I currently have a 75g, 29g, and 40g. Now I might be swapping out the 40 for a 55 I have in the basement. I want to run all 3 tanks into one central sump for better filtration. So how big of a tank or tube would I need to have enough media for the 3 tanks? And can I run all 3 of 1 pump or would I have to run separate pumps for each tank?
how big of a sump
- Thread starter Valous
- Start date
Ok so I figured out how I am going to run my sump. I am going with a design similar to this http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_wet_dry.php. The on difference is that I am going to use a full drawer for mechanical and a another full one for bio. My final question is on the pumps. I know I need a pump to pump about 600-700 gallons. I am looking at 2 different one. Which one is the better choice Rio plus 2500 or the Mag 7 drive. I just want some opinions on the pumps.
What size sump did you decide on?
Just to make your decision a bit harder... I've used quite a few Mag Drive pumps and while I think they are decent quality pumps I have had my share of issues with them.
A little over a year ao I started using SEN water pumps (through kensfish.com) and am very happy with the quality and they are cheaper than Mag Drive pumps... And for reference yes I have used the 700 gph SEN...
Just to make your decision a bit harder... I've used quite a few Mag Drive pumps and while I think they are decent quality pumps I have had my share of issues with them.
A little over a year ao I started using SEN water pumps (through kensfish.com) and am very happy with the quality and they are cheaper than Mag Drive pumps... And for reference yes I have used the 700 gph SEN...
I have a 35 gallon rubbermaid, with a 3 drawer system to hold the media. I might try and get the 45g container its only $5 more. I am looking at pushing 700gph cause i am prob just running it into 2 tanks. But I will take a look at those pumps, thanks for the reply.
Using one pump for two tanks is possible but has a few drawbacks...
If for some reason you want to remove one tank from the system this may not be possible/practical...
You will need to turn both tanks off when performing maintenance as opposed to just one...
You can defeat both of the above arguements using ball valves, but when turn one tank off via ball valve the amount of water going to the other tank will increase (additional pressure) which may challenge the capacity of your overflow if they are already near maximum capacity...
I would go for the largest capacity sump as possible... bare in mind the more plumbing your system contains the more water will drop to the sump when the pumps(s) are turned off...
If for some reason you want to remove one tank from the system this may not be possible/practical...
You will need to turn both tanks off when performing maintenance as opposed to just one...
You can defeat both of the above arguements using ball valves, but when turn one tank off via ball valve the amount of water going to the other tank will increase (additional pressure) which may challenge the capacity of your overflow if they are already near maximum capacity...
I would go for the largest capacity sump as possible... bare in mind the more plumbing your system contains the more water will drop to the sump when the pumps(s) are turned off...