Should I get a Sump?

[TMDragon]

Ok, so here’s the deal. I currently have a pre-drilled overflow 90 gallon tank (4ft x 18 in x 2 ft) with a 7’’ Silver Arowana and a 7’’ Tiger Oscar. (Don’t worry, I’ll be upgrading to a (8ft x 2ft x 2ft) 240 gal or possibly a (8ft x 2ft x 30in) 300 gal for my Aro sometime this year, when I remodel the house and throw out some old furniture to make room ) Anyway, I modified the bulkheads of the overflow intake and output to fit a canister filter and it’s currently connected to a Fluval 405 which I believe has a flow rate of 340 gph. The problem with this is that on a normal overflow tank, right when the water level reaches the top rim of the overflow, it gets drawn into the overflow and then into a sump solely by gravity. Since I do not have a sump connected, the flow rate into the overflow is the flow rate of my canister filter and this causes the water level to be higher than the edge of the overflow in the tank thus negating most of the water being drawn into the overflow. The water merely swirls around near the top of the overflow. Debris and particles are still being drawn in, but not as fast as I would like so I’m wondering if the canister is cleaning at its full potential. Also I’m worried about the canister because once the water level hits a certain point that is still over the top of the overflow, water doesn’t seem to flow into the intake tube because it is a bit too high, due to the modification I did…and the Fluval just craps out . I’m worried that if that point is reached while I’m not home, it will burn out the motor of the Fluval, possibly starting a fire. The best case scenario would be that the Fluval will burn out, no fire, and I have to buy a new one. With that said, I’m debating whether or not to get a 20 gal sump and hooking that up to the overflow instead and properly connecting the canister filter with the parts it came with. Or should I just use the sump and forget about the canister, or leave everything the way it is now? I also have a 170gph powerhead sponge filter in the tank too if that helps your input any.

Also if you guys think I should get a sump, are there any recommendations? I was thinking about possibly getting a Megaflow or a Tidepool II. I don’t have the resources or the skills to make my own.

Btw, I Posted this in the SA/CA Cichlid Forums as well, but I would like to hear from the Aro Community too.

 

[playa7]

Ok, so here’s the deal. I currently have a pre-drilled overflow 90 gallon tank (4ft x 18 in x 2 ft) with a 7’’ Silver Arowana and a 7’’ Tiger Oscar. (Don’t worry, I’ll be upgrading to a (8ft x 2ft x 2ft) 240 gal or possibly a (8ft x 2ft x 30in) 300 gal for my Aro sometime this year, when I remodel the house and throw out some old furniture to make room ) Anyway, I modified the bulkheads of the overflow intake and output to fit a canister filter and it’s currently connected to a Fluval 405 which I believe has a flow rate of 340 gph. The problem with this is that on a normal overflow tank, right when the water level reaches the top rim of the overflow, it gets drawn into the overflow and then into a sump solely by gravity. Since I do not have a sump connected, the flow rate into the overflow is the flow rate of my canister filter and this causes the water level to be higher than the edge of the overflow in the tank thus negating most of the water being drawn into the overflow. The water merely swirls around near the top of the overflow. Debris and particles are still being drawn in, but not as fast as I would like so I’m wondering if the canister is cleaning at its full potential. Also I’m worried about the canister because once the water level hits a certain point that is still over the top of the overflow, water doesn’t seem to flow into the intake tube because it is a bit too high, due to the modification I did…and the Fluval just craps out . I’m worried that if that point is reached while I’m not home, it will burn out the motor of the Fluval, possibly starting a fire. The best case scenario would be that the Fluval will burn out, no fire, and I have to buy a new one. With that said, I’m debating whether or not to get a 20 gal sump and hooking that up to the overflow instead and properly connecting the canister filter with the parts it came with. Or should I just use the sump and forget about the canister, or leave everything the way it is now? I also have a 170gph powerhead sponge filter in the tank too if that helps your input any.

Also if you guys think I should get a sump, are there any recommendations? I was thinking about possibly getting a Megaflow or a Tidepool II. I don’t have the resources or the skills to make my own.

Btw, I Posted this in the SA/CA Cichlid Forums as well, but I would like to hear from the Aro Community too.

IMO: i'd go with the sump and canister at the same time...on the 240g...the sump alone should be ok on the 90g (depending on bio load..oscar's are really dirty fish)...if the electicity bill is not an issue than i'd run both on the 90g..

as for which sump...i'd personally would make my own, its way cheaper and really easy to make (check the "DIY forum" here on MFK)...the megaflow (AGA brand) looks really nice and the tidepool II comes with bio-wheels...so i guess if i had to buy one i'd go with the tidepool II... again making your own is not all that hard

for now i guess you could just cap the overflow (so no water comes out)and run the canister w/ the parts it came with...why did you hook it to the overflow anyway? lol

good luck

 

[TMDragon]

for now i guess you could just cap the overflow (so no water comes out)and run the canister w/ the parts it came with...why did you hook it to the overflow anyway? lol

Well because the overflow was preinstalled in my tank and I felt like it was a waste if I didnt use it . Plus the custom plumbing I did isn't permanent so I can easily disconnect the attachments I made and it will be back to normal. It would be fairly easy to install a sump. I was also leaning towards the Tidepool as well just because of the biowheel, I've had great success with those

 

[ethnics]

there should be no questions about using a sump. i added one to every tank i own'd even with HOB filters still running. sumps make tanks nicer, allows you to remove the heaters from the tank for a cleaner look. and provides the best filtration possible if you ask me. u get to make it, do what you want it to. period.