Help understanding sump setup with a continuous drip system...

[hart24601]

I like my drip system. Due to high nitrates and farm runoff I use RO/DI to fill a couple 44g brute cans that are plumbed together. I add minerals back into it. I have a master flex pump that I run on a timer about 10min every hour giving me about a 10g/day drip in my 230 system total volume. Gives effective 26% weekly change. Can easily do more or less, but this amount is nice because only refill he RO once a week.

The sump is large enough that I can manually siphon out around 15 gallons and everything still runs, the drip fills it back up so that is more of a direct WC option.

I have a drain line overflow in the sump that goes to a floor drain in the unfurnished part of the basement.

Simple and it always gets done!

 

[hart24601]

So what's the advantage of a continuous drip, over regular water changes? Seems like I could get better milage with a 25 or 50% capacity holding tank. Then do a quick aquarium dump and pump in the new water.

You will get better mileage with that setup, just needs more equipment. Drips are really nice if you have good tap water. Can do a slow drip and not need to heat the water nor have anything special really, just a drain line. They get less efficient as you try to change a higher % of water - like discus breeders that change 90% a day, but lower % they work well.

 

[Abyss]

You guys have really put me off a drip system now.

The plan was to have the drip system to extend the time needed in full water changes.

In my area, I'd need to run the drip through a carbon filter, but looking at the cost of one of these for a 1000l-1500l tank, the price just wouldn't be efficient for a drip system given the amount of water I'd need to be dripping in considering dilution.

If changing say 75% a week, my carbon filter would cost me £100 for around 5 years. But that would reduce to £100 for a year if changing the same amount of water through a drip system.

Not sure which way to go now. The convenience of a drip system was a big plus, as was not having to heat the water each week.

 

[ragin_cajun]

Huh? I don't follow. If you don't drip, you don't need a carbon filter. Just put Prime or some other dechlorinator in your water change water. Change water once a week. Also, some folks DO drip without a carbon filter, too. Depends how much chlorine your local water supply has. I wouldn't do it where I live, but....just sayin.

I don't heat water, either when I do a water change. Now, I don't live in a super cold climate, but I'd think water out of the tap comes out at around 60-70 degrees wherever you live?

Is there something totally different about tap water in the UK that I don't realize?

 

[Abyss]

I stopped using ''water change water' years ago in the traditional sense...filling up butts, buckets, containers etc is slow and cumbersome to me.

My water comes straight out the tap (hot and cold mixer), through a carbon filter and into the tank. There's no pipes to get out, it's a flick of a switch. Easy.

Apart from in the summer months, the water out of my tap is significantly colder than 60-70 degrees. It's extremely cold. I need to heat it in some way unless doing a really, really slow change.

 

[millerkid519]

A Abyss
Why couldn't you make something like this.
It would work to warm the water as it enters the tank as well as treat it. So all you have to do is tap into a cold line and build a filter for the water. Expensive drip problem fixed! I wish I would have thought of this before I spent money on my drip system. I still only have 250 in a drip system for 2 tanks so it's not to bad that's with 1/2"pex tubing with cpvc push lock fittings and Mastercraft household filters. What do you keep stock wise

 

[LimaMagic]

I reread the chapter in Aquatic Systems Engineering, I'm not sure it applies to a drip system, but its gist is reared toward a closed loop system of filtration, not the continuous addition of new water.
On the other hand I do see the point that simply dividing the total gallons by water replaced is not a realistic look at the amount of water being changed.
This is why I always tried to do a 30% water change on my system every other day. in theory, a 110% water change per week, although more realistically much less.
My barometer was the drop in tanks alkalinity. When I changed less than 30% every other day I would notice a 20% or higher drop in alkalinity almost immediately after a water change, which suggested that fish urine was almost instantaneously eating up 20% of the value of the water change (20% of the new waters buffering capacity). But doing a 30% change, about 10% (sometimes less) of the new waters alkalinity was neutralized, a value which I considered tolerable. I know most people use nitrates as a barometer of water quality, but I found the quick reaction of alkalinity to be much more "real time" test of my tanks actual water quality.
I'm not trying to lessen the significance of nitrate, but I had access to an alkalinity titration set up, along with the other testing parameter tests, which most aquarists probably don't.
As to baffles, I found them to be a hindrance to performing maintenance, so discontinued their use early in my sump experimentation process.
I found hanging filter bags for mechanical on the sump entrance end, and placing bio media in mesh bags mid sump, was just as effective as crowding a tank with baffles that got in the way when doing work, or worse were a hassle to remove when I decided things needed to be altered.

Duranes, as you seem to be rather knowledgeable on drip systems, how many gallons weekly would you recommend in a 360 gallon tank? or 225 gallon tank?

 

[duanes]

My minimum goal for a drip......would be at least 100% of the tanks water volume each week , but more would be better, .
On a 360, that's about 60 gallons per day ( 24 hours), on a 225 that's a little under 40 gallons per day.
On my current 300+ gallon system (2 tanks plumbed together, a180 and a 125) , the drip is about 30 gallons per day, but it is very lightly stocked (the largest fish is maybe 8" and I have enough aquatic and terrestrial plants, that with the drip and plants I never get a nitrate readings over 5ppm.


I realize its not "all" about nitrate, but that is what I use as my indicator barometer parameter.