A Very Very Simple 24/7 Drip System.. Sort Of

[frootloops]

I've been reading about drip systems and it is more complicated than I thought. You need a drip emitter, a pressure regulator for the emitter to work properly, and some sort of filter. Not too sure about the filter part though.

Anyway, I just thought of a super simple way to do a 24/7 drip system even if it's not too precise about the amount of water being changed (fluctuations in water pressure).

Okay so the drip system works like this. Find a faucet, attach a small pipe to it, and place the end of the pipe in the sump. Open the faucet to the desired water flow rate. Trial and error is needed to achieve the desird GPH. Of course pressure is not always constant and there may be fluctuations. But that's the tradeoff for such simplicity.

Next, to prevent the sump overflowing, make an overflow in the sump by drilling a hole to the desired max water level. Attach pipe to the bulkhead and route the pipe to wherever you want. The drain, sink, or maybe another tank. This way, water level remains constant

Using this method, you can easily adjust the GPH by turning the knob of the faucet left or right until you find the ideal flow rate that is right for your tank. With a real drip system, you have to change the emitter.

I do not know if anyone has posted something similar before but I was unable to find one.

I'm planning on doing this to my tank. Do you guys see any prroblems with this setup?

 

[frootloops]

Ok I just saw another post by JCardona and it's exactly the same. Hahaha sorry for the double post

 

[blacksnow]

Good idea. Glad someone finally posted a 24/7 drip system I can actually understand...

Really don't need to use a faucet though. Could tap into any water in your house, and split that connection and install a valve.. this way your not tying up a faucet in your house.

good idea though...and could easily run a pipe from the overflow in the sump to outside or a drain

 

[Pharaoh]

I didn't think mine was that complicated. LOL

 

[frootloops]

Only problem I see with this is that if you run water straight from the faucet and into the tank, the water will remain untreated. Chlorine and chloramines will remain in the water.

Is this a problem? Let's say I have a 100 gallon tank and I drip 15 gallons of water over the course of 24 hours. Would the chloramine and chlorine present in the 15 gallons of untreated water harm the fish inside the tank?

I would like to make the system as simple and cheap as possible. Adding chloramine and chlorine filters would just make it more costly and complicated.

 

[Egon]

Only problem I see with this is that if you run water straight from the faucet and into the tank, the water will remain untreated. Chlorine and chloramines will remain in the water.

Is this a problem? Let's say I have a 100 gallon tank and I drip 15 gallons of water over the course of 24 hours. Would the chloramine and chlorine present in the 15 gallons of untreated water harm the fish inside the tank?

I would like to make the system as simple and cheap as possible. Adding chloramine and chlorine filters would just make it more costly and complicated.

That's how I do it. I don't use filters at all. I run about a gallon of water an hour into my tank 24/7. Fish are fine, breeding, growing, doing fish stuff. Very very easy.

I run the water into the tank and the extra water drains out my sump. That way I'm sure I dont drain clean water. The old water goes right into the yard and the plants love it! Win/win because I was going to water the plants anyway. Also this system continues even if there's a power outage. That's probably insignificant but it makes me feel better knowing something is flowing when I have a power outage.

The trick with fish keeping is "keep it simple" If you can keep costs down, even better.

 

[dawnmarie]

All this is great and you might get away with it. Egon, you never told us how big/small your tank is. If I did this to my 240 I would have to put 18 gallons a day in( more or less). Does it matter if the water is chlorinated. Well Yeah ! Tap water can vary greatly in pressure and if you put enough chlorinated tap water in, your fish aren't happy. Pharoah's plan is fairly simple it just requires a little thought.

 

[jcardona1]

first of all, you should know if your source of water has chloramines, as this doesnt dissipate like chlorine does. it will remain in the water. hence the need for some sort of filtration

 

[Egon]

All this is great and you might get away with it. Egon, you never told us how big/small your tank is. If I did this to my 240 I would have to put 18 gallons a day in( more or less). Does it matter if the water is chlorinated. Well Yeah ! Tap water can vary greatly in pressure and if you put enough chlorinated tap water in, your fish aren't happy. Pharoah's plan is fairly simple it just requires a little thought.

I have a 450.
I didn't intend to hurt anyone's feelings. I'm sure Pharaoh will understand.
I was just commenting on the OP's question. I'm not trying to get away with anything, lol.

 

[frootloops]

That's how I do it. I don't use filters at all. I run about a gallon of water an hour into my tank 24/7. Fish are fine, breeding, growing, doing fish stuff. Very very easy.

I run the water into the tank and the extra water drains out my sump. That way I'm sure I dont drain clean water. The old water goes right into the yard and the plants love it! Win/win because I was going to water the plants anyway. Also this system continues even if there's a power outage. That's probably insignificant but it makes me feel better knowing something is flowing when I have a power outage.

The trick with fish keeping is "keep it simple" If you can keep costs down, even better.

Do you have chloramines in your tap?

My tank is 400g and I plan on doing 2GPH or 48 Gallons every 24 hours.
I'm concerned if this amount might kill my fish if my water has chlorine and chloramines.
I have no idea if my water provider adds chloramine or not. Chlorine I'm sure there's some