I built this but I need help with filtration

[littlewangzfan]

I'd be honest, I don't remember how many times I've read through the stickies and forums about sumps but it just doesn't sink in. The amount of methods and ideas overwhelm me. Can you walk me through the simplest way to do this? Where to drill, how many holes, pipe/bulkhead sizes, pump gph and everything else. I prefer rubbermaid containers than building one. Sorry, I want to do it right. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
Here's the tank, 280g (77"Lx36"Wx24"H):

 

[Spiritofthesoul]

I would drill 1 hole at each corner for thorough surface skimming.
Hole size would depend on how strong your return pump(s) is going to be.

 

[biguebs]

I'd be honest, I don't remember how many times I've read through the stickies and forums about sumps but it just doesn't sink in. The amount of methods and ideas overwhelm me. Can you walk me through the simplest way to do this? Where to drill, how many holes, pipe/bulkhead sizes, pump gph and everything else. I prefer rubbermaid containers than building one. Sorry, I want to do it right. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
Here's the tank, 280g (77"Lx36"Wx24"H):

+1... I hear ya on this! I still don't get it either. I get the concept, but once I start reading about overflows and bulkheads... no idea.

 

[littlewangzfan]

I would drill 1 hole at each corner for thorough surface skimming.
Hole size would depend on how strong your return pump(s) is going to be.

Thanks Spirit. Got one on my to do list. Will wait for others to chime in then put the ideas together and see what works best.

+1... I hear ya on this! I still don't get it either. I get the concept, but once I start reading about overflows and bulkheads... no idea.

Good to hear I'm not alone.

 

[Oughtsix]

The only way to figure out the hydro-dynamics of an overflow and a sump is to jump in and get your feet wet (hahahah! I have literally gotten my feet wet several times!).

Some simple guiding concepts:
1) Your drain (overflow) HAS to have a higher flow capacity than your sump pump.
2) Overflows are pretty easy to build... BUT they can tend to be a little noisy with gurgling and sucking sounds... not just pleasant water flowing sounds. Most complex drain pipe setups are to address the sound issue not to address the draining issue.
3) Your overflow should set the water height in your Aquarium.
4) There are as many ways to accomplish getting water into your sump via gravity as there are fish keepers. I would recommend starting simple and then tweaking as needed.
5) The flow of a specific diameter pipe will change with the pressure of the water flowing through the pipe.

So first question for your 280G tank is how do YOU want to configure the overflow? You could seal a couple of acrylic pieces in the corners and drill a hole in the bottom of each corner for bulkheads behind these pieces of acrylic creating a weir. The height of this weir will determine the water level in your tank.

I have a 110gal and use a Durso style overflow pipe made out of 1" pvc pipe. It barely keeps up with my bigger pumps. So take my advice with the understanding that I have not actually built an overflow in this manner and I am just going off my experience with a Durso pipe.

For your 280 I might throw out an off the cuff design of 1.5" bulkheads in each corner with acrylic (or any material) weirs in front of them sealing them off from the rest of the aquarium. How your plywood aquarium is sealed will determine if you can seal a weir in the corners. On the inside of the tank add vertical pipes to the bulkhead maybe 20" long (This length will determine the distance the water drops after it has gone over the weir. The longer the drop the noisier it will be. Add two elbows to this vertical pipe so the inlet to the pipe points down (So the whole assembly looks kind of like a candy cane). Look for a type of elbow called a "Street Elbow", it will allow you to make the U in a shorter distance to save you tank real-estate. This U is to quiet the gurgling noises as the water goes down the pipe and has nothing to do with the actual flow of the pipe.


What functionality do you want from your sump? Do you just want a trickle filter or do you want it to also have a refuge? The first basic rule for a sump is it should have enough dry (empty) volume to handle the excess overflow water from your tank in the event of a power failure. The excess overflow water in your tank is determined by the flow rate of your pump(s) and the flow rate of your overflow. With big 1.5" overflow pipes and corner weirs you shouldn't have a lot of excess overflow. You might be able to get away with a 5 gallon bucket.

I don't really care for the flimsy rubbermaid containers and like something a little more rigid like a stock tank, plastic bucket, food grade plastic drum or the like.

P.S. Nice looking tank!

 

[littlewangzfan]

Thanks for the simple explanation. The tank will be sealed with liquid rubber. My question is can I drill the OFs in the upper corners of the tank and install the weirs outside? I want to maximize tank real estate. With sump functionality, I want it to have a refuge. I'll try to look for a more rigid plastic container or build one out of plywood.

 

[littlewangzfan]

TTT. Thanks to the above posts, appreciate it. Are there any other ideas to consider?

 

[Oughtsix]

Thanks for the simple explanation. The tank will be sealed with liquid rubber. My question is can I drill the OFs in the upper corners of the tank and install the weirs outside? I want to maximize tank real estate. With sump functionality, I want it to have a refuge. I'll try to look for a more rigid plastic container or build one out of plywood.

I can't say I have ever done it but I would think you could drill through the plywood and rubber then seal everything up with a bulkhead fitting.

Personally I kind of like your idea of building one out of plywood. Should give you great design possibilities that would be difficult to implement in a store bought container.