New to sumps and i need help.:confused:
- Thread starter yourbestfriend
- Start date
Well, you can drill and it would be 100% better then any other type of overflow, or you can build a diy overflow from the stickies. Just reading the stickies I built my first sump and I will never go back to normal filters again. Read the stickies for DIY overflow
Sump
1 extra Tank.
Big enough to hold the amount of water the required to cover the pump, and the amount of water that will be drained from your tank in a power outage. For example a 55 Gallon 48x12x20 tank with an over flow 2 inches below the water line will drain 5 gallons in a power outage.
2 A pump that will pump your tank volume over at least 3 times an hour, at the head hight your running.
Note some people will yell at me for this as they think you need 10x turn over rate. The head hight is the distance from the pump to the top of the return line, also know that you will loose some GPH due to friction lose so just because a pump says 600pgh at 5' doesn't mean you will get that.
now from here it depends on how nice you and none ghetto you want your sump. If you want it nice you will make compartments inside the old tank to hold your filter media. I only know how to make ghetto ones so heres how I made mine.
After the tank and pump are in place, you get two containers that will fit inside the tank. put on deep container in the tank with about 2 or more inches of room between the bottom of the container and the bottom of the tank. put holes in the bottom of this container and fill it with bio filter media.
Then get another container that is 3 inches deep and will fit over top of the first container. put smaller holes like 1/8 in the bottom of this, and put a layer of filer floss over the bottom, and then put this over the first container.
so now you have a tank with a deep container in it, and that deep container has a smaller container over top of it. your sump is now ready to be hooked up.
here are two pictures one of a ghetto style and one of a nice style.
here is a nice pro looking sump by frnchjeep
here is mine i Made in the first picture, an old picture is the small container that holds filter floss. * note ignore the hole in the center that was for an abandoned idea.
this is the bio media chamber
this is what it looks like put together. note this is (3 pics merged, Display & Stand, Back of display plumbing, Sump) the last one is of the sump
so as you can see the water drains from the overflow in the tank to the first container with the filter floss in it, then from there drips out all of the holes to the bio media chamber, and from the bio chamber to the sump itself; where it is pumped back to the tank.
Hope this helps, lets see some pictures.
Sump
1 extra Tank.
Big enough to hold the amount of water the required to cover the pump, and the amount of water that will be drained from your tank in a power outage. For example a 55 Gallon 48x12x20 tank with an over flow 2 inches below the water line will drain 5 gallons in a power outage.
2 A pump that will pump your tank volume over at least 3 times an hour, at the head hight your running.
Note some people will yell at me for this as they think you need 10x turn over rate. The head hight is the distance from the pump to the top of the return line, also know that you will loose some GPH due to friction lose so just because a pump says 600pgh at 5' doesn't mean you will get that.
now from here it depends on how nice you and none ghetto you want your sump. If you want it nice you will make compartments inside the old tank to hold your filter media. I only know how to make ghetto ones so heres how I made mine.
After the tank and pump are in place, you get two containers that will fit inside the tank. put on deep container in the tank with about 2 or more inches of room between the bottom of the container and the bottom of the tank. put holes in the bottom of this container and fill it with bio filter media.
Then get another container that is 3 inches deep and will fit over top of the first container. put smaller holes like 1/8 in the bottom of this, and put a layer of filer floss over the bottom, and then put this over the first container.
so now you have a tank with a deep container in it, and that deep container has a smaller container over top of it. your sump is now ready to be hooked up.
here are two pictures one of a ghetto style and one of a nice style.
here is a nice pro looking sump by frnchjeep
here is mine i Made in the first picture, an old picture is the small container that holds filter floss. * note ignore the hole in the center that was for an abandoned idea.
this is the bio media chamber
this is what it looks like put together. note this is (3 pics merged, Display & Stand, Back of display plumbing, Sump) the last one is of the sump
so as you can see the water drains from the overflow in the tank to the first container with the filter floss in it, then from there drips out all of the holes to the bio media chamber, and from the bio chamber to the sump itself; where it is pumped back to the tank.
Hope this helps, lets see some pictures.
nah... its super easy.. the overflow i have is the same overflow you will find if you search.. the one in the thread with like 235807208375 pages.. just follow the directions.. it will make sence once you finnish it.. if you try to understand it then build it you will scratch yer head raw with fustration..
the water flows like a book.. left to right
-first section is where the overflow and syphon enter the sump (all you need is an overflow.. i have a syphon by choice)
-first wall forces the water UP and across the drip plate (i used an undergravel filter. you want something that makes it "rain" on your media
-under the drip plate is media this is where the good bacteria live and the "filtering" takes place
-botton drip plates just holds the media off the bottom to allow water to flow freely.. i have my heaters down there as well
-the next wall just holds the media in place
-then another row of media.. there no such thing as overfiltering
-next short wall sets the water level for the sump.. in the event of a powerloss i lose about 8 gallons out of my tank.. with my water level where it is in the sump i have room for another 3 gallons before the sump overflows (the plumbing is done so that wont happen those are lil tricks you can learn as you build this is just to give you the basics)
-the last area is obviously where the pump is.. this pumps the water from the sump back into the tank
you dont need to use a fishtank to make one of these.. its just something nice to look at..
the water flows like a book.. left to right
-first section is where the overflow and syphon enter the sump (all you need is an overflow.. i have a syphon by choice)
-first wall forces the water UP and across the drip plate (i used an undergravel filter. you want something that makes it "rain" on your media
-under the drip plate is media this is where the good bacteria live and the "filtering" takes place
-botton drip plates just holds the media off the bottom to allow water to flow freely.. i have my heaters down there as well
-the next wall just holds the media in place
-then another row of media.. there no such thing as overfiltering
-next short wall sets the water level for the sump.. in the event of a powerloss i lose about 8 gallons out of my tank.. with my water level where it is in the sump i have room for another 3 gallons before the sump overflows (the plumbing is done so that wont happen those are lil tricks you can learn as you build this is just to give you the basics)
-the last area is obviously where the pump is.. this pumps the water from the sump back into the tank
you dont need to use a fishtank to make one of these.. its just something nice to look at..
