Central sump filtration system,

[formanbob]

Ok so I have lots of mechanical abilities, and a love for water. Right now I have 90g FW, 5.5g Dwarf puff, and a 30g Reef w/fish in my theater. Under all of this I have a basement with a good bit of room. My RO/DI system is in the basement. Right now all the tanks have there own (less the puffer it has a sponge filer) EHEIM canister filer, the FW has one rated at 120g or so and the SW has one rate a 60g or so. I alto have a massive Wet/Dry filter not in use.

What I was thinking was setting up two sumps in the basement, one for the SW and one for the FW. The one for the SW would have built in refugium. I was hope to add two more small tanks soon. One would be a custom built 10g niche table mounted to the wall but have legs on the front this I wanted to be a SW and have something like crabs only. The other was going to be another 5.5g FW that would be my shrimp thank. Pulls I will toying around with the idea if having a small (10g ) planted tank.

Some of my reasons. On my salt system, I have no room for a HOB skimmer, and there is no room under the tank ( I can post a pic if it helps) . So I need a place to put the skimmer, plus it would be nice to have more volume, and then I have the ability to expand. As far as the FW goes I do have room For a sump but then I have no more room for any more tanks in the stand. So the basement sounds like the best.

Now for some ides, I already have most of the substrate in the SW’s EHEIM trade out for
crushed LR. So what I would like to do is some how user the canisters to assist the sums in some way. One, Have the sumps filer the water right at the sumps, and have HOB filters on the 90g, and 30g and drill al future tank for over flows. , I also thought I could use the EHEIM’s to push the water back to the tanks but am not sure if this will work for multiple reasons but power being the main one. One main thing is I don’t want to waist the EHEIM’s.

So I know this sounds like a big task but the bulk of the work is just running PVC.

Now as far as the sumps, I am undecided, do I just get two cheep glass tanks (what size) ro I get some Rubbermaid containers, or I could build the tanks one of two ways , I could make them ALL out plexi or I could make them like the DIY tanks ( wood and marine safe epoxy) with plexi fronts.


To answer some of your questing I am crazy, and yes my wife thinks I am .

But what do you think…


I will be posing this if FW and SW So tell me what you think.

 

[IndyReefMan]

So, it sounds like you're wanting to keep the display tank(s) on the first floor and place the sump(s) in the basement. What a cool idea! I think that it will take a pretty strong return pump to push that water 11 or 12 feet strait up and back to the display tank. You can find charts that will show the gph ratings at various heights on retailers websites. Start by looking for a pump that has the gph that you are looking for at a height of around 12 feet or so (8 feet for the height of your basement, assuming you have an 8' pour and not a 9', plus 4' from the floor to the top of the tank). I don't know much about the EHEIM's... I've never used one. Personally, I would use an old aquarium instead of a plastic tub for the sump/refuguim. I did, and I have almost as much fun watching the inside of the refuguim as I do watching my display tank... all kinds of cool critters. Assuming your basement is unfinished, I would drill up from the basement, thru the bottom plate of the first floor, then thru the sub-floor into the first floor and then run your lines to the tank. It would be really cool if you could get it thru a wall cavity and then up to the tank so the lines would be hidden but that would be awful hard to do but it sounds like you're a pretty handy person. You might be able to do it... probably have to end up tearing up some drywall and replacing it but what an awesome set-up you would have. A lot easier to just come up thru the floor but wouldn't look as nice plus you would have to cut thru the floor covering. I have my display tank in my finished basement. I went behind the wall and underneath the stairs going to the first floor and set my sump back there. It works perfectly. I also set my skimmer back in the sump (among other things). It's a HOB (Aqua C Remora Pro) and just hangs on the back of my old 45 gallon aquarium that I use as a sump/refugium. I think that answers most of your question. Good Luck... you have some work ahead of you but once you're done, you'll have a great set-up.

 

[formanbob]

So, it sounds like you're wanting to keep the display tank(s) on the first floor and place the sump(s) in the basement. What a cool idea! .

Thats just about it,

I think that it will take a pretty strong return pump to push that water 11 or 12 feet strait up and back to the display tank. You can find charts that will show the gph ratings at various heights on retailers websites. Start by looking for a pump that has the gph that you are looking for at a height of around 12 feet or so (8 feet for the height of your basement, assuming you have an 8' pour and not a 9', plus 4' from the floor to the top of the tank). I don't know much about the EHEIM's... I've never used one.

Sound good, i have a massive pump the i got from a fish store, so I will have to look it up.

Personally, I would use an old aquarium instead of a plastic tub for the sump/refuguim. I did, and I have almost as much fun watching the inside of the refuguim as I do watching my display tank... all kinds of cool critters.

Sound good!, what about size any

Assuming your basement is unfinished, I would drill up from the basement, thru the bottom plate of the first floor, then thru the sub-floor into the first floor and then run your lines to the tank. It would be really cool if you could get it thru a wall cavity and then up to the tank so the lines would be hidden but that would be awful hard to do but it sounds like you're a pretty handy person. You might be able to do it... probably have to end up tearing up some drywall and replacing it but what an awesome set-up you would have. A lot easier to just come up thru the floor but wouldn't look as nice plus you would have to cut thru the floor covering. I have my display tank in my finished basement. I went behind the wall and underneath the stairs going to the first floor and set my sump back there. It works perfectly.

