capacity - Water reservoir??? overflow???

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Mr Pleco

Mr Pleco

Piranha
MFK Member
Mar 18, 2006
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I'm wanting to increase the capacity of my current tanks by hooking up a rubber maid stock tank. Not as a w/d filter but as a reservoir...Has anybody connected such a set up? How do you keep the water from overflowing in the stock tank and draining the aquarium...any plumbers out there? Do they make a float switch that can turn off power say to the pump

Example of what I'm trying to do is say connect a 180 gallon tank to a 200 gal stock tank ....thereby having a 6' tank with a 380 gal capacity ...then once I get that running right I want to move all filters to the stock tank.
Goal is to reduce water changes, remove filters, heater from display tank and making water changes easier by having a central location ..One more thing tank is on first level and stock tank in basement
 
It could work in theory, but you are going to have issues keeping the main tank clean. You would most likely need to install an under gravel jet system to keep the detrius from accumulating on the bottom of the main tank.

As far as water return to the sump, you will just need to install an overflow on the tank. As the pump puts water into the tank, the overflow will drain the water back.

If your going to that much effeort for extra water in order to stabilize the tank, I would just make a giant sump out of it. You will get the same results with water quality and it will be easier to filter the water in lieu of using individual filters.

Then you could add more tanks to the setup if you wished.
 
You will need a really strong pump to push the water up roughly 14' tot he tank. Most likely something built for high head situations.
 
Pharaoh;2869619; said:
You will need a really strong pump to push the water up roughly 14' tot he tank. Most likely something built for high head situations.
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Dr Joe;2869686; said:
That's exactly what a sump actually is :D.

And Pharaoh pretty much summed it up too.

Make sure you size the overflow(s) accordingly.

Quiet One 9000 pump?

Iwaki pumps http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~pumps_iwaki_japanese_american.html

Dr Joe

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Thank you both for your input..any idea where I can find a float switch that will control AC input on the pump?
 
Why would you need a float switch? You install it just like a normal sump, an overflow in the tank and a pump in the sump... Simple :)

A reeflo tarpin or marlin would be nice... You have to have enough water movement in the display to move the poo into the filters...
 
Set up the stock tank like a salt water sump/refugium. Put a bio-tower on one end and use the rest as a refugium, isolation tank, or pond.
 
Lowes, HD, Graingers, McMaster-Carr all have electrical float switches for sumps.

How did you want to use it?

Dr Joe

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Dr Joe;2871190; said:
Lowes, HD, Graingers, McMaster-Carr all have electrical float switches for sumps.

How did you want to use it?

Dr Joe

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Click to expand...

As a safety for the tank overflowing in case the overflow stops working.
I'd hate to have 1500 GPH from a 200 gallon tank flowing into an already full 180...or I'm overthinking this again?
 
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