New tank, first real monster, need advice/help (pics)

[Joe M]

One piece of plant or a scrap of driftwood and the valve will not close enough to seal. If that is your only way to ensure your sump doesn't overflow, you're screwed. It best to setup the sump properly from the start and avoid check valves all together.

The tank is set up properly, No issues at all for the 100 or so times Ive shut off my pumps, or had my pumps shut off. Why would you have pieces of driftwood floating around your tank??? If a pump shuts off, the valve closes immediately due weight of the water pushing backwards on the check valve, so absolutely no water from the tank itself gets in the return lines. Unless you have driftwood in your sump, there is no way this is an issue. Thanks for your opinion, but your wrong.

But are check valves only for pvc? This tank has tubing connecting the tank to the sump.

Nope. Mine are for vinyl tubing. They work great, are cheap, and due to their other uses, are easy to get. Just make sure you get ones that wont restrict your water flow too much, and you'll be good.

 

[JamesF]

Old driftwood decays and pieces break off.
I've heard of first hand accounts of check valves failing, so sorry, you're wrong. Just because it hasn't happened to you personally, doesn't mean it wont happen. The way they are built makes it very easy for material to get stuck in them as water flows through them. You can have debris in there for months without knowing about it, until it's too late. If you setup your return lines properly, check valves are also 100% unnecessary, which makes them an added useless expense.

 

[AOmonsta]

Well I hope I set it up properly then haha.

 

[Joe M]

Old driftwood decays and pieces break off.
I've heard of first hand accounts of check valves failing, so sorry, you're wrong. Just because it hasn't happened to you personally, doesn't mean it wont happen. The way they are built makes it very easy for material to get stuck in them as water flows through them. You can have debris in there for months without knowing about it, until it's too late. If you setup your return lines properly, check valves are also 100% unnecessary, which makes them an added useless expense.

I'm sorry if i missed it, But again, how is driftwood getting in your RETURN lines??????? No water from the tank gets in backwards when the pumps shut off, and your sump, if set up properly, shouldn't allow chunks of wood to even reach your return pump. If your sump has no mechanical filtration whatsoever, then its an issue. But if that's the case, YOUR sump is set up wrong. Seriously, explain how wood can get in the return lines through the sump. I'm waiting.

 

[valderi123]

cool tank

 

[AOmonsta]

cool tank

Thanks man. Still a little unsure about the sump and overflows, but I'll figure it out. Gonna use the pressure washer on it tomorrow to get the rest of the old gunk and what not out of it.

Question:

The sump has the bioballs in it and idk how long they've been in there since they been used. Should I just run some water over them or something like that?

 

[carsona246]

Personally I'd boil them and reuse them. The boiling is just to make sure everything on them gets off. I'm assuming they've been dried out so all the beneficial bacteria is long gone. The tank is drilled right? If that's the case I'm sure you will figure it out, and a sump is definatly the way to go. Congrats on the find

 

[AOmonsta]

Personally I'd boil them and reuse them. The boiling is just to make sure everything on them gets off. I'm assuming they've been dried out so all the beneficial bacteria is long gone. The tank is drilled right? If that's the case I'm sure you will figure it out, and a sump is definatly the way to go. Congrats on the find

Thanks man. Currently boiling the bio balls right now.

FYI, spraying an old tank with a brand new pressure washer really gets it clean haha.

 

[insanity0x1]

you can connect the valves to the tubing easily, but am i saying that its a surefire way to stop a flood? of course not. its just to keep the pump from creating a back flow so when the power does go off, water doesnt back feed through the pump then into the sump. that way 50% of the sump is flood safe, (to a degree i suppose..) then you just fix the intake side to where the siphon breaks when off, but can turn back on when power comes back.

 

[spwd]

Nice pick up,im sure you will figure the sump out.
Good luck.


Steve