sump in bowfront?

[sooju]

I'm looking to upgrade my 26G bowfront to a 72G bowfront (SW) and I'd like to add a sump. Can I use my 26G bowfront tank as the sump tank? Can baffles be added to a bowfront tank?? And does the sump have to be BELOW the show tank? How far below?

The new tank would be on a wall that has a closet behind it so I am considering putting the sump on the other side of the wall in the closet. I'm hoping that will also help with temperature management when I start using the woodstove in my family room this winter.

Also, I've been combing local craigslist and ebay listings for used tanks for the last couple weeks and haven't seen a lot of bowfronts, are they not that common? Are there other places I should be looking? The waiting is killing me!!

[Ziggy953]

Yes you can use your 26 as a sump. Putting the baffles in could be a challenge but it can be done. If you can use the closet as a mini-fishroom I say do it! You will be glad you did.

The sump does not have to be below the tank. If you put it above the tank you will need a pump that pulls water from the display and pumps it up to the sump. Let gravity work for you in returning the water from the sump to the display.

As for how far below the tank the sump needs to be, well that is pretty much up to you. I have mine about 2' below the tank (bottom of display to top of tank) and I also have one sitting on the floor in a closet behind the tank. You can get creative when plumbing things in based on the space you have available.

[Kurt_Nelson]

Originally Posted by Ziggy953

...
The sump does not have to be below the tank. If you put it above the tank you will need a pump that pulls water from the display and pumps it up to the sump. Let gravity work for you in returning the water from the sump to the display....

I'm not a sump person, but isn't that kind of a disaster waiting to happen? What happens when your power goes out... and your pump stops pumping water UP to your sump? Gravity still allows your sump to drain down to your main, and will continue to do so until it's dry (and your main has overflowed!). Or am I missing something obvious here?...

[Ziggy953]

Originally Posted by Kurt_Nelson

I'm not a sump person, but isn't that kind of a disaster waiting to happen? What happens when your power goes out... and your pump stops pumping water UP to your sump? Gravity still allows your sump to drain down to your main, and will continue to do so until it's dry (and your main has overflowed!). Or am I missing something obvious here?...

LOL

Typically when you have anything that is gravity fed (water that is) you will have a safety point. Meaning the water level will only drain so much. for instance if my power goes out my fuge will only drain about 1/2" of water and then stop. You don't put the drain in the bottom of the tank you put it up high and use a bulkhead.

Here is what I'm talking about.....


Notice, the hole I drilled is near the top of the tank. I put a bulkhead in and added a bit of PVC with a 90. The 90 is turned up at an angle which means when my pump stops pumping water into the tank it will only drain to just the lip of the 90. When the power comes back on the pump fires up and it's back in business. The same principle is employed with our overflows in the main display. The tank water level will only drain to a certain point and then stop.

Make sense?

[ccCapt]

Originally Posted by Ziggy953

The sump does not have to be below the tank. If you put it above the tank you will need a pump that pulls water from the display and pumps it up to the sump. Let gravity work for you in returning the water from the sump to the display.

WOW I never saw anyone do this, in fact I never even heard anyone suggest it before. Not a good idea at all, IMO.

The first issue is the pump. You would need to set aside a spot in the tank to have the pump where it doesn't suck anything into it (including air), plus a return pump isn't the smallest thing to have hanging or sitting in the tank.

You must also run plumbing from the pump to the sump. PVC or flexible tubing running up and out of the tank might not look too nice.

The tank will constantly be dosed with microbubbles. The return water from the sump will be free flowing out of the sump and into the display, bringing with it a ton of microbubbles.

Then try to figure out how low to keep the water in the main so when the pump is off, it doesn't overflow from the sump free flowing back into it. I guess it can be done, but I would never attempt it or suggest anyone try it.

[Kurt_Nelson]

Originally Posted by Ziggy953

... You don't put the drain in the bottom of the tank you put it up high and use a bulkhead. ...

Duh. Guess it was my day to be our village's idiot! It's someone else's turn tomorrow!

[roka64]

Kurt, folks will usually drill a small hole right below the water's surface (of the return) to break the siphon as the little bit of water drains out, the trick is to know how much will drain into the sump before it overflows. I think folks drill this hole about 1/2 inch below the surface.

[neilanh]

26bow tanks are pretty nice, you can get a 20g tank very cheaply. Just seems like a waste to me to use that for a sump. JMO.

[Ziggy953]

Originally Posted by ccCapt

WOW I never saw anyone do this, in fact I never even heard anyone suggest it before. Not a good idea at all, IMO.

The first issue is the pump. You would need to set aside a spot in the tank to have the pump where it doesn't suck anything into it (including air), plus a return pump isn't the smallest thing to have hanging or sitting in the tank.

You must also run plumbing from the pump to the sump. PVC or flexible tubing running up and out of the tank might not look too nice.

The tank will constantly be dosed with microbubbles. The return water from the sump will be free flowing out of the sump and into the display, bringing with it a ton of microbubbles.

Then try to figure out how low to keep the water in the main so when the pump is off, it doesn't overflow from the sump free flowing back into it. I guess it can be done, but I would never attempt it or suggest anyone try it.

What are you talking about? This is exactly how 99% of our displays are setup in reverse. The same principle as that except the sump/fuge is above the display instead of the other way around.

It is a more common thing then you may realize and has not more risk then having your drilled/overflow display tank sitting over the sump.

I had a 15g pod breeder that I setup above my display in my fish closet. I had a tiny return pump that sent water up to it and gravity brought the water back down. Most of the time the above the tank method is used for the refugium, this allows pods to be sent to the display with out having to go through a pump.

[sooju]

Originally Posted by neilanh

26bow tanks are pretty nice, you can get a 20g tank very cheaply. Just seems like a waste to me to use that for a sump. JMO.

I'm just trying to save a few bucks!! Then again, if I'm not going to need the stand for the 26G bow I may as well try to sell them together on craigslist and use the money to buy a simple 20G rectangular.

I have another question: Has anyone else actually made a mini-fish room out of a closet? Do I need to worry about mold with all that evaporation in such a small space? My OCD wouldn't allow me to keep the closet door open all the time.

Thanks for the posts!