DIY W/D and Pump for a 180 Gal

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elting44

elting44

Piranha
MFK Member
Oct 8, 2007
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Salina, KS
First off I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the two DIY W/D & Overflow threads :headbang2. The information is worth boatloads of cash. After reading them front to back I still have a few questions:

1) What is the general rule of thumb for the size of a sump to the main tank. Would a 30 gallon W/D be able to filter 1080 gph effectively (180 gal 6x an hour)? I am planning on using 2 1" DIY Overflows feeding into the W/D

2) If a 30 gal sump was adequate, Could I keep the heater in the sump and move 18 gpm and effectively keep the water 79 deg? I can't seem to grasp how the water in the system stays warm with the heater in the sump. Also can someone inform me of the wattage needed to heat a 200 gallon system?

3) If you guys can recommend submersible pumps that can move 1100 gph at 5.5 ft head, or point me in the direction of a thread or website were different models have been reviewed or discussed.

4) What supplementary filteration would be neccesary? Is a W/D enough to stand alone, I was thinking of adding a Magnum 220 to the system to "polish", even though it would only be moving the system's H20 though the canister 1x an hr.

Thanks guys, I bow to your greatness! :woot:
 
1) generally I'm not sure, since it depends on your stocking levels
2) You can keep the heater(s) in the sump. It acts the exact same was as if it's in the tank. If you have dead spots in your tank with absolutely no circulation, then they may be cooler than the other spots, but the heat is going to dissipate to even those spots a little. The wattage would depend on the ambient temp in the room. With my 180g I can use no heaters in the summer and 300-500w in the winter, but I generally keep mine a little warmer than 79*.

3) I use mags. Trying to get a different kind for my bigger tanks, so I'm not help here.

4) It would also depend on stocking levels.
 
1. I dont know of a rule of thumb for size but 30 gallon should adequate for a 180. 2 x 1" drains will handle 1080gph.
2. the heater in the sump is fine so long as it is big enough, the water in the sump will be heating up continuously and circulating through out the tank. Depending on what your ambiant room temp (72 or warmer) a 300 watt heater should able to keep the tank 77-82 with out a problem.
3. PondMaster (Danner) pumps work really well and are very quiet. A Mag-12 or Mag-18 (1200 or 1800 gph) will do the trick with no problem so long as you are not going thru any canisters or excess plumbing (to long of a run, to many elbows,wrong size pipe ect.)
4. The only reason that I would do a canister of any type is if your DIY WD wasnt very good at mechanical filtration. Other than that, a nice "Aqua" uv would be a nice addition.

I hope this helps you out, Matt
 
It would be stocked with a Jag and 3-4 other similar CAs, I haven't given that part much thought yet, this is still in the conceptual phase while I research Jag/CA/dither/pleco compatibilty and such. Thanks for the info
 
No I don't have the tank yet, this is more of a hypothetical so I can understand the principles of overflows & W/D Sumps. I know it may seem like I am working backwards but I would like to have a full comprehension of the logistics of everything before I weigh my options fish-wise. Then I will shell out the bucks for the Tank and materials. thanks for the info Matt
 
At the LFS that I used to work at we would take potential customers all the time to show them behind the scenes on our systems and display tanks to show them more hands on how things worked. If you have any good stores in your area, talk to them and see if they will give you some one on one time , showing you how things work. Seeing it in action might give you a better idea how things work.
 
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