DRIP SYSTEMS Success & Failures

[dxdx]

So this works ok for ya ?? This was exactly what i was going to do.. Except my tank is up against a wall that on the other side is the outside of the house.. So i was just going to run pvc through the wall from the sump and then into the yard..
Thanks Justin for the great info..

Yep, works great, other than the drip emitter that I need to upgrade to a higher flow which is no big deal.

I wanted to keep the system simple as possible. One fail-safe that I did not describe above, living in NJ it can get really cold (although it hasn't this year) so I was a little concerned about the line freezing outside and plugging up the drain line. I put a product called Flood Stop into the new water line before the filter. There is a sensor that I placed in the sump and if the drain line is clogged, the sump level will rise, wetting this sensor and shutting off the incoming water.

The line never froze this winter so I didn't get a chance to test it in a real world scenario but I have tested it.

 

[JK47]

I couldn't imagine doing a water change on my 300, much less some of the bigger tanks on here. When I set my tank up, an auto drip was as essential as the filtration...

My failure is that I think I chose the wrong gph drip emitter, but other than that it's a complete success. I went with .5gph on my 300 but I think I'll step up to 1gph and see how that goes.

My setup is pretty simple, I ran the water line through the same Filter Guys filter as above then it goes into the the tank. For overflow, I decided to drill a hole in my sump, put an elbow in so that I could adjust the water line. This elbow is attached to flexible tubing that goes through the wall behind the tank, through the crawlspace, and out into the backyard. Simple, gravity driven, works during a power outage.

I don't have many pics of the setup, but this is what the overflow looks like in my sump.

View attachment 750694

This is exactly what I will be doing next month. All my tanks get converted over to sumps in the new house (current house electrical cannot support it). I can't wait and will be using a float switch to prevent incoming water if the outgoing line freezes as well. It can get chilly here in the NW as well.

 

[hbluehunter]

Cool, thanks for the info..
Oh yea and one more question that i had.. Are you just dripping cold water, hot water or a mix ??

 

[JK47]

Cool, thanks for the info..
Oh yea and one more question that i had.. Are you just dripping cold water, hot water or a mix ??

Yes, cold water. I have the incoming water mounted in front of the filter return so it is mixed quickly. Overall I had a drop in temp of about 3 degree's but my tanks are in the garage and it is cold out there. In the summer, this will be appreciated since my male dovii goes bananas in temps above 78 degrees.

 

[JK47]

DanF, Pharaoh, jcardona1 where you guys at? You have some creative drips going to, lets see them!

 

[dxdx]

Cool, thanks for the info..
Oh yea and one more question that i had.. Are you just dripping cold water, hot water or a mix ??

cold water... I figure the length of line inside the house is about 15' and with a slow drip it can warm up a little while it's traveling through the line. I haven't noticed any issues with temp at all.

 

[gangster]

I will be doing this once i move. I have no close water sources now.

 

[fishman09]

great thread. drip system is something ill definitely be doing down the road.

 

[JK47]

great thread. drip system is something ill definitely be doing down the road.

Don't wait like I did. I waited 3 years to set one up and never realized it was the single most important investment in my hobby, one system supporting mulstiple tanks is just awesome. You should see the growth rate I get from my cichlids now with a non-stressful consistant water change. It is insane and cheaper than an FX5. Oh an not doing water changes is kinda nice.....

 

[swedeboy78]

I will also set up a drip system for my new 600 in a month. I will also have a drain in the sump which will empty right into the yard.

Really look forward not to have to do water changes!

The water filter I got was from devotedly discus, called HMA 80 I believe.


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