Plumbing shopping list?

[Myka]

Originally Posted by rishu_pepper

Thanks for all the advice so far, it's starting to make sense to me.

Mindy, I bought a DCT12000, which is handy because it has controllable rate of return. The tank is 165g and the sump 50g, and head is maybe 4'~ vertical? I figure the DCT12000 has plenty and more flow than I'll need, so I can always dial it down.

What is the advantage of running a manifold? How hard/easy is it to install it?

Not exactly a handyman here

My above recommendations are to help keep the plumbing simple for you as possible since it's your first go. The advantage of a manifold is to run reactors or other equipment such as biopellets or GFO reactors without needing extra pumps to run those items. The manifold is simple...it's just a few Tees added together. Reduce the Tees to 1/2", add a ball valve to each manifold output. I could find a pic probably later...

Will adding a check valve on the return line reduce the amount of back siphoning?

For the purpose of helping the skimmer to not overflow, yes. Do not rely on it to keep your floors dry though. The less feet of plumbing you have and tall standpipes you should not have a lot of back siphoning anyway. Make sure there is room in your sump for the back siphoning as well as the full volume of the overflow (just in case). You can set your Apex to turn off the skimmer when you turn off pumps for feeding too. You can also turn off various pumps (like the return pump) with the push of a button on an Apex. You can also hook up powerbars with switches if you didn't have an Apex, so there are lots of options rather than unplugging the return pump.