Yeah, it's a lot. I'm trying to throw a sump together and most of my pumps and powerheads are too weak for the return. The closest thing I've got is a Rio 3100, which moves about 900 gallons per hour. The overflow box I was given has a one inch drain pipe. I am not good at formulating equations and was hoping someone could tell me if the overflow could keep up with the beast. It's a 75 gallon tank and I am going to use an old 20g which is 24"L, 16"H and 12"W (as the sump tank). I can adjust baffles and media density for flow since I haven't installed the baffles yet. I was thinking of using two acrylic baffles to force the flow through a center area filled with sponges.
The overflow component:
The smaller box is the type with tall slits around the top. Two plastic screws hold this box to a larger, vertically divided box which sits outside the tank. A hard, clear one-inch arched pipe connects them. A small overflow action takes place here, and then the water would go down via more one inch tubing (need to buy it) into the sump. The drop from top of aquarium to top of sump would be thirty inches. Of course, the return would be the same, and I'd hope the vertical action could stifle the pump a bit.
Now, I'd have to baffle the returning current, as this is an Oscar tank. But is there any hope, mathematically speaking, for this to work, or will my Rio 3100 be left dry by the forces that be?
The overflow component:
The smaller box is the type with tall slits around the top. Two plastic screws hold this box to a larger, vertically divided box which sits outside the tank. A hard, clear one-inch arched pipe connects them. A small overflow action takes place here, and then the water would go down via more one inch tubing (need to buy it) into the sump. The drop from top of aquarium to top of sump would be thirty inches. Of course, the return would be the same, and I'd hope the vertical action could stifle the pump a bit.
Now, I'd have to baffle the returning current, as this is an Oscar tank. But is there any hope, mathematically speaking, for this to work, or will my Rio 3100 be left dry by the forces that be?
