Yeah yeah, I can't even find my camera cords right now and I need them for non-salty things! :p
I have been thinking about what
daveH has suggested and I think its starting to come together in my head. I don't enjoy thinking about equipment at all :( Am wondering if it would be possible to have a really powerful return pump in the shared sump and then split the return piping so that it powers both tanks? And rather than looking into adding Tunze powerheads later on - which is extra equipment, costs and energy usage, I could just buy another SCWD for my 4 foot now?
I will post a sketch of what I mean when I get some time later on... but how many ways could I split it? Just thinking it would be nice to be able to have four outlets in the softie tank.
The original thought behind having 2 return pumps was so that I could isolate the tanks from one another should something go wrong in one - but if I have a gate valve like
daveH suggested I can just turn one off right?
How powerful would the pump need to be to get strong flow (litres per hour)? Budget would be $600-$800. I am thinking with the sump that I am just going to use a tub - as the only purpose I need it to serve is to connect the tanks together and hide my heaters. I would eventually like to get a new skimmer in there as well. Does the sump need baffles if that's all it's for or am I not understanding the purpose they serve?