DIY Over Flow design

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
My bio load is a 8" VATF, x2 5"yoyo loaches, and a payara. Its not much for a 150gallon, but I'm building a 20g sump for it. I have 3 marine land 1200 pumps and 1 900 pump in there for circulation. My current is rough and my fish are happy. But the point was to max flow from the sump which probably won't be much and eliminate two of the pumps in the tank. I know that the return pump in the sump is going to use more power that my pumps and that's why I wanted to swap one for one on the electricity. I also have a 100g I building a 20g sump for so figuring this out is a bonus for both. This is my first time using a sump or overflows so I'm doing as much research as possible before I repeat history on MFK haha. Neither of the tanks are drilled, which would be best but it is what it is.

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I just want to have as clean a tank as possible. I don't like all these units and heaters in my tanks. I guess you could say I say my standards to high but my big tank is in my living room as a show tank and the other in the garage. Less things in the tank = more AHH's haha!!

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For my canister filters I do, but as of now the sump and overflow a are a work in progress. My circ pumps are on the opposite side as the filter intakes as well.

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OK so I if I run a bare 20 gallon tank(another question) and use my own diy, and run it to the sump, what is the best way to keep a stable level in the sump, this will be the last piece of info i need to complete this whole thing. Should I use a ball valve on the outtake, or on the return? I'll be including a T in the return to run my UV sterilizer...

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The sump can't stay at a steady level without adding a drain. The overflow on the main aquarium sets the water level for the aquarium, any variance in water level must be handled by the sump (and there will always be variance). But like I mentioned, you can give a drain point so that when more water enters than is leaving it will drain instead of over flow onto your floor. Small sumps for big aquariums aren't usually safe because if for some reason the pump slows down or stops it can drain and overflow the sump. Before rigging everything up, fabricate your overflow and see how much water drains when the pump is shut off. Then work from there on designing the sump.
 
That makes sense. Just So i know what your talking about; a drain in the sump in case an overflow happens that will drain somewhere like a toilet drain or a laundry drain?
I can always make a larger sump and it will only be for the better. Over filtration never hurts.

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Yep.

I had a big chain of aquariums and I set it up for automatic water changes by having the pump shut off for 15 minutes twice a day. I would have about 3 gallons drain each time and when the pump turned back on a float valve would refill the sump.
 
That kind of creation is going to be out of my league right now. I'm just starting this sump build for the first time. I'll get this overflow built and onto my tank and go from there. It'll have to wait a bit till I get paid though cause I get paid once a month, sucks I know but worth the budgeting skills haha. Im positive now I'll run a bare sump with ceramic and socks and I guess build the overflow with long elbows for better flow. I pulled the first picture from another post and sure this is how its going to be. The second picture of the bottom siphoning method just don't seem very smart considering the T sets the water level and if not set right I could over flow my tank. The second picture was my first idea of a build for waist clean up. But I'll start small, get the hang of it, and move onto bigger ideas.

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I've used the bottom siphoning design and liked it quite a bit. As long as you are careful on where you put the T is actually less likely to get bubbles in the siphon and kill the vacuum.
 
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