125 gallon lake malawi build

[Andrew McFadden]

Its all good your advice has been very helpful so would flex tubing work off the pump

Ya that's what I have. When I get home ill look at the size and re post

 

[vance1013]

Ya that's what I have. When I get home ill look at the size and re post

Thank you that would be so helpful

 

[Andrew McFadden]

Ok this is what I have but I'm not sure if it will work with your pump. http://tinyurl.com/boc68v7

This is the ball valve I have http://tinyurl.com/cbk2o6o

And the check valve http://tinyurl.com/cg5ubfa

Sorry I couldn't find the right fittings I used to attach everything together. There is one to many of those things for online shopping lol

 

[vance1013]

Ok this is what I have but I'm not sure if it will work with your pump. http://tinyurl.com/boc68v7

This is the ball valve I have http://tinyurl.com/cbk2o6o

And the check valve http://tinyurl.com/cg5ubfa

Sorry I couldn't find the right fittings I used to attach everything together. There is one to many of those things for online shopping lol

Thank you that is very helpful now i just need to find a good pump also get acrylic for the sump, this tank hopefully will be up and running by the end of January, for the chambers is there a certain height or way to place the acrylic all the research ive been doing hasnt been panning out on specific details explains all tge questions

 

[Malawi Freak]

Have you taken measurements of stand. Usually a 29 won't fit under a 125 due to the height of the 29.

 

[vance1013]

Have you taken measurements of stand. Usually a 29 won't fit under a 125 due to the height of the 29.

No i havent ill have to do that

 

[vance1013]

Got it completely scraped and cleaned now to just get some acetone or any other suggestions from you guys on something to help remove little pieces i couldnt get with the scraper already got the silicone

 

[vance1013]

Sorry forgot the pics

 

[cichlid_tank619]

Uarujoey on you tune has tons of DIY videos on sumps

 

[vance1013]

Thank you ill have to check those out to get a good idea

 

[vance1013]

Hey guys i know its been awhile life has been busy with the baby and work now my question is for good flow would 1100gph be sufficient or too much

 

[Nolaboi]

Hey guys i know its been awhile life has been busy with the baby and work now my question is for good flow would 1100gph be sufficient or too much

You can never have to much flow

 

[Nolaboi]

You can never have to much flow

Sorry you do need to watch the flow on a sump check out YouTube for some help I seen some good ones on the tube

 

[vance1013]

Ok thank you for that from what ive read on some sumps ive seen online i might buy soon most seem rated for anywhere from1100 to 2200gph so im just trying figure out a good balance

 

[Malawi Freak]

It may be rated for a certain flow but you need to look at the loss for vertical plumbing. The pump I had on my tank was rated for 1800gph but with 4' vertical rise it was rated at 1200gph.

 

[vance1013]

It may be rated for a certain flow but you need to look at the loss for vertical plumbing. The pump I had on my tank was rated for 1800gph but with 4' vertical rise it was rated at 1200gph.

That makes sense for the vertical plumbing and loosing gph so having a little more would better to have good flow and to keep up with the amount coming into the sump

 

[Malawi Freak]

Yes. Make sure you match your overflow to the actual flow of your pump. I bought the mag-18 with the eshopps 1200 overflow for my 125.

 

[vance1013]

Yes. Make sure you match your overflow to the actual flow of your pump. I bought the mag-18 with the eshopps 1200 overflow for my 125.

Ill make sure to keep that in mind when i finally come accross a good deal ive been checking ebay and drsfosterandsmith you have any suggestions on where to look

 

[Malawi Freak]

Craigslist for sumps (don't buy new cause the prices are ridiculous) or think about making your own from a fish tank, just requires some plexiglass and silicone to make but you might be limited with your stand, the only tank that would have been realistic to use on my 125 was a 40L cause I have a metal stand and a 55 is too tall. Look around for eshopps overflows cause they are cost effective but you will absolutely need to make the silencer for them, very easy and cheap to do since it only requires 4 pieces - look up Durso standpipe. I had the dual overflow, not really too sure how I liked it, think I would have been happier with a single but eshopps didn't and probably still doesn't make a 1200gph single. You can always just make your own overflow out of PVC - look up DIY overflow, the size of the PVC pipe you use is what defines the max flow rate. The pump is where you need to bite the bullet - that's the heart of the sump, go cheap there and you will never hit the target flow you have in mind, I went with danner supreme cause they are known to be reliable for many years for outdoor pond use. http://www.marinedepot.com/powerheads_pumps_danner_mag_drive_supreme-ap.html


With my experiences I've learned to build a sump in this order:

1) buy or build the sump to know what your max flow rate is. Keep in mind when there is a power failure the tank will drain until the overflow cannot suck any more water out. That's why I took my sump off my tank and replaced with a fluval fx5 (it doesn't leak and costs less than a full high flow sump)
2) buy a pump that is suitable for the sump, i.e. - a mag18 pump would be too big for a 10 gallon sump.
3) buy/build an overflow to match the pump

 

[vance1013]

Craigslist for sumps (don't buy new cause the prices are ridiculous) or think about making your own from a fish tank, just requires some plexiglass and silicone to make but you might be limited with your stand, the only tank that would have been realistic to use on my 125 was a 40L cause I have a metal stand and a 55 is too tall. Look around for eshopps overflows cause they are cost effective but you will absolutely need to make the silencer for them, very easy and cheap to do since it only requires 4 pieces - look up Durso standpipe. I had the dual overflow, not really too sure how I liked it, think I would have been happier with a single but eshopps didn't and probably still doesn't make a 1200gph single. You can always just make your own overflow out of PVC - look up DIY overflow, the size of the PVC pipe you use is what defines the max flow rate. The pump is where you need to bite the bullet - that's the heart of the sump, go cheap there and you will never hit the target flow you have in mind, I went with danner supreme cause they are known to be reliable for many years for outdoor pond use. http://www.marinedepot.com/powerheads_pumps_danner_mag_drive_supreme-ap.html

With my experiences I've learned to build a sump in this order:

1) buy or build the sump to know what your max flow rate is. Keep in mind when there is a power failure the tank will drain until the overflow cannot suck any more water out. That's why I took my sump off my tank and replaced with a fluval fx5 (it doesn't leak and costs less than a full high flow sump)
2) buy a pump that is suitable for the sump, i.e. - a mag18 pump would be too big for a 10 gallon sump.
3) buy/build an overflow to match the pump

Thank you i will keep looking and all this great info in mind when getting ready i originally wanted to build one myself i just dont have the time to do that with 2 little ones so that why i was looking at buying one does the fx5 give flow through out the tank