SCA 50G Cube Build

[CVAquarium]

Hi All, brand new to the hobby and am working on my first 50G tank build. Have found a ton of great resources on this thread already and am working to do as much research as possible before fully diving in, but still have some beginner questions that I'm trying to sort out on the plumbing piece.

Primary questions I have at this are:

1. Should I cement my two emergency drains and my return pipe on the inside of my overflow box? Have read mixed reviews but am leaning towards only cementing the return pipe, if any at all.
2. When plumbing my gate valve for my main drain, is it best to use a 1" gate valve, or a 3/4" gate valve with reducers?

Thanks in advance for all of the help, super excited to get my tank set up and will post pics once I get a bit further in!

 

[TX_REEF]

Welcome!

What do you mean by "cementing"? do you mean PVC cement? if so, you should use this on all connections, with primer first.

on your second question, I follow the school of as few reducers and 90 degree angles as possible - less restriction allows water to flow more freely. The gate valve is a gate valve for a reason.

 

[Ef4life]

I have the same tank, I recall that I glued the 2 drain pipes in, I figured I want the level to be consistent and only adjust with the gate valve. Loose pieces can leak more than you might like and keep you chasing an adjustment

I did not glue the center return in though, it’s held in with the loc lines threaded ends, and if that leaks a little it’s not a huge issue as it’s in the overflow/tank. It’s easy to remove and clean if needed, or for more access if a fish gets trapped back there

I used all 1” piping

 

[Solo McReefer]

What is meant by "loose pieces"?

Sounds like it means one fit tights pvc pipe and fittings

That's unheard of for me, if so

 

[CVAquarium]

Thanks @TX_REEF @Ef4life @Solo McReefer, appreciate the input. For clarity, I'm referring to priming and PVC cementing my main drain, emergency drain, and the center return pipe to my bulkheads on the wet side (inside) of my overflow.

I'll definitely be priming and cementing all connections beneath the tank on the dry side, but I've read mixed reviews where some are saying to prime and cement connections in the overflow, and others are recommending not to do this so that cleaning and access is easier/possible in the future if needed. My primary concern is ensuring that no leaks occur from the overflow down into the sump area