sump question?

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evil Nick

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So I am thinking of (yes again) reducing my tank footprint for energy purposes. Both electricity/water savings and my own personal energy as my time is getting very reduced and Im finding it harder to find myself "wanting" to take care of the tanks.

Anyway, again I want to go 20 long. Im thinking of a setup where mine is now (under my wall hung tv ) by using a taller stand, since the long tanks are substantially shorter than the 29 gallons.

Anyway. I figure I might take my 29 and turn it into a sump refuge for my reef 20.

My sump question is you obviously need a pump to take water out of the display but then another pump to get water BACK to the display. You want your sump to be able to hold enough water to make up for a power outage and siphoning down but what happens if the intake pump blows and the out keeps running? Do you put your pump to the display high enough not to cause damage? most of the ones I see the pump sits at the bottom so if the display out fails all the sumps water will still keep pumping up, wont it?

Just curious.

Thanks.


I REALLY want to put both fresh planted and reef right next to each other under the TV. I think that would look amazing, plus my GF misses the planted and honestly hates the reef.
 
All the times I've used a sump I didn't have a return pump, the aquarium was drilled. I don't think having two pumps would work very well, it would be really hard to get them to work in balance with each other (the head pressure would be much different for the higher pump, you'd have to mess with throttles and just hope that one didn't slow down because it gunked up or something. If you use an overflow it'll just drain as much as it needs to and will keep itself in balance.
 
No two pump sump systems. You need some type of gravity fed overflow to get water to your sump.Then a pump to return.Most overflows can handle aprox. 750 GPH.
With average head you want to look at 700-900 GPH return with larger being better as you can throttle it down with a ball valve in the return line if needed..
 
What stops your return pump from flooding things is by the size of your return area. It can only pump out that much water.
You don’t pump water from the display. You use an overflow to determine how much water flows into the sump.
The key is having a return pump at higher gph than the overflow. You use a gate valve plumbed in after the return pump to then match the overflow perfectly.
 
So I am thinking of (yes again) reducing my tank footprint for energy purposes. Both electricity/water savings and my own personal energy as my time is getting very reduced and Im finding it harder to find myself "wanting" to take care of the tanks.

Anyway, again I want to go 20 long. Im thinking of a setup where mine is now (under my wall hung tv ) by using a taller stand, since the long tanks are substantially shorter than the 29 gallons.

Anyway. I figure I might take my 29 and turn it into a sump refuge for my reef 20.

My sump question is you obviously need a pump to take water out of the display but then another pump to get water BACK to the display. You want your sump to be able to hold enough water to make up for a power outage and siphoning down but what happens if the intake pump blows and the out keeps running? Do you put your pump to the display high enough not to cause damage? most of the ones I see the pump sits at the bottom so if the display out fails all the sumps water will still keep pumping up, wont it?

Just curious.

Thanks.


I REALLY want to put both fresh planted and reef right next to each other under the TV. I think that would look amazing, plus my GF misses the planted and honestly hates the reef.
The way to prevent overflow in the sump is to use a gravity fed drain into the sump. With the return pump off, fill the sump. Turn the pump on. When the water starts returning the the sump through the drain, mark that level on your sump and never add more water than that level when the tank is running. This way, even if there is a power failure, there can't be a flood. ( Also, by marking the sump, you will know when you need to add water for evaporation. (y) )
 
Got it guys thanks, so you basically have to drill an overflow or something to get the water to the sump. I was under the impression from pics a saw you pumped water it to the sump
 
You can get a siphon overflow that hangs on the side of the aquarium, but then you risk losing the siphon and flooding. I guess anytime we’ve got a box full of water in our house we risk flooding, but there are ways to at least mitigate the risk :) Drilling really isn’t that hard, get a set of diamond coated hole saws, make a template/guide, and keep it wet as you drill (and maybe wear earplugs).
 
Cpr makes a nice overflow with a nipple on it that lets you hook up an aqualifter pump to it. Prevents siphon loss. Loved mine.

Whats the price on something like that? I honestly dont mind drilling, Im a VERY handy guy. I just want to make sure Im doing it all right.

As for the tank full of water comment, yes, my 55 scares me to death honestly.
Plus between the power to run the heaters, filters, etc etc and just the energy for maintain it via the amount I get to see it (because its in a back room) its just not worth the effort.

As for the reef. Im thinking since my fish selection is so limited anyway I might as well go smaller and do a proper setup with a sump. Even If I go 20 but add another 20 as a sump its still WAY more water than the 29 I have with the amount of rock for bio filtration.
Plus Im learning my invert love way outclasses my fish love in the marine, I wish hers did to but shes terrified of almost every invert we have lol, though she LOVES our new condy anem. I KNOW I shouldnt have gotten one in a reef but I was able to manually place him somewhere he loves away from everything and I have been feeding him portions of food manually to keep him from moving and so far so good. He looks WAY better than he did in the pet store already!. Actually I also dont think their stings must be that bad, Ive actually seen my stupid green goby go rest inside it with no problem.
 
The overflows vary on size, but the aqualifter pumps are very cheap. I was replacing them every year as I used one for ATO and water changes.
If you are comfortable drilling, that is the best route. I'd have taken that over the HOB overflow all day long.
 
Got it guys thanks, so you basically have to drill an overflow or something to get the water to the sump. I was under the impression from pics a saw you pumped water it to the sump
In a scenario where the sump was along side the tank opposed to underneath, pumping into the sump could be necessary. However, the risks for disaster go way up this way which is one of the main reasons people do it underneath.
While drilling is the better option (IMO) there is another siphon option that can be seen here:
I've personally used both with success.(I do prefer drilled however. )
 
I stuck one behind my dt, little higher, drilled and it works great. Pumped from Dt and gravity return. Simple yet effective. It's behind the wall though, not sure what your location allows
 
I have used the CPR over flow with a TOMs aqualifter.They are good.
If you want the best of both worlds go with the Eshopps Eclipse.
You will need to drill the tanks but the overflow is completely pre built and installs through the glass like a bulkhead.
ESHOPPS | Eclipse M
Comes with a pattern and drill bit !
 
I hated the idea of an overflow. If that thing fails than it's a big problem.. I set the water levels in such a way that the pump cannot flood the sump and the sump cannot flood the tank. It's pretty solid, im sure there is something that could ruin my day but I havnt figured it out yet nor has it occurred. Best part is the pump is a maxi jet. I bought 3 because they're so cheap and effective. One runs, one soaks and cleaned, one on shelf for backup.. there's only 3" of lift involved. Can't rely on this for flow so a jabao pp4 is that.. thing is a beast.
 
I originally wanted to make a behind the tank sump as well with an overflow back into the display but I just never got to it
 
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