I just cant seem to understand how they work, I obviously know they work as a filter but dont get the out flow and inflow etc is there any simple diagrms explaining sumps and how they work?
dont understand sumps help
- Thread starter rtcgibbo
- Start date
I dont have a diagram but all it is, the water is skimmed off the top of the main tank via overflow box, which makes the water fall down into the sump which has all of your bio media and mechanical filtration ie. filter floss,pads. At the far end of the sump you have a return pump which pumps the water back into the main tank
Ok so basically you have to holes in your tank one to pump water to your sump and the other to pump water back into tank when been filterd. Would you have one hole on the side of the sump to pump water through ur filter media and another hole on the otha side to suck water back up too your tank, will they all be attached with bulkheads? And do you know where I could get the pumps I need? Website? Would have to be able to deliver uk. Thanks for help
Lesson #1 the plumbing and gravity.
You dont pump and water out of the tank. If you have 2 pumps, you will have water all over your floor when one wears out/plugs, and just general it is a bad ideas to try and synch 2 pumps to equal flow.
Think of this:
All electricity off.
Think of your tank full of water.
Think of your sump full of water under your tank.
You dont have any plumbing for a sump system.
You have a pump in your sump to pump sump water INTO the main tank through a hose. You turn it on. what happens? Your tank will overflow on the floor, and the sump will empty.
NOW! You put a hole in the tank bottom. You stick a bulk head in the hole, and then you put a PVC tube in this bulk head. This PVC tube will end 1-2 inches from the top of your tank. The water will flow down the tube when it reaches the top of it. This tube will run into the sump.
Or you could put a hole in the back of the tank, 1-2 inches from the top of the tank. And put a bulk head in the hole. Then a 90 degree PVC fitting and PVC pipe to let water run into your sump.
This way, when you turn on your pump, instead of the water overflowing over the top of the tank on to the floor, it goes down the tube you installed.
Now you would make sure your tubes for the water to overflow are a lot bigger then the water comming in so you never overflow your tank.
Now think this.
You turn the pump off. what happens? The water level in the main tank will drop to 1-2" from the top of the tank and stop because the water line is below the pipes you installed.
The sump will have that extra water inside of it.
I did not cover the hob overflow type because that is a little more comlicated, but the same gravity model applies.
Does this make sense how the whole system is ran on gravity and a pump?
You dont pump and water out of the tank. If you have 2 pumps, you will have water all over your floor when one wears out/plugs, and just general it is a bad ideas to try and synch 2 pumps to equal flow.
Think of this:
All electricity off.
Think of your tank full of water.
Think of your sump full of water under your tank.
You dont have any plumbing for a sump system.
You have a pump in your sump to pump sump water INTO the main tank through a hose. You turn it on. what happens? Your tank will overflow on the floor, and the sump will empty.
NOW! You put a hole in the tank bottom. You stick a bulk head in the hole, and then you put a PVC tube in this bulk head. This PVC tube will end 1-2 inches from the top of your tank. The water will flow down the tube when it reaches the top of it. This tube will run into the sump.
Or you could put a hole in the back of the tank, 1-2 inches from the top of the tank. And put a bulk head in the hole. Then a 90 degree PVC fitting and PVC pipe to let water run into your sump.
This way, when you turn on your pump, instead of the water overflowing over the top of the tank on to the floor, it goes down the tube you installed.
Now you would make sure your tubes for the water to overflow are a lot bigger then the water comming in so you never overflow your tank.
Now think this.
You turn the pump off. what happens? The water level in the main tank will drop to 1-2" from the top of the tank and stop because the water line is below the pipes you installed.
The sump will have that extra water inside of it.
I did not cover the hob overflow type because that is a little more comlicated, but the same gravity model applies.
Does this make sense how the whole system is ran on gravity and a pump?
Dude, you made that kindergarten simple. I thought I was the only one on here that didn't know how any of that worked. 
How often do you have to change that filter? Does it get clogged often? Is the water pulled through the filter, or pushed through with the pump?
How often do you have to change that filter? Does it get clogged often? Is the water pulled through the filter, or pushed through with the pump?Dude, you made that kindergarten simple. I thought I was the only one on here that didn't know how any of that worked.
So you want the filter lesson? lol
The filter can be set up a lot of different ways. I like gavity fed 100% since I can just walk away and not worry so much.
With gravity fed, you can have several trays above the sump. the water that is running out of the tank by gravity will hit the first tray and flow through it.
This tray will usually have some sort of filter floss, sponge or anything else you can think of to clean the water and capture big things. At the bottom of the tray would be a bunch of holes to drip out of this 1st tray into the second tray. You would do this to get even water flow into the second tray if that is what was needed. Such as for bio media.
In the second tray you can move right into a bio balls, or pot scrubber section, then drip or pour, or already have these submerged down into the sump. Just remeber, tray 1 with filter floss should be out of the sump water, or gravity will not work and dirty water will float all over your sump.
This is the simplest filter I can explain.
You could make this tray configuration go as crazy as you wanted, adding in lava rock, carbon, sponges floss, polyfill, K1, straws, or anything else anyone has put into a filter.
You could even create a chamber in the sump to have submerged filtering happen, like more pot scrubbies, or lava rock, bio balls.
once again the main thing to think about is water flow, and the rate it is flowing at. once again, you want that return water flow going faster then the water going into the tank.
That translates to bigger overflow pipes, and bigger or a larger number of holes drilled into a drip tray. The second tray you could slow it down a little if you wanted some of the bio balls slightly submerged. Just have a oh ***** plan implemented.
How often the filter plugs depends what you have and whatever else is going on in your tank. I have a 180g with big fish. I need to clean it once a week. they kick up sand and lots of food and waste that lands in the filter. I can go about 4 weeks till it will plug up, then it will run over the sides of the tray. I set mine up so if it does run over the sides of my trays, it runs right into the sump. That is my oh ***** plan.
One day I will drill a hole in the sides of my trays to run an overflow hose for when the filters do plug up, it is not running all over the sides of my trays. this leaves dirty water residue all over the frame.
Some sumps are all horizontal. They just put an old tank down there and glue in a bunch of walls across it. Some of the walls will force water over the top. some allow it to flow under it. I dont care for these types very much for DIY. I like using my plastic walmart storage drawer. I just pull out the drawer and pull out the filter media to clean it, then push it back in.
I am sure the horizontal set ups work great for low stands cabnet space.
Now of you wanted to filter it more on the pump side you could do that as well. You could hook up a canistor designed for the water volume and pressure of the pump. You could make it a carbon chamber, or a CO2 reactor, or whatever you needed it to do. I would not put anything in there that plugs up and slows down the pump, like filter floss. It would make maintence too much work.
I am guessing you are thinking right now, could I put a canistor filter like a rena or something similar on it. yes and no. yes if you have a pump that is a good match. And I believe most are running it backwards with the impeller removed. So you would hook the pump up to the outlet on your store bought canistor filter, and the IN would run into the tank. I personally feel this would just slow down water flow and I would rather use the canistor as it was intended to be used in the tank as well. And I do.
here is a pic I found on the net of a very simple DIY design.
On the left. water from the tank goes into the wal mart (or anyother store like target) tray. Top tray has filter floss. It has holes in the top drawer. They drip into the second tray full of bio like media. (I dont know what he has in there) Then it drips into the sump. His return pump is sitting in the sump.
Thats it. that simple. Gravity and 1 pump.