Pump for Basement SUMP? Help! First sump!

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jandb

jandb

Piranha
MFK Member
Jan 18, 2009
947
174
76
Lewis Center, OH
Hello. I'm setting up a 340 gallon planted tank in my dining room and running a 75 gallon sump directly under it in the basement. I'd say it's about 13 feet directly below the tank. I've never made a sump but have followed what some of you guys have done. What would be a good pump or pumps for this setup? What brands/gph? Internal or external? The sump is just a glass 75 gallon. How would you recommend I set the sump up with the tank being planted and not overstocked? There are 2 overflow boxes but I'm not sure the sizes of the bulkheads. I am picking up the tank (used) this Sunday. Thanks in advance. Any help is appreciated, been real excited about getting the tank and now a little anxious getting it going without flooding the house!
 
+1 on the Reeflo recommendation. Super low watt consumption for the amount of water they push.

But before you set your mind on external, are you sure that your sump is not made of tempered glass? In other words, can you drill it without shattering it?

Some things to consider:
- Internal pumps add a little heat to the water (which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you plan to keep and your air temps).
- Your overflow holes are going to determine the maximum size pump you can get. Not sure what turnover you are going for, but I like 5 to 7 times per hour (some like more, others less). In a planted tank, you may want less. Before you can make a decision on pump size (GPH), you'll need to know what size bulkhead's you are working with.
- I would keep it simple and run filter socks for mechanical and ceramic rings or pond matrix (submerged) for biological. In my opinion, some of the DIY sumps on here are overly complicated.
- To avoid floods, either keep your returns just below the surface or drill a hole in the return just below the suface of the water to break any back siphons.

Looking forward to seeing pix of your setup!
 
Reeflo makes good pressure pumps or a pump designed specifically for high head applications. Pond return pumps by Danner, Rio Hyper flow pumps...you will need a big pump to push 13' of head whatever the pump. Consider putting the sump up on a shelf in the basement to get it closer to the tank upstairs. JMO
 
boldtogether said:
Reeflo makes good pressure pumps or a pump designed specifically for high head applications. Pond return pumps by Danner, Rio Hyper flow pumps...you will need a big pump to push 13' of head whatever the pump. Consider putting the sump up on a shelf in the basement to get it closer to the tank upstairs. JMO
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Hello; Yes to this advice. Pushing a column of water up this high will require a substantial pump. The extra power required will likely use more electricity and the work load may shorten the life of the pump and the components.
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I'm going to have the tank tomorrow and will check out the size of the bulkheads and post some pics. What does everyone prefer as far as plumbing? Schedule 40, 80 or flexible pvc. I saw some braided flexible tubing at lowes that looked like it would be easy to work with.
 
Consider raising the sump up closer to the basement ceiling to reduce the cost of the pump and the electricity it will use...that's a LOT of head.

Sch 40 PVC is fine for most things. I like the braided stuff on my pumps so I can get the pump in and out of the sump when I need to.

Mike
 
jandb said:
Thanks for the advice guys. I'm going to have the tank tomorrow and will check out the size of the bulkheads and post some pics. What does everyone prefer as far as plumbing? Schedule 40, 80 or flexible pvc. I saw some braided flexible tubing at lowes that looked like it would be easy to work with.
Click to expand...

Using barbed fittings and the braided tubing would be the easiest. I went with a combination of Schedule 80 PVC and black Flex PVC for aesthetic reasons...I liked the look of the grey Schedule 80 PVC, but I also wanted some flexibility where my overflows feed into my filter sock- it just makes life easier to be able to move the plumbing a little bit when I'm changing out filter socks. If you can use flex PVC and bend it versus having to use a 90 PVC elbow fitting, it will reduce your head loss a bit. I have also heard that using flex PVC of tubing on the inlet and outlet of you pump will reduce some vibration noise.
 
Seems the general consensus is a single pump setup. With 13' of head.. Wouldn't it help to have an external pump midway on the return? i.e - at the base of the Tank(above basement) Just wondering if that has been considered..
 
Finally picked up the tank yesterday! Excited but a little overwhelmed with it all. I'm terrible with computers, how do you post pics? I couldn't find the icon to attach them. Anyway here's some of the specs. There are 2 overflows, they currently have 1" schedule 80 bulkheads but I removed them and the holes are either 1 5/8" or 1 3/4". Would you use bigger bulkheads to get more flow? There are 2 hole drilled for returns on the top of each bulkhead. They are 1 1/4". The guy I bought it from had it filled and running when I arrived and all looked good. There was no bow along the front and no leaks. I was a little concerned to see the tank is made out of 1/2" acrylic, it is a hair over 25" tall. (96x30x25) I looked at A magdrive 18 pump and it got great reviews for the height I need to push water. Due to my budget I was thinking about starting off with one of these and one return. I would plumb the other return and cap it until I get the other pump. Does this make sense? Thanks in advance.
 
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