Refugium siphon to sump?

[chimmike]

I've attached a paint drawing to explain better what I intend to do.

I've got a 10gal tank, I'll have the intake from the tank go thru some activated carbon and maybe some filtration element, then through baffles to the 'fuge.

My question is, since it's only a 10gal, I want to maximize the fuge, is it possible to have a siphon going from the fuge into the sump, separate, which will be pumped back into the main tank?


Thanks.

 

[Ziggy953]

Are these both glass tanks?

Doing a siphon like that wont work very well. You could end up with a mess....

 

[chimmike]

the 10g is a glass tank. I was going to do a rubbermaid of some sort for the sump.

better suggestion?

I'm wary of drilling the glass.......otherwise I'd do a direct pipe to the sump.

oh, and is there a specific silicone sealant I need to use? Or can I use just about any bath type silicone sealant?

 

[Ziggy953]

I was scared of drilling glass too and then I did it and realized it is very easy to do. You have to take your time and be careful but there really isn't much to it.

You need to use silicone that is "approved" for aquariums. I get it from Wal-mart in the pet section. It's like $5.

I have a multi stage sump on my system and I have glass, acrylic and a tote from walmart. You can use what ever you want really.

If you can do rubbermaid you will save your self the headache of having to get water from the fuge to the sump.

 

[chimmike]

well, I've got the 10 gal tank now. I'm not sure I want to drill it but my thing is, I want to maximize my 'fuge, so having a separate sump seems like only the best idea for me. What about something like this ?

I'm thinking I'd have to drill out maybe 3/4", but no idea where I'd get a bulkhead for this, then just use a small rubbermaid tank with some LR rubble and the pump as the surge.

drilling the glass makes me super nervous. I do have a nice dewalt single speed corded drill though. Too bad my drill press isn't big enough for this.

 

[Ziggy953]

The second drawing is a better idea. I would put the bulkhead and hole higher though.

Check on ebay they sell bulkheads all day long! $7.95 is a good price for a bulkhead. Use 1"

 

[chimmike]

okay. Ebay too for a glass drill bit? Probably 1" for that as well, and then I'm lookin at doing the plumbers putty w/water while drilling, eh?

Tank is approx 12" tall, so maybe 6" high for the bulkhead?

 

[land locked]

We just tried both of those and we just could not keep the water level even in both at the same time. We had a few close calls and finally gave up and put the refugium above the sump with a piece of PVC in the center drilled through to act as an overflow. A little pump in the sump to pump in and it works great now.

 

[chimmike]

could you illustrate that for me?

 

[Ziggy953]

The best option is to set it up the way you drew in the second pic. Your retun pump needs to be in the "last" container and your drain from the overflow needs to be in the first. You want a circular movement with your water.

the U-tube from one tank to the other can work but is very dangerous, you will end up with a flood at some point.

 

[chimmike]

guess i'll have to cough up the money for a glass drill bit, and come up with the guts to drill through it! haha.

 

[Ziggy953]

Those bits aren't as expensive as you may think. I have one that drills 1 3/4" hole and I got it from my LFS for $10.95. You can check on ebay for them too.

 

[Latitude_change]

If you haven't bought yet. Alot of times your LFS will drill it for you. Check around.