Sump intake question

[JakeH]

Amen Pharaoh!

Keep your sump intake/return as simple as possible. You can get as complex as you want within the sump itself, but until you've mastered all the flow aspects, no messin with the plumbing! Flooding sux.

 

[jeffers]

have you thought about going with tile bottom and a powerhead or two on a timer to get rid of your dead zones and i would def upgrade that pump.

 

[KaiserSousay]

I`m going to jump around some of the questions a bit.
Under Gravel Filter,
I would leave that in the basement.
Better yet, add it to your plastic re-cycle materials at the curb so it can be made into something more useful. Even with allot of gravel cleaning these things will accumulate gunk. There will be dead zones that get no flow. The finer the gravel, the worse they will work.
If you decide on sand, they won`t work at all.
Reverse Flow Under Gravel Filter,
The last gasp of folk trying to make these things into a quality filter. In some ways it made a marginal filter even worse. Gunk would enter the power heads, get chopped up by the impeller and blasted down tubes. Into the plates this macerated crud would go. Some would get trapped in the plates. Some would get trapped in the gravel. Some would make the trip through the power head again and again.
UGF/RFUGF
With allot of work on your part, they will end up being a piece of equipment you will be sorry you wasted your time with.
Note: To all who are running either of the above. You like their performance in your tank, fine. This is just my opinion and we all know what opinions are like…
Under Gravel Jets,
Some work well, most are OK at best.
After a great deal of work, laying out the plumbing. Adjusting angles, locations, force of flow you get it all working pretty good. Then you want to change the layout of your décor and you mess up all that previous work.
Up to you if you want to go through all that hassle.
When you described your tank, I got the impression of a corner overflow system.
Is that right?
I would not fret over the countless details.
Plumb it up.
Add your water and give it a spin.
Make adjustments as needed.
Dawn….I mean CA,
That is one mass of PVC.
You must have killer water pressure to get flow out of all those holes.
Is that part of a drive thru turtle wash?
I can`t imagine how that could be used as either RFUGF or jets.
For the one you would have too many dead spots and for the other too many holes, in too many places to be effective.
It would take some serious pump action for that to be anything but interesting to look at.

 

[kdrun76]

Last night 2 things happened.

1.) I decided to just see how it works and stop trying to fix something I have never actually seen work. I put 1.5-2" of gravel in the tank. Started to fill it and found a plumbing leak.... The tank will be ready to finish filling and put fish in soon, but it may be another day or two until the leak is dealt with.

2.) The main fish headed to this tank suddenly has polk-a-dots all over one side of his face. Just discovered that last night. People are suggesting "duck lips" but the symptoms don't match. I am feverishly researching what is all over his face right now. I really think I would genuinely be sick to my stomach if this fish just up and died right now. I have reared him since he was a fry found in a filter almost 8 years ago and I just spent $1000 to get him this tank.

 

[CA-Delta]

Dawn….I mean CA,
That is one mass of PVC.
You must have killer water pressure to get flow out of all those holes.
Is that part of a drive thru turtle wash?
I can`t imagine how that could be used as either RFUGF or jets.
For the one you would have too many dead spots and for the other too many holes, in too many places to be effective.
It would take some serious pump action for that to be anything but interesting to look at.

OUCH. You'd be surprised. 500 GPH, no discernable dead spots.
Your post is so well written I am tempted to use it to start a new thread.
I'll PM for permission so as not to hijack the thread.