Sump and Plumbing for my 535. Need help

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I just put an elbow up to the hole and realized the opening for the elbow where the strainer would attach is too high up and will touch the roof of the tank. Maybe a 45 degree elbow? That would look funny but it could work.
 
mrrobxc said:
I just put an elbow up to the hole and realized the opening for the elbow where the strainer would attach is too high up and will touch the roof of the tank. Maybe a 45 degree elbow? That would look funny but it could work.
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Can you trim or cut the fitting?
 
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JK47 said:
Can you trim or cut the fitting?
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I think I’m just going to run my water line down an inch from the top. Seems like the best solution.
 
You can trim the elbow like JK47 JK47 is mentioning. That’s what I had to do with the coupling I used. It will make it hard to get the strainer into the elbow, but it’s doable. The low profile strainers really only need about 1/2”-3/4” of space.

Is it possible to just run the elbow without a strainer? Not sure of all of the stocking you plan on having but if they will be big enough, that might be an option.

The 45 degree elbow is another option. It will not work quite as well as the 90 but will still help keep so much water from running down into the sump when the power is off.
 
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Cutting it may be an idea. I’m wondering if I left it all as is was and just have the low profiles go straigh into the bulkhead, where my water line hold be when it’s running. Would the water level be at the top of the bulkhead or at the bottom? I can always run the water line an inch beneath the roof. But I wouldn’t want it any lower.
 
It really depends on how much flow you are running. However, the water line will always drain to the bottom of the fitting. So, the higher the water line, the more water that will drain into your sump. With your previous calculation of about 75 gallons draining into the sump when the power is off, you would have to run that 125 at about 1/3 full to be able to accommodate that much water running back down. I don’t think that is very efficient for the use of that 125 as your sump. This is why I highly recommend the upturned elbow. It will only drain a very small amount back into the tank compared to a strainer right on the bulkhead.
 
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Fish Tank Travis said:
It really depends on how much flow you are running. However, the water line will always drain to the bottom of the fitting. So, the higher the water line, the more water that will drain into your sump. With your previous calculation of about 75 gallons draining into the sump when the power is off, you would have to run that 125 at about 1/3 full to be able to accommodate that much water running back down. I don’t think that is very efficient for the use of that 125 as your sump. This is why I highly recommend the upturned elbow. It will only drain a very small amount back into the tank compared to a strainer right on the bulkhead.
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Was thinking of running water line to 1” below the roof. 57 gallons or so will drain off in power outage letting me use just over half the sumps volume.

I will have to have some kind of strainer on the elbow if I use it. Don’t want too much floating foods go into them. Wondering how I can cut these elbows. May need a power saw.
 
Personally, I still really don’t like the idea of running the sump half full. To me, it would be the same as running the display tank half full. You just lose all the extra water volume.

Another option you could try would be to turn the elbow into a strainer itself. Cut it if you need to in order to make it fit, and then cut weir teeth right into the elbow. I would still rather see one of the low profile strainers on it, but if that’s your best option, then I think it’s still better than running the strainer right on the bulkhead.

Lastly, if you decide to run an open elbow, you can always turn the pumps off for a few minutes during feeding. A lot of aquarium pumps have a feature that automatically turns the pumps off for 10 minutes while feeding and then they start back up on their own. I know that my Jebao DCP pumps have that feature.

I’m just trying to help you get the most out of your setup. I would really like for you to be able to run your sump at least 3/4 full.
 
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Fish Tank Travis said:
Personally, I still really don’t like the idea of running the sump half full. To me, it would be the same as running the display tank half full. You just lose all the extra water volume.

Another option you could try would be to turn the elbow into a strainer itself. Cut it if you need to in order to make it fit, and then cut weir teeth right into the elbow. I would still rather see one of the low profile strainers on it, but if that’s your best option, then I think it’s still better than running the strainer right on the bulkhead.

Lastly, if you decide to run an open elbow, you can always turn the pumps off for a few minutes during feeding. A lot of aquarium pumps have a feature that automatically turns the pumps off for 10 minutes while feeding and then they start back up on their own. I know that my Jebao DCP pumps have that feature.

I’m just trying to help you get the most out of your setup. I would really like for you to be able to run your sump at least 3/4 full.
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I appreciate it. I’ll have to dig around and see how I can cut the elbows up. I’ll go pick up a few extras tonight. Thank you!
 
If I were to drill 3” circular holes on the back top of the acrylic just over an overflow box, would the structural integrity be okay?
 
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