Need some help with extra tank connected to my main tank...

[Civicman86]

Ok I have a 10gallon main tank. I picked up another 10gallon tank today. I would like to use the other tank as my tank for heater and other stuff. What would you all do to this tank and hook it up? Im totally lost on how ot get one tank hooked up to the other to share water etc. Right now I will probally just use it for a QT until someone helps me or I find alot more research on how to set this thing up.

I have a maxijet 1600 extra pump, not sure if that that is enough to pump the water from the bottom tank to the top. Both tanks are glass.

 

[jaiden]

you should read up on sumps. this is basically what you're talking about.

 

[Civicman86]

What shoudl I keep in the bottom tank though? Just water?

 

[Civicman86]

OK so I have read up somewhat. Few questions I have.

How do I know how big diameter for my return line do I need? Im not going to devide the bottom tank right now. I mainly just want the extra tank for more volume and stability. Maybe putting some more LR and plants in to help gas exchanges.

I have a maxi 1200, and a 900. I guess I just need to find out which one will pump the most water w/o pumping so much as the overflow can't keep up?

Where can I buy a overflow "tank"?

In essense the tank is always pushing water in from the lower tank into the top tank, and the top tank is always draing into the lower.

I still dont understand the parts to decrease flow and things to make sure the pump doesnt go backwards if something happened.

 

[jaiden]

PH's really aren't built to have that much head. The flow rate is terrible. if you look around, you can find a flow rate chart to see what I mean. however with two little tanks, it might work ok as a fuge.

Usually, the sump will be partitioned so that the pump can only push so much water into the main tank before it runs dry ( so the main doesn't overflow) and the main can only drain so much into the sump before the siphon breaks (if the pump failed)

You will never match flow, but that's OK. just make sure your overflow system is way bigger than your return.

 

[Civicman86]

PH's really aren't built to have that much head. The flow rate is terrible. if you look around, you can find a flow rate chart to see what I mean. however with two little tanks, it might work ok as a fuge.

Usually, the sump will be partitioned so that the pump can only push so much water into the main tank before it runs dry ( so the main doesn't overflow) and the main can only drain so much into the sump before the siphon breaks (if the pump failed)

You will never match flow, but that's OK. just make sure your overflow system is way bigger than your return.

Im not following you all the way I dont think? What exactly is a fuge? I have tried fiding out what exactly it is and think I have an idea but nothing concrete. Is it just another tank (like my extra 10g) that is "divided" up into areas where the water flows through (retrurn with sand, to skimmer, to live rock, then pumped back into the tanks, repeat)?

Do you think it is possible to increase the volume of my water with any method. It seemed like the overflow box and sump to get the water back up was pretty straight forward.

 

[greenmaji]

A fuge is a refugium.. its a sump with macro-algae in it to help filter out NO3 from the water.. The water flow of your overflow just needs to be greater then the amount of water your pump can push into the tank from the sump..

sump=the tank that goes under the main tank...
as long as your using a sump your going to be adding water volume to your system..

 

[Civicman86]

OK so where can I buy a overflow box? I have found one that seems a little big for my needs.