First Timer sumper, Help with sump/Tidepool 2

[Jon M]

Not too discouraged, its just something i have no experience with and am not sure if i am ready to dive into it.

I would love to do a sump, it is not out of the question.

How do you figure out what size pump you need to pump the water from the sump into the tank?

THAT, I'm no pro on. I know typically I believe a 4x turnover gph wise for a sump is sufficient. I know if you do it too much your drain might not line up with the pump gph rate and it gets uneven. I have I think 1100gph in mine with a mag drive 9.5 and 2. I realized the 2 wasn't enough gph with head height so when I got the 9.5 I realized it was a bit overkill and it filled the tank faster than the tank could drain into the sump. So I evened it out with splitting the 9.5 with a T and having half the water that goes back to the tank from the sump returning back into the sump. Of course you can always use ball valve pieces to control pressure, I just never thought it was a good idea to restrain the pressure of a pump because it strains the pump imo. There are a billion people that can help you with the exact right pump and gph to use for your setup on this site. Just ask in the diy filtration section. I know I'll be asking when I do my next sump for my 300 something gallon tank. Sorta just jumped in and figured it out slowly with trial and error with my 125g.

Here is an article that goes into detail as far as what pump and gph you need I believe. Also another CHOMPERS thread. I pretty much used vital information from all his diy sump thread(s) when figuring my own first sump out. http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...ow-to-size-a-pump-to-your-tank&highlight=pump

 

[squint]

The parts I have appear to be from the newer acrylic wet/dry filters judging from the color. They should be compatible with the Tidepool 1 that I have but the Tidepool 2 is different from all the other wet/dry filters in that it has all the trays rotated 90 degrees. That means the drip plate has its row of holes along a narrow edge for all models other than the Tidepool 2.

The Tidepool 2 drip plate shown here has the holes along the longer edge:

I'm sure it's possible to work around if you're interested in doing so. I didn't pay much for the parts so they won't cost much.