I will be going in the walls. Right now I have LV (low Voltage) boxes in the walls behind the main tank for the RO/DI System so i will do the same but use some type of quick disconnect and flex pipe to hook each tanks hard lines to the hard lines in the walls.

I also set my skimmer back in the sump (among other things). It's a HOB (Aqua C Remora Pro) and just hangs on the back of my old 45 gallon aquarium that I use as a sump/refugium. I think that answers most of your question. Good Luck... you have some work ahead of you but once you're done, you'll have a great set-up.

 

[IndyReefMan]

I'm jealous... what a great system you will have. But you've given me some good ideas if I ever decide to set-up another tank on the first floor. As far as sump size I guess that is just a matter of personal preference. In my opinion, the bigger the better. The more water volume that you have in your system, the more stable it will be. I went with a 45 gallon sump because I just so happened to have an old beat up 45 gallon aquarium in my attic... thought I'd put it to good use. Plus, it fit just perfectly behind the wall under the stairs. I could have fit bigger, but my wife uses that area to store her scrap-booking stuff too and I didn't want to be a space hog. If you're sump is going to be up against a wall and you're tight on space, you may want to consider using a "tall" aquarium. For example, the 45 gallon tall that I use has the same base dimensions (footprint) as a 30 gallon regular size. That enables me to fill more water without really losing any storage space. Best of luck to you.

 

[formanbob]

Well, my next steps are,

One I have two large pumps, I will look them up and find out the head pressure. I will then be going to a farm and fleet store to look at tubs.

I have this idea, from what I have found out the canisters will not have enough head pressure. So I am going to hook the canisters right up to the sumps. This will keep the tanks uncluttered. This will also give me an established filter that I can separate from the main system for emergencies and or isolations. Now I will do the same on the salt but I have this idea. I will use my old 20g as a refugium, I will use the current canister to pump water up a few (2-3 feet) to the refugium and from there it will overflow back in to the sump.

So my list is this.

Pump info
Determine tubs.
Determine most efficient location
Run one large drain, and supply line in the wall to each location, ( will have same type if quick disconnect)

Buy new 5.5g for the puffer (pre drilled)
Buy two HOB over flows for the 90g FW MAIN and two for the 30g SW MAIN ( I have been told to use two for safety.
Buy some sort of flexible line to put the water back in the tanks that are not drilled (any help on this)
Buy bulkheads for the drilled tanks ( where can I find these)
Need I nice used skimmer
Need a light for the refugium ( what do I use for this)

So if anyone knows of a good place to get fittings, bulkheads and that flexible pipe that you can screw into the supply line to put water back in that tank that would rock. Also what about lighting for the refugium and a good skimmer for the sump, would like used one…


So what do you think any comments or suggestions.

 

[IndyReefMan]

I had a feeling that canister wouldn't have enough pressure but I knew that there would be plenty of pumps out there that could do the job. Once you determine the head pressure, buy an overflow that is rated GPH higher than the head pressure. That way you know that the overflow can handle it without spilling over. I've never heard of having two overflows but I guess it couldn't hurt. If you're worried about siphon break, check out the CPR CS (continuous siphon) series of overflow boxes. It has a built in siphon that can be adjusted with screws to set the water level in your tank (no u-tube to mess with). You can also purchase an aqua lifter pump that quickly and easily attaches to the top of the siphon to prevent any siphon breaks. Even if the power goes out and the siphon breaks, when the power comes back on the pump quickly sucks the air out of the top and you're back in business. As an additional plus, you don't have a large box (or in your case--boxes) hanging there on the inside of your display tank. I have this set-up on my 72 gal bowfront and it works perfectly every day. Try marinedepot.com for all of the hardware that you require... they have just about everything (I hope Aquarium Advice doesn't get mad at me, I don't think that they are one of our sponsors).

For refugium lighting, I just used the NO flourescent fixture that my 45gal aquarium came with. Only thing I did was buy a different bulb. I think I remember steve-s recommending a 10,000K bulb. That's what I got and I have caluerpa and cheato growth out of control-- have to trim it every week, but hey... that shows it's doing its job.

For your skimmer, most people on this site seem to recommend the Aqua-C's. That's what I have and it pumps out skimmate like there is no tomorrow. I have the Remora Pro which is a HOB for your display tank. At the time I got it I didn't have a sump---That's why I bought that one. When I set-up my sump, I didn't want to spend the extra $$$ on an in-sump skimmer so I just hung it on the back of my sump. If you keep the water level high enough in your sump, It'll work just fine. But if I were you, since you already will have a sump, I would buy an in-sump skimmer. The Aqua-C Urchin is supposed to be good but let's see if anyone else can chime in with a recomendation since I have never owned one.

 

[formanbob]

Thanks a big old bunch

 

[formanbob]

Hey IndyReefMan
Kudos to you that site rocks. I am going home tonight to look at my pumps, find the space, and start on the plans.


So what do you all think, Should I make a project site for this, Photos, plans, and uptodate info?

 

[formanbob]

Ok got my website up, so now i have a place....

http://www.bathroommonkey.com/b-room monkey.jpg