overflow - Aquarium Advice

noobtank · 02-13-2005, 08:09 PM

Grr...well i feel like a big noob now. I have everything set up except for how do i get the water from the [acronym:24ebb0e46c="Hang On Back"]hob[/acronym:24ebb0e46c] overflwo to work. i can't get the thing to siphon.

dizzyliz · 02-13-2005, 08:23 PM

i put air line tube up into it and sucked

--Liz

noobtank · 02-13-2005, 08:27 PM

while the u tube is in the water?

RMPD109 · 02-13-2005, 08:30 PM

Fill both sides of the overflow with water. Put your U tube in place. Use the airline tubing to fish one end into the top of the U bend. Suck out all the air from the top of the U bend. Your siphon should be good to go.

**ellisz** · 02-13-2005, 08:31 PM

Yes. Put a small air line tube up into the U at the top. Turn your pump on and then suck into the air line tubing. This will start the siphon. Suck real hard to you remove any air in the U tube.

noobtank · 02-13-2005, 08:38 PM

omg thank you so much....ur a life saver...i finally got the plumbing right..yay

jaiden · 02-14-2005, 06:40 AM

Keep in mind what will happen to your tank if the power goes off, the siphon breaks, and then the power comes back on. there are "aqualifter" pumps which are cheap, and built to draw out this bit of air in such an event.

Try to think of all the failure modes in your setup. Do you have enough room in your sump that if the return pump fails, it won't overflow? What if a snail crawls onto your overflow tube?

dralarms · 02-14-2005, 07:47 AM

Quote:

there are "aqualifter" pumps which are cheap, and built to draw out this bit of air in such an event.

Can you provide a link? I need one big enough to handle 2 overflows.

**ellisz** · 02-14-2005, 11:44 AM

If the U tube is done right, it should not lose siphon when the pump stops.

tripper · 02-14-2005, 12:38 PM

If the power is out for an extended amount of time, the main will drain into the sump until the siphon is broken because the water level is too low. The problem arises when the power comes back on and the pump returns water to the main but there is no siphon in the overflow.

The result. . . water everywhere until the sump is dry.

I'm tagging along too, would like to find out about the aqualifter pump

02-13-2005, 08:09 PM	#1
noobtank Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: fl Posts: 42	overflow Grr...well i feel like a big noob now. I have everything set up except for how do i get the water from the [acronym:24ebb0e46c="Hang On Back"]hob[/acronym:24ebb0e46c] overflwo to work. i can't get the thing to siphon.

02-13-2005, 08:23 PM	#2
dizzyliz Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Williamstown NJ Posts: 54	i put air line tube up into it and sucked --Liz __________________ it's a free trip around the sun...enjoy the ride

02-13-2005, 08:30 PM	#4
RMPD109 Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Rocky Mount VA Posts: 930	Fill both sides of the overflow with water. Put your U tube in place. Use the airline tubing to fish one end into the top of the U bend. Suck out all the air from the top of the U bend. Your siphon should be good to go. __________________ Vote for AquariumAdvice 28gal bowfront 40lbs livesand(bag from [acronym="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym]), 30lbs live rock([acronym="Live rock"]LR[/acronym].com) 2 O. Clowns 1 peppermint shrimp, 5 red leg hermit crabs, 4 mexican turbo snails, 15 nassarius snails ricordea mushroom, candy cane coral, super color polyps, hairy mushrooms bubble coral, hawiian feather duster coralife lunar 2x65, HOT magnum canister 10 Gal refugium(chaeto) & seaclone skimmer

02-13-2005, 08:31 PM	#5
ellisz Aquarium Advice Addict Community Moderator Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Indiana USA Posts: 2,672 Images: 9	Yes. Put a small air line tube up into the U at the top. Turn your pump on and then suck into the air line tubing. This will start the siphon. Suck real hard to you remove any air in the U tube. __________________ 180 gal Display, 100 gal basement sump, 33 gal refugium, 3x250 MH, 2x160 VHO actinics, zoos, some softies, LPS & lots of acros and other SPS. 100 gal prop tank plumbed into main system w/ 2x96 PC lights and 1x150 MH,

02-14-2005, 06:40 AM	#7
jaiden Aquarium Advice FINatic Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sturbridge, MA Posts: 586	Keep in mind what will happen to your tank if the power goes off, the siphon breaks, and then the power comes back on. there are "aqualifter" pumps which are cheap, and built to draw out this bit of air in such an event. Try to think of all the failure modes in your setup. Do you have enough room in your sump that if the return pump fails, it won't overflow? What if a snail crawls onto your overflow tube? __________________ 54g all-glass bowfront corner AquaC Remora with MJ1200 three MJ900 [acronym:71b198ebe2="power head or Measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions, depending on context"]PH[/acronym:71b198ebe2]'s Phosban reactor, 65lb [acronym:71b198ebe2="Live rock"]LR[/acronym:71b198ebe2] (mostly hirocks), 60lb aragonite ~3" sand bed Lonely O Clown

02-13-2005, 08:27 PM	#3
noobtank Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: fl Posts: 42	while the u tube is in the water?

02-13-2005, 08:38 PM	#6
noobtank Aquarium Advice Apprentice Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: fl Posts: 42	omg thank you so much....ur a life saver...i finally got the plumbing right..yay

02-14-2005, 11:44 AM	#9
ellisz Aquarium Advice Addict Community Moderator Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Indiana USA Posts: 2,672 Images: 9	If the U tube is done right, it should not lose siphon when the pump stops. __________________ 180 gal Display, 100 gal basement sump, 33 gal refugium, 3x250 MH, 2x160 VHO actinics, zoos, some softies, LPS & lots of acros and other SPS. 100 gal prop tank plumbed into main system w/ 2x96 PC lights and 1x150 MH,

02-14-2005, 12:38 PM	#10
tripper Aquarium Advice Freak Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Philadelphia Posts: 432 Images: 2	If the power is out for an extended amount of time, the main will drain into the sump until the siphon is broken because the water level is too low. The problem arises when the power comes back on and the pump returns water to the main but there is no siphon in the overflow. The result. . . water everywhere until the sump is dry. I'm tagging along too, would like to find out about the aqualifter pump

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