i am doing home work for my future 120 gal plywood tank build i am planning on using a 10 gal sump with this setup i am thinking of about 600 gallons per hour turnover and would like to plumb my return from the sump into under gravel jets. i would like to know if this is a viable possibility. in order to stop the tank from siphoning when the power fails i had a thought to run the return line to the top of the tank and then to the bottom but put a small hole at the top of the pipe just below water level so that if the pump stops flowing the hole would stop a siphon from forming. would this work? my reason for wanting to do this is to get a more complete water turnover instead of just the top. nothing is set in stone yet but i would like to give it a try
sump return to undergravel jets
- Thread starter rotccapt
- Start date
rotccapt;3444075; said:
this will work but I would get a much bigger sump. A sump should be around 1/3 the water volume of your tank. So you're looking at 40 gallons not 10. So to be safe get a 55. They are cheap if you find them used on CL.
And go with a larger pump something like a mag9.5 b/c you will lose flow with the length of your return lines and however many bends there are in the line also. So a mag 9.5 (950GPH) can turn into 600 GPH with enough line and bends real fast.
Basically what you are building is a Reverse under gravel filter. Do a seach and you'll find plenty of threads and info on them.
I agree it's a good idea to pull water from one end and return water ot the other end...
Although I think it makes more sense to pick water up from the bottom, where the waste naturally settles, and return it at th etop, where surface agitation is benefiical...
Yes your proposal of your sump return feeding UGJs with a hole drilling in the line up top can work...
Two things to keep in mind... A) it is possible for the hole to be to small, so do some testing to make sure your hole is big enough... B) You will need room in your sump to allow for drainage of the display tank down to the hole you drill (and probably also some due to your return)...
With B in mind, I would consider a larger sump...
While some benefit can be hand with a 10 gal sump on a 120 gal system... a larger sump will give you many more options of filtering the water much more thoroughly... of having more room for excess water to 'store' when the pump is off... of having a larger water system providing additional stability as well as dilution... of having space to expand your options as time moves on... of several other options I'm overlooking at this time.
Although I think it makes more sense to pick water up from the bottom, where the waste naturally settles, and return it at th etop, where surface agitation is benefiical...
Yes your proposal of your sump return feeding UGJs with a hole drilling in the line up top can work...
Two things to keep in mind... A) it is possible for the hole to be to small, so do some testing to make sure your hole is big enough... B) You will need room in your sump to allow for drainage of the display tank down to the hole you drill (and probably also some due to your return)...
With B in mind, I would consider a larger sump...
While some benefit can be hand with a 10 gal sump on a 120 gal system... a larger sump will give you many more options of filtering the water much more thoroughly... of having more room for excess water to 'store' when the pump is off... of having a larger water system providing additional stability as well as dilution... of having space to expand your options as time moves on... of several other options I'm overlooking at this time.
i had another though instead of running the return line to the top of the tank what about running a check valve in line and run the line through the bottom of the tank? the check valve would prevent the back flow problem if the pump turns off
also is 600 gph a good turnover rate for this size tank?
also is 600 gph a good turnover rate for this size tank?
rotccapt;3446541; said:
I would never rely on a check valve to prevent water back flow.
Although I feel that a 10G is definitely not big enough for your sump, you could get away with a 29G and be fine.
600gph should be good.
this is what i do.. and yes it works! my outflow from the sump goes into the UGF tube, making the same effect.. exect when it goes into the UGF tube the water pushing out of the holes in the UGF will be much more effective because it coves more surface area!
get a bigger sump.. you will not be happy with the small one.. maintaining the water level alone will be a huge PITA.. simply keeping the pump from sucking air with the water leve low enough to keep the sump from overflowing if your power goes out/pump dies will keep you up at night.. daily evaporation alone will be a fight that is just not worth it.. im not even going to get into the total lack of space for any sort of media...
there is zero room for error when it comes to a 10 gallon sump... you can pick up a 45gallon rubbermaid tub from target for less than $20...
there is zero room for error when it comes to a 10 gallon sump... you can pick up a 45gallon rubbermaid tub from target for less than $20...
chesterthehero;3700028; said:
indeed.
and yes the design you suggest will work. i have my returns plumbed much the same way, but to a spray bar rather than a UGF. as NC said, you will need to do some tests with the size of the hose yo prevent backflow. you want to make it as small as possible but still functional. the bigger the hole is, the more pressure you lose in the bottom of the pipe.