful enough. Or I could also add a second pump and plumb two return lines for redundancy - also nice but plumbing gets more complicated.

So my main question is: is it worth having two drain lines on a 46g tank or would that be overkill? Any advice/feedback to help me decide between the two options?

Thanks in advance!

Should always have atleast 2 drain lines. 1 as the normal use and 1 as a backup for emergency use incase the first one gets clogged. One should be higher than the other so it only gets wet when that emergency occurs.

 

[Dbichler]

If it were my tank I would add another drain

 

[JayM]

If your return pump only has a 3/4" outlet, you won't significantly gain anything (if at all) by upsizing your plumbing. The 3/4" will only flow what it will flow. I'd personally use it as an emergency drain and drill the other hole slightly lower to use as the primary.

 

[Elbereth]

I forgot to specify my overflow box is for 2 drain lines. So when I said 2 drains I meant 2x2 - 4 pipes in total.

 

[Elbereth]

If your return pump only has a 3/4" outlet, you won't significantly gain anything (if at all) by upsizing your plumbing. The 3/4" will only flow what it will flow. I'd personally use it as an emergency drain and drill the other hole slightly lower to use as the primary.

Dang, I suspected as much. I guess I could always upgrade my pump and keep my current one as a backup.