cplawrence
Aquarium Advice Freak
I have a 29 gallon tank that has been running for about 8 months and I am now considering setting up a sump and I have a lot of questions:
1) As the tank is already set up, I am looking into HOB overflows. From what I have seen, the general consensus seems to be that the U-tube style overflow is the better way to go--correct?
2) Can someone explain why the Lifereef overflows are so much better than say:
http://www.championlighting.com/home.php?cat=416
It seems that many of their claims about their overflow would be true of other U-tube style boxes. The one thing that seems to stand out is that their box provides greater flow. However, since I am putting this on a 29, that seems less of a concern. If a compelling reason is offered, I am more than willing to pay the extra; I am just not seeing it though.
3) Along those lines, safety is a big concern in planning this. If I understand correctly, floods can be caused if:
a) the power goes out, the pipes drain into the sump, and not enough room was left to accomodate the extra water -- easily preventable
b) the overflow stops flowing for whatever reason and the return pumps overflows the main -- preventable with a float switch controlling the pump
c) the power goes out and the flow from the siphon tube changes directions -- preventable with a check valve
Anything else?
4) Due to the design of the stand, the largest tank I seem to be able to fit without taking the thing apart is a standard 10 gallon. I had really hoped to have both a skimmer (Coralife 65--4.25" x 5.5") and a small refugium in the sump. To try and accomodate that desire, I had thought about dividing the sump into three compartments (on the order of 6" each) leaving a couple of inches for a bubble trap. One idea was to have the skimmer in the same area as the return pump, but have the output of the skimmer diverted to the area in which the sump drains to eliminate bubbles. That is,
Drain -> Bubble trap -> Skimmer + Return <- Refugium. The other alternative I had considered was to have a small corner setup for the drain which would then flow into the skimmer region (see picture).
Are either of these ideas remotely reasonable or should I abandon the idea of getting both a skimmer and a refugium in there?
Thanks for your help,
Chris
1) As the tank is already set up, I am looking into HOB overflows. From what I have seen, the general consensus seems to be that the U-tube style overflow is the better way to go--correct?
2) Can someone explain why the Lifereef overflows are so much better than say:
http://www.championlighting.com/home.php?cat=416
It seems that many of their claims about their overflow would be true of other U-tube style boxes. The one thing that seems to stand out is that their box provides greater flow. However, since I am putting this on a 29, that seems less of a concern. If a compelling reason is offered, I am more than willing to pay the extra; I am just not seeing it though.
3) Along those lines, safety is a big concern in planning this. If I understand correctly, floods can be caused if:
a) the power goes out, the pipes drain into the sump, and not enough room was left to accomodate the extra water -- easily preventable
b) the overflow stops flowing for whatever reason and the return pumps overflows the main -- preventable with a float switch controlling the pump
c) the power goes out and the flow from the siphon tube changes directions -- preventable with a check valve
Anything else?
4) Due to the design of the stand, the largest tank I seem to be able to fit without taking the thing apart is a standard 10 gallon. I had really hoped to have both a skimmer (Coralife 65--4.25" x 5.5") and a small refugium in the sump. To try and accomodate that desire, I had thought about dividing the sump into three compartments (on the order of 6" each) leaving a couple of inches for a bubble trap. One idea was to have the skimmer in the same area as the return pump, but have the output of the skimmer diverted to the area in which the sump drains to eliminate bubbles. That is,
Drain -> Bubble trap -> Skimmer + Return <- Refugium. The other alternative I had considered was to have a small corner setup for the drain which would then flow into the skimmer region (see picture).
Are either of these ideas remotely reasonable or should I abandon the idea of getting both a skimmer and a refugium in there?
Thanks for your help,
Chris