Basic Water Pump Q's

[IRoman]

Do I understand that you want to connect the 2 siphons with a 'T'?

Hold off on anything fancy til you get flow right. No sense trying to troubleshoot 2 problems at once.

I ended up doing this because I couldnt get enough flow into the sump, Setting up the T was really pretty simple. It was just a matter of measuring where I wanted everything to sit.

Wow, this has got to be the best help thread I have ever read. I never got bored reading each post, every comment was as helpful as the last. Ironman, you were very lucky having all this help in the thread. I am saving this thread so that I can review it whenever I have issues with my sump. Thanks and congrats to all the help on this one.

I am very gratefull for the info, I think if it wasnt for this forum I would probably have some dead Oscars soon

Doc,
he was still having some starvation issues with his overflow being light...he had the materials on hand so he is going to try dual 1" tee'd to increase the flow to the sump...
I suggested a 1.5" rated a 1400gph, and he'll likley go that when he sees how much hassle a dual overflow is to start the syphon etc etc...

I would have rather just had one overflow but I had already built these. Plus setting up the T was really simple, I dont know why everyone thinks it would be a hassle...Unless people are talking about starting the Overflows. THAT was a hassle, like I said, I'm not completly sure how I did it.

I bet that 39.00 syphon overflow is looking better and better all the time huh?...LOL

I actually started saying, I should just get that overflow box...then I was like NO I already started this lol

Oh yeah one more thing bro...anybody can go down and shell long dollars to have a pre-fabricated, cookie cutter setup...But a true DIY'r has all that and the satisfaction of knowing we have a 2-3K dollar rig at a small fraction of the price...best thing is, the MONSTERS could care less as long as their H20 is correct...

 

[zennzzo]

FANTASTIC!!!now there is another thing I seen in preveous pix...nothing major but there is a spot for a foam block...it will help with the reduction of bubbles as well as another bio/mechanical filter...see pic.

 

[str8dum]

so your water level in only that couple inches in your sump? I'd let teh sump fill to about the 1st layer of bioballs, then turn on the pump. and regulate to keep it that high.

 

[IRoman]

Zen, The foam block was going to be my next question Where do I get one? Can I just cut a piece of sponge/foam to fit it?

Here are some more pictures



This is the other Over Flow, you can kinda see where it is sucking water,



When the water is clear (or 3 or 4 days), Im going to test it, if it comes back good, I'm going to go pick up my oscars.

 

[zennzzo]

so your water level in only that couple inches in your sump? I'd let teh sump fill to about the 1st layer of bioballs, then turn on the pump. and regulate to keep it that high.

Why would he want to do that?...If you look at the pix, the slotted partition, where there a place for a foam block, (see above pix) is well below the bottom of the bio-balls, the benifit of a wet/dry system is to keep that bio-ball media DRY (as in not submerged)...more surface area for bacteria as well as more desolved O2 in the H20...The H20 level in the sump should be just to the top of that slotted partition...

 

[IRoman]

Is it normall that Im now paranoid about something breaking and spilling all over the floor? I put everything together well but Im still worried. (me = ?)

I worry that the pool hose I used from the T will fall out and the overflows will dump all the water on the floor when Im not here

Im thinking of taking it back apart and adding more ball valves but maybe I should just leave it alone

 

[IRoman]

The wife and dogs are asleep, and Im still worrying about the Tank (Yes I know, )

Tomorrow I am going to add a ball valve below the T, right now I dont feel good about the angle the Pool hose sits at (its going straight up into the T) I would feel better if it went sideways into a 90. I figure adding the Ball valve will give me the option to easily shut it off if I ever need too and the ball valve will also give me an excuse to put a 90 on the end of it and have the Pool hose sit sideways instead of upwards

 

[Dr Joe]

Is it normall that Im now paranoid about something breaking and spilling all over the floor? I put everything together well but Im still worried. (me = ?)

I worry that the pool hose I used from the T will fall out and the overflows will dump all the water on the floor when Im not here

Im thinking of taking it back apart and adding more ball valves but maybe I should just leave it alone

Of course your paranoid...won't be right if you weren't.

This feeling will come to pass...then it will come back for no apparent reason... then go away again...then come back...go away yet again. Then after years of good service you'll want to improve your system...and then......It's not our fault you screwed with !!!

You've done a great job on this system and you should be proud of it.

What did you put in it to cycle it?

Don't get over-anxious to put the fish in. Leave it to cycle atleast a week. Watch for the ammonia spike.

Patience, Grasshopper, Patience.

Dr Joe

.

 

[Dr Joe]

The wife and dogs are asleep, and Im still worrying about the Tank (Yes I know, )

Tomorrow I am going to add a ball valve below the T, right now I dont feel good about the angle the Pool hose sits at (its going straight up into the T) I would feel better if it went sideways into a 90. I figure adding the Ball valve will give me the option to easily shut it off if I ever need too and the ball valve will also give me an excuse to put a 90 on the end of it and have the Pool hose sit sideways instead of upwards

Did you put the anti-siphon holes in the siphon and return lines?

 

[IRoman]

Of course your paranoid...won't be right if you weren't.

This feeling will come to pass...then it will come back for no apparent reason... then go away again...then come back...go away yet again. Then after years of good service you'll want to improve your system...and then......It's not our fault you screwed with !!!

You've done a great job on this system and you should be proud of it.

Thanks, Do you think I should just leave it alone now? I would feel a little better about having a ball valve on the T so if I ever needed to shut if off I could. The only bad thing I can think of is that I will have one more angle for the water to flow through, it may restrict it alittle more but that piece of mind will be worth it too me.

What did you put in it to cycle it?

Don't get over-anxious to put the fish in. Leave it to cycle atleast a week. Watch for the ammonia spike.

Patience, Grasshopper, Patience.

Tomorrow I am going to add amonia. Zenzzo sent me a link for "fishless cycling". Im going to follow those directions and then I will see about getting fish (7-10 days of amonia treatments, then if all tests well, go get O's)

Did you put the anti-siphon holes in the siphon and return lines?

I didnt yet, only because I wasnt sure where the waterline was going to be. I can add those tomorrow if I take things back apart again