Why not just have multiple drain holes including a high level "off switch" set in the tank to shut off a return pump if the overflow gets clogged?
I'm done with canisters
- Thread starter Redearsunfish
- Start date
Why not just have multiple drain holes including a high level "off switch" set in the tank to shut off a return pump if the overflow gets clogged?
Sure, there are possible solutions to every problem... but just look at all the different builds out there... how many people account for every possible contingency?
If your overflows for a sump clog, so could any backup ones.
The off switch is common sense... but they can fail too.. either bad mounting, whatever. They're messy too... most tanks would need many of them to account for all the different contraptions running. Most of the ones I find available are pretty flimsy with low amp ratings.. so you need a bunch of them to spread the amp load out on. BTW--its a good idea to do real world tests on these things too... I have 4 in my tank and have seen it before where they can drift over and hang up on other utility lines, preventing cut off. But just 4 is hard to hide, to be able to give them enough room to operate with lowest risk.
Bottom line though... canisters only have flood risks... sumps have flood risks with tank blow out on top.
If your overflows for a sump clog, so could any backup ones.
The off switch is common sense... but they can fail too.. either bad mounting, whatever. They're messy too... most tanks would need many of them to account for all the different contraptions running. Most of the ones I find available are pretty flimsy with low amp ratings.. so you need a bunch of them to spread the amp load out on. BTW--its a good idea to do real world tests on these things too... I have 4 in my tank and have seen it before where they can drift over and hang up on other utility lines, preventing cut off. But just 4 is hard to hide, to be able to give them enough room to operate with lowest risk.
Bottom line though... canisters only have flood risks... sumps have flood risks with tank blow out on top.
True, but you could do one hard mount with an electronic optical water level switch, with a mechanical switch backup. You'd only have to worry about one high-level mark, and you'd ensure the sump could support the volume of the overflow level in the case of a power failure.
You can make it accident proof, and it wouldn't be too complicated.
An in-tank sump with proper pre-filtering is probably the best filter. The only drawback is space.
When I did my last build I knocked out all the teeth in the overflow and added more holes all the way around. I run a mag 9.5@950gph through 3 drains in the overflow chamber. Aqueon rates the mega flow at 600gph I successfully ran 1700gph through it and I even blocked the overflow with a piece of cardboard to simulate a dead fish or something, even with 75% of the overflow blocked it wouldn't overflow the rim of the tank.
@950gph I could shut off 2 of the 3 drain stand pipes and not have an overflow.
I don't know of any situation where 2/3 drains would be 100% incapacitated and the entire overflow chamber be blocked.
Even if all the fish died they'd be hard pressed to completely block the overflow.
I built my trickletower with a full flow bypass if any of the trays were to back up unfiltered water would go directly in the sump.
Its nonsense for people to call sump systems unsafe. Sure siphon over the back overflows can fail. I one builds the proper redundancy into a drilled tank it's nearly impossible to have a catastrophic flood type failure. I even tried to simulate one, running 2x the flow I intend to and no matter what i did I couldn't get the tank to overflow short of capping all 3 drains
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@950gph I could shut off 2 of the 3 drain stand pipes and not have an overflow.
I don't know of any situation where 2/3 drains would be 100% incapacitated and the entire overflow chamber be blocked.
Even if all the fish died they'd be hard pressed to completely block the overflow.
I built my trickletower with a full flow bypass if any of the trays were to back up unfiltered water would go directly in the sump.
Its nonsense for people to call sump systems unsafe. Sure siphon over the back overflows can fail. I one builds the proper redundancy into a drilled tank it's nearly impossible to have a catastrophic flood type failure. I even tried to simulate one, running 2x the flow I intend to and no matter what i did I couldn't get the tank to overflow short of capping all 3 drains
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Very true. I might go a step further and set up a hard point mounted high water mark in-tank sensor, optical side by side with a mechanical, to shut off pumps in the event of a overflow failure.
Nonsense is ignoring a physical design weakness as an impossibility. Like freak **** never happens, eh?
I can list a thousand scenarios... but just a simple one... a ceiling tile falls into the tank, disintegrates, clogging **** up. How do you plan for that? Still nonsense?
I can list a thousand scenarios... but just a simple one... a ceiling tile falls into the tank, disintegrates, clogging **** up. How do you plan for that? Still nonsense?
Yes, basement is the safest place to locate big tanks, but what's the point of having a big show tank in the basement where no one, but you can appreciate. A show tank is a piece of furniture or live art that ought to be visible in the living area where visitors can appreciate.
Canister is no safer than a sump system because it has O rings, clamped parts, and external plumbing that can fail from wear and tear or human error. HOBs are the safest because there are no external plumbing to leak. Even an air driven sponge filter has a slight chance of leak if the air hose fells off.
I have a 125 gal show tank in my living room which I lined up three Penquen 350 HOBs in the back. I only trust HOBs and no other filters as any flooding disaster can cause $$$ of repair cost in my hardwood floor. They do an exellent job in keeping the water crystal clear despite having to change all filter pads twice a week, but it's easy and worth it.
