Plumbing into the basement

[burblecut]

Alright,
So I have my Display tank on the main floor of my house. It's nothing huge, just a 72 gallon bowfront.

In the near future I would like to plumb my sump in the basement. The issue is my tank is in the center of my main floor, and I would like to have my sump in the corner where my fish room will be. I will need 23' of pvp to get it there.

What size of pvp should I use? 1"? 2"? Flex pvc? pvc pipe?
What pump should I buy? I know I will need one with a good amount of head ratio, but I also need one that won't kill me in electric bills. Any suggestions?
I would say my pvc pipe will go up 3' from my sump, then straight for a good 20', then I will have a 90 degree elbow, 2'of pvc, then another elbow, 1' of pvc, another elbow to the tank.

How do I even go about calculating head with that? How many ball valves and other valves would you recommend?

thanks for the help!

[Chin_Lee]

I have the same set up with 24' of flex pvc. I use two 1.5" for drain and one 1" for pump return. for return pump i use a barracuda - gives enough good flow for my lps tank that I don't have any other pumps in my display tank.
for your drains, if you decide to do herbie method, make sure you put the gate valves upstairs about feet under your drain. Its easier to control than if you were to put the gate valve down at the sump.

[burblecut]

Thanks for the advice Chin. What model of Barracuda is it? Is there a specific reason why you run a 1" pvc on the return and a 1.5" on the intake?
Thanks again

[Dez]

I would go the largest you can go on the output of your pump to reduce head pressure. I would also go flex pvc or use 45 elbows instead of 90 degree elbows. As for pump size if Chin is using a Barracuda with success, that would probably be a good choice - they are fairly efficient. I'm running a 6000 gph Reeflo Blackfin 6000 that uses about 300 watts (or just under). I'm running several tanks and my skimmer with that one pump though from my basement with the sump directly on the ground. Hope this helps.

[burblecut]

Thanks Dez,
What size of flex are you using? and where did you get it in Edmonton?

I saw your setup a month ago while getting some frags..best setup I've seen yet!

Your right, I'll go with 45 angles

[Rogue951]

don't forget to make sure you have a BIG sump cause those pipes will hold a lot of water that will want to come back down if the pump shuts off.

[donlite]

If you type in google Pump Head Loss Calculator they have a free very good calculator that allows you take into account every possible combination, Don