sump again redoing

[MorayMadness]

ok guys as you may know i have a 55 gallon reef with about 3 inch ls and 70 lbs lr for about 5 years now. 2 power heads one aquaclear filter and a cpr bakpak 2 skimmer,

i want to start another fuge/ sump with chaeto and put the skimmer and heater ect in the sump.

i had a rio 2100 pump for the return but i had an impossible time adjusting the flow restriction to match the syphon going into the tank ,. it would empty the sump gradualy and starve the syphon.

i am pushing water about 5 feet up from the sump and i have a overflow syphon as my drain my question is can anyone suggest a good pump they use? or recommend? and how does one get a grip on flow rates from pumps to equal the syphon drain?

thx

[tecwzrd]

Moved to hardware forum:

Originally Posted by MorayMadness

it would empty the sump gradualy and starve the syphon.

That's contradictory. If your sump was emptying out it's a sign your overflow can't keep up and you need to restrict flow more. Either that or you overflow simply lost siphon or got clogged somehow. Did you have an overflow of the main tank?

What is your overflow rated at for GPH? If not sure how many holes, how large are they, and is it an internal or external overflow. The Rio 2100 is rated at less then 400 GPH with a 4ft head so I don't understand why the overflow couldn't keep up.

You need a pump that either under performs the overflow slightly or you need to T off your return with ball valves and have one go back to your sump to control flow. See photo below (which is also a link)

[MorayMadness]

sorry for the confusion , i didnt have an overflow when i had a sump i simply made a syphon what i noticed was with no restriction on the return pump, the water level in the sump dropped but maybe this was because i didnt have an overflow just a regular syphon draining the tank?

now if i want a fuge.. with chaeto ect should i use the rio 2100 i have? sorry again i am pushing 4 feet headhight. would that be too much flow?

[tecwzrd]

The Rio you have is fine for a fuge. You don't want too much movement in a fuge anyways. I'd get a proper overflow though and not just a siphon hose.

[MorayMadness]

i have this system setup not shown exactly overflow that i am setting up with the u tube syphon . i see now how this setup works. why it faulted when i didnt have an overflow now with my overflow. . can i just leave my rio on full purge to the tank ? im just trying to guesstimate the equal flow rate of my syphon .

[tecwzrd]

Most single U tube overflows are rated for 600 GPH. Your pump does less then that (with a 5ft head) so you should be fine. External siphon driven overflows can fail from time to time but usually they perform fairly well.

Having a Auto Top Off Controller in the sump is important in case the overflow does stop working so it can turn off the pump.

[MorayMadness]

can you recommend any good overflows? that are not tube style?>

[tecwzrd]

Any overflow can loose siphon (which is why you should have a controller) but I prefer the CPR overflows which can be continuously siphoned. CPR also has a decent forum if you need help.

If your happy with your U tube overflow stick with it If upgrading in the future consider a drilled tank which is much easier then external overflows.

[MorayMadness]

is this a good overflow by cpr and price? considering 4ft headway with the rio 2100

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-CPR-CS90-DX-...QQcmdZViewItem

thanks for any input. !