LandLocked
Aquarium Advice Regular
Got a 60g "Homeland" set at petsmart. The stand is ehh, took it apart and reassembled with liquid nails, still ehh but better, will be replace at some point. I have an Eheim 2215 on it now but for a bunch of reasons I like the idea of a sump. Not sure if you guys know what the homeland set is but the stand doesn't have hardly any room inside the closed area, around 48" x 12"ish tall that is split by in half by the door/center support. I had to cut out a relieve area to allow the 2215 to fit inside the stand, kinda slick if I say so myself. So the biggest sump tank I can find to fit is a 6.6g bookshelf acrylic tank, just fits too. I have a pvc overflow that I have been fine tuning and it's all glued and ready.
1.) I'm still hunting info on a good return pump. For testing I am using a maxi-jet 1200, I took the impeller apart a wrapped teflon tape around the plastic part until it was built up enough to hold the blades part solid and that took the noise way way down on the maxi jet, why is it loose anyway. Thinking maybe a cool dc pump but number one is that it needs to be dead silent, no hum or noise at all maybe 500gph max, it's only a 60g FW tank.
2.) What should be used in the sump for bio, is ceramic or plastic bio balls better or something else altogether. It's sorta small for plants I figured (6.6g) but I'm here to to listen.
3.) Is this sump even big enough to do any good or am I just figuring out the overflow at the moment.
Edit
Added picture of my non drilled overflow. Testing it with buckets and pumps it flows probably 3x more then I need or want for this tank.
The clear 3/8 ice maker line runs to a 1/4 RO line, it is held in place as it controls at what water level the system goes full siphon. Then line goes thru a quick connect fitting then I made a Venturi type thing I made with a couple of up sizing tubes, when the water level gets that high (enough to be sucked up the line) air in the center of the drop tube is replaced with water creating a ~12" solid full 1"pvc that is trying to fall away and it "sucks on the 1/2" pvc "U"s. The 2 pumps I have now can't keep up with the suction in emergency siphon so the air line does a chirping thing, it actually makes it a self regulating siphon. Not sure if he made it or just the first place I seen it but I took the airline idea from BeanAnimal and much thanks to him for that, my little tube goes from ~150gpm give or take to ~300gpm and still has room for more all because of the full siphon thing. The long 1" compression coupling, totally not needed I screwed up and forgot the ring part of the threaded coupling so I had to cut the pipe apart to get the ring on and the compression fixed the cut.
I also set my intake inside a 2" pvc, I just think it looks a bit cleaner then seeing a "U" inside, plus the falling water is about silent from it sheeting down the wall. I also sanded the edge so it was a nice soft edge to fall over. I plan to paint it up soon.
1.) I'm still hunting info on a good return pump. For testing I am using a maxi-jet 1200, I took the impeller apart a wrapped teflon tape around the plastic part until it was built up enough to hold the blades part solid and that took the noise way way down on the maxi jet, why is it loose anyway. Thinking maybe a cool dc pump but number one is that it needs to be dead silent, no hum or noise at all maybe 500gph max, it's only a 60g FW tank.
2.) What should be used in the sump for bio, is ceramic or plastic bio balls better or something else altogether. It's sorta small for plants I figured (6.6g) but I'm here to to listen.
3.) Is this sump even big enough to do any good or am I just figuring out the overflow at the moment.
Edit
Added picture of my non drilled overflow. Testing it with buckets and pumps it flows probably 3x more then I need or want for this tank.
The clear 3/8 ice maker line runs to a 1/4 RO line, it is held in place as it controls at what water level the system goes full siphon. Then line goes thru a quick connect fitting then I made a Venturi type thing I made with a couple of up sizing tubes, when the water level gets that high (enough to be sucked up the line) air in the center of the drop tube is replaced with water creating a ~12" solid full 1"pvc that is trying to fall away and it "sucks on the 1/2" pvc "U"s. The 2 pumps I have now can't keep up with the suction in emergency siphon so the air line does a chirping thing, it actually makes it a self regulating siphon. Not sure if he made it or just the first place I seen it but I took the airline idea from BeanAnimal and much thanks to him for that, my little tube goes from ~150gpm give or take to ~300gpm and still has room for more all because of the full siphon thing. The long 1" compression coupling, totally not needed I screwed up and forgot the ring part of the threaded coupling so I had to cut the pipe apart to get the ring on and the compression fixed the cut.
I also set my intake inside a 2" pvc, I just think it looks a bit cleaner then seeing a "U" inside, plus the falling water is about silent from it sheeting down the wall. I also sanded the edge so it was a nice soft edge to fall over. I plan to paint it up soon.