305 Gallon Build W/ 120 Gallon Sump

Fish Tank Travis

Potamotrygon
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Feb 28, 2016
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Bean animal. 1 1/2” main siphon, 1 1/2” open channel and 2” emergency. I’m at about 2000GPH currently
In the event of a power outage, will your sump drain be able to allow the excess water from the main tank to drain fast enough to not flood, and then still have enough water left to restart the system without the pump running dry?
 

GoldFinger

Jack Dempsey
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Apr 14, 2017
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In the event of a power outage, will your sump drain be able to allow the excess water from the main tank to drain fast enough to not flood, and then still have enough water left to restart the system without the pump running dry?
I filled and tested my system to allow enough room in my sump when the power goes out and the tank/returns drain until my siphon breaks kick in. The 3/4” bulkhead drain I drilled into the sump is attached to an upturned 90 which I have a small piece of pipe inserted about an 1/8 - 1/4” above my running water level in the first (sock) chamber. This will essentially be my new running water level in the sump and will take the overflow from the drip system.
 

GoldFinger

Jack Dempsey
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Can I ask you guys a couple more questions?

How much surface agitation is good? Currently I just have my returns faced slightly upward rippling the surface in each corner.

Secondly, what do you guys like to do in terms of lighting. I have my leds set to come on at 1pm and off at 11pm. I don’t have plants at the moment. Does this sound ok/ideal? Thanks!
 

JK47

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Can I ask you guys a couple more questions?

How much surface agitation is good? Currently I just have my returns faced slightly upward rippling the surface in each corner.

Secondly, what do you guys like to do in terms of lighting. I have my leds set to come on at 1pm and off at 11pm. I don’t have plants at the moment. Does this sound ok/ideal? Thanks!
What you’re doing sounds good for agitation. If the fish are not breathing heavy and you don’t have any buildup or film on the surface you’re good to go.

I run the exact same schedule. My preference is on the weaker LED side. My setups are under cabinet LED units which are a nice white and minimal algae growth.
 
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GoldFinger

Jack Dempsey
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Apr 14, 2017
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What you’re doing sounds good for agitation. If the fish are not breathing heavy and you don’t have any buildup or film on the surface you’re good to go.

I run the exact same schedule. My preference is on the weaker LED side. My setups are under cabinet LED units which are a nice white and minimal algae growth.
Cool. I’m still toying with the lights. I have no idea what’s best yet so I have it set for daytime with cloud movement. I have the current USA freshwater led plus. My Jack Dempsey doesn’t have as much black on his body as it appeared in my lfs. Hes almost more peach coloured, but maybe it’s the fact I have no background or he’s still distressed.
 

wannadivesteve

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My guess is your heaters will come on very little more with that drip, probably not even noticeable. Most people way overestimate the cost of running a heater on a drip system. You are only adding a drop at a time to 300 to 400 gallons of water, it’ll be up to temperature almost instantly. If you were adding 75 gallons of cold water to that tank all at once, then your heaters would come on for a while.
 
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GoldFinger

Jack Dempsey
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My guess is your heaters will come on very little more with that drip, probably not even noticeable. Most people way overestimate the cost of running a heater on a drip system. You are only adding a drop at a time to 300 to 400 gallons of water, it’ll be up to temperature almost instantly. If you were adding 75 gallons of cold water to that tank all at once, then your heaters would come on for a while.
Agreed. My only reservation is that 3GPM isn’t actually a drop it’s a small steady stream. Non the less you are probably (and hopefully) right.
 

Fish Tank Travis

Potamotrygon
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Feb 28, 2016
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Dayton, OH
Can I ask you guys a couple more questions?

How much surface agitation is good? Currently I just have my returns faced slightly upward rippling the surface in each corner.

Secondly, what do you guys like to do in terms of lighting. I have my leds set to come on at 1pm and off at 11pm. I don’t have plants at the moment. Does this sound ok/ideal? Thanks!
For lighting, I leave my lights off at all times, unless I’m feeding or watching the tank. This keeps my tank with zero algae. However, I have no live plants.
 

twentyleagues

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Your lighting sounds fine. All animals including humans need a day/night schedule. 8 to 10 hrs of light is recommended for health reasons. Its important for both diurnal and nocturnal animals. All animals, plants and even bacteria have a circadian rhythm while not providing lighting with in this animals cr isn't going to out right kill it it also won't be in the best of health. Take plants for example they use light to synthesize sugars to provide energy to grow. But did you know they need at least 8 hrs of dark to be able to use that energy to actually grow and reproduce. No dark and a plant will die. And of coarse there are exceptions to the "rule" but pretty sure we aren't keeping those exceptions.
 
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