600 Gallon Build, suggestions, feedback, ideas, comments.

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
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ufarooqi said:
I have a few questions where i need experience from people who have done this before

1. Does the sump have a lid or cover on top and if not how is the evaporation handled? Doesnt the sump stop working when the syphon breaks due to evaporation?

(A lid will definitely help reduce evaporation and keep humidity levels down. Evaporation will cause the water level in your sump to fall; the water level in your display will remain the same, as long as your pump is fully submerged in your sump. If you don't top off your tank from time to time, your pump will remind you to because the water level in your SUMP will drop to a point where your pump will start sucking and pumping air. The water level in your display tank will be consistent as long as your pump is submerged in your sump...in other words, you will see the water level in your sump drop, not the water level in your display).

2. Since it placed inside the cabinat(usually) how does the humidity effect the stands insides? Does it cause fungus to grow on wooden parts or any smell issues?

(The greater the difference between the air temperature and the water temperature, the higher the chances for high humidity levels; high humidity can lead to mold issues and yes, there can be a scent associated with mold...think damp dingy basement smell. I wouldn't think that humidity would be so high that it affects the structural integrity of the stand...but I guess it could happen if humidity levels were extremely high over a very long period of time. I honestly don't think you will have problems with any of this as long as you have fairly tight fitting lids on your sump).

3. Is there any sound generated because of the water inlet in the sump ? If yes how can that be removed as mine has to be in my bedroom and this can cause an issue.

(Yes, there is some noise. You can tweak it to make it more quiet by placing the drain at the water level in your sump and you can even build a durso cap to muffle noise...I haven't done this myself, but I have seen others on here do it with success.)

4. Also return to the tank will surely cause water flow noise which i need to avoid by putting the return jet below water level, but this would cause a return syphon in case of power outage, any suggestions on breaking syphon on the return path?

(Place the return so that it is just below or at the water's surface so that when your pumps are off, there will be only a few gallons draining back into your sump before the siphon is broken. This is one of the reason I prefer oversized sumps...they give you some insurance just in case the power goes out and your returns happen to be lower than they should be).

Not sure if any of those questions sound stupid as this is my first time i will be doing my own build.
Thanks,


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Thanks aldiaz33, one more thing, i am not quite sure about the overflow levels of the sump and drip system, which one should be higher, or they both would be at same level, doesnt seem appropriate though.


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I don't know too much about drip systems, but from the ones I have seen, the drain for your drip should be in your sump. Remember, as long as your pumps are running the water level in your display should be consistent. If you are adding water via a drip, it's the water level in your sump that will be rising, so that's where you would want your drain. The height at which you have the drip drain in your sump depends on how much capacity you want to leave in the event of a backsiphon and how much water depth you need to run your pump without it sucking air. I would err on the side of placing the drain lower, because you can always add a pipe/riser to make it higher, but you can't lower it without requiring a siphon.

Anyone running drips, feel free to chime in and correct me if I'm wrong...or do a search for drip systems and see what some of the guys on here are doing with theirs.

Good Luck!

Edit: in regards to your concern with mold, it is a good idea to either seal the stand with polyurethane or at least use a coat or two of primer. This will help protect the wood from mold and dry-rot.
 
aldiaz33 said:
The height at which you have the drip drain in your sump depends on how much capacity you want to leave in the event of a backsiphon and how much water depth you need to run your pump without it sucking air.
Click to expand...

... and how much water you need left in the sump in the even of a "backsiphon" so when the pump switches on it doesn't run dry. That (for me) is the hardest part about having a drain in your sump for a drip/auto system, when I've thought about it I've always figured it would be better to have the drain high so your sump is full enough that if the power turns off and the water drains back from the tank (and out the drain) there will be enough left in the sump to start the system running again when the power comes back on, then the drip system will slowly fill it back up to the usual level where it flows out the drain. The only thing with that idea is that your drain needs to be large enough to handle the speed at which the water returns from the tank! I've never set one up though, so this is all theoretical...
 
Thanks guys, that is very useful information, ill put a new design on paper including the pipe specs and flow max flow rates from each to see if there is still a bug to be removed.

Will keep on posting the progress and further questions as they come up.


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