Hey Everyone --
I've got a 55 gal that's been running quite happily for a year, and all has been going well with the LR, Fluval canister, and Seaclone skimmer. But I've finally gotten sick and tired of looking at and manually skimming the surface crud, so I'm finally getting around to putting in a sump.
I am planning to upgrade to a 120-ish gal tank some time this year, so for the moment I'm only interested in skimming the surface while moving the skimmer and heater to the sump. For the sump itself, I'm thinking just a plastic tub -- now when I upgrade, I'll do it properly with a refugium built in
This leaves the pump and surface skimmer as the only pieces that will be reused with the 120, so I want to get something that will last and perform well. I like the weir overflow design since it retains the siphon if power goes out (which happens often at my house -- but not for long -- I hae a generator), and have found the CPR cs100 for about $90 (800 gph). I'm also thinking about making the overflow myself, but with the same basic idea in mind.
1- Does anyone have experience with this CPR overflow? good, bad, or indifferent? any other recommendations?
2- how would I determine the proper pump size? the sump will be within the stand -- so maybe 5 feet of head height.
3- In the even of a pump failuer, I understand the need for enough space in the sump to accomodate the tank water until it's surface falls below the overflow. But what about if/when the overflow becomes clogged, and the pump just keeps pumping away, potentially overflowing the tank? How do you guard against that mess?
Thanks.
Matt
I've got a 55 gal that's been running quite happily for a year, and all has been going well with the LR, Fluval canister, and Seaclone skimmer. But I've finally gotten sick and tired of looking at and manually skimming the surface crud, so I'm finally getting around to putting in a sump.
I am planning to upgrade to a 120-ish gal tank some time this year, so for the moment I'm only interested in skimming the surface while moving the skimmer and heater to the sump. For the sump itself, I'm thinking just a plastic tub -- now when I upgrade, I'll do it properly with a refugium built in
This leaves the pump and surface skimmer as the only pieces that will be reused with the 120, so I want to get something that will last and perform well. I like the weir overflow design since it retains the siphon if power goes out (which happens often at my house -- but not for long -- I hae a generator), and have found the CPR cs100 for about $90 (800 gph). I'm also thinking about making the overflow myself, but with the same basic idea in mind.
1- Does anyone have experience with this CPR overflow? good, bad, or indifferent? any other recommendations?
2- how would I determine the proper pump size? the sump will be within the stand -- so maybe 5 feet of head height.
3- In the even of a pump failuer, I understand the need for enough space in the sump to accomodate the tank water until it's surface falls below the overflow. But what about if/when the overflow becomes clogged, and the pump just keeps pumping away, potentially overflowing the tank? How do you guard against that mess?
Thanks.
Matt