Sumps

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Here comes the question

So it probably would be best to have the holes drilled on the back of the tank. The over flow boxes will cover the holes ?

I guess i could just get glass from hardware store or hobby store. Im gonna try this with a 30 gal first so how accurate do i have to be with measurements of the width of that tank ?

What are dursos ?

What will stop the water from draining the tank in the event of a power outtage ?

Also if i dont put baffles in the sump how would i set up chambers for mech and purigen ? Or am i an idiot and not understanding the concept ?

Is pvc preferred over tubing ?
 
you dont really need baffles. all you need are filter sock or diy filter sock "bucket", bio media, pump and a duckie.
 
For the "practice" sump im gonna use a 30 gal. Its going to be for a 75 gal.

Would a eshopps pf-300 or 800 be advised ?
 
A durso standpipe is a quiet way to overflow water into your sump. They are internal overflows so you would have to drill the bottom and add an overflow box. There is no siphon, and it allows for many fail safes. I would suggest drilling as opposed to using an hob overflow. Sumps are great because they are as simple or complex as you want them to be. I received my sump as a turnkey set up which helped me understand the basics. I could theoretically make a video of my set up, although I'm sure it's not optimal.
 
Woefulrelic said:
A durso standpipe is a quiet way to overflow water into your sump. They are internal overflows so you would have to drill the bottom and add an overflow box. There is no siphon, and it allows for many fail safes. I would suggest drilling as opposed to using an hob overflow. Sumps are great because they are as simple or complex as you want them to be. I received my sump as a turnkey set up which helped me understand the basics. I could theoretically make a video of my set up, although I'm sure it's not optimal.
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Thanks for the reply sorry for the confusion andaybe i should just start a seperate thread (really sorry guys) im gonna build a sump for a 75 that tempered glass. Wanted to build one for the little tank so that i have a better understanding for when i start a sump project at the end of the summer/early fall for a 240 to 300 gal.

With respect to the standpipe what stops the water draining if there is an outtage


Guys im sorry im askimg sooany question and its actually two different builds. I'll just start another thread on the practice sump. when i get a chance
 
jaws7777 said:
Thanks for the reply sorry for the confusion andaybe i should just start a seperate thread (really sorry guys) im gonna build a sump for a 75 that tempered glass. Wanted to build one for the little tank so that i have a better understanding for when i start a sump project at the end of the summer/early fall for a 240 to 300 gal.

With respect to the standpipe what stops the water draining if there is an outtage


Guys im sorry im askimg sooany question and its actually two different builds. I'll just start another thread on the practice sump. when i get a chance
Click to expand...

When the water drains into the sump the water level in the main tank falls too low to keep draining. As long as your sump is properly sized it won't over flow or anything. I might have missed you mention the tempered glass, this won't work because of that. I would use the uarujoey pvc overflow if you just want to test it out, it's made purely from pvc so it's cheap. It might be a nice intro to sumps. You are getting too much info and will be overwhelmed. I would decide on a build and then just do it if it's for the 75, you can fall back on cans. I won't be able to dig up the uarujoey vid but it's been posted here a bunch and will save you money compared to the eshopps.
 
Yeah agree about the info overload but thats my fault in not being clear with my plans.

So the stand pipe attatches to the holes on 5he bottom of the tank with bulkheads and once the water falls below the opening of the stand pipe nothing else will drain. And as long as you tinker and get the correct level in the sump...no flood ?
 
jaws7777 said:
So the stand pipe attatches to the holes on 5he bottom of the tank with bulkheads and once the water falls below the opening of the stand pipe nothing else will drain. And as long as you tinker and get the correct level in the sump...no flood ?
Click to expand...

There ya go. Now you're getting it. The "drain lines" are standpipes. When the pump is putting water into the tank, the tank water level is rising above the standpipe, falling into the standpipe, and coming out in the sump under the tank.

When you have a power outage, there are only 2 ways for the tank to drain. First way is the "standpipe" you mention, and that drainage stops when the water level in the tank falls below the level of the standpipe.

The second way is the return lines. Your return lines from the pumps stop putting out water cause the pumps turned off, right? Well, if those return lines are below the water level of the tank, they'll drain the tank until the water level falls below the drain lines. So I have 2 check valves in my return lines for that reason.

My sump can accomodate all the water in the drain lines if the power goes out. No way it couldl hold all the water in the top 4-6 inches of the tank, which is how low into the water my return lines go.
 
As for where the holes need to be drilled. My tank has the holes drilled in the bottom of the tank. Other people drill them in the back wall of the tank about 6 inches from the top of the tank. Most people put an overflow box in front of the holes, but I've seen tanks without that. (Like here, for example..... http://atj.net.au/marineaquaria/bulkhead_modifications.html)

The overflow in front of the hole is a good idea because it has a "wier". That wier causes alotta air to be mixed into the water going behind the overflow box and into the standpipe. Having the hole in the bottom of the tank is a good idea because it keeps water draining as close to straight down to the sump as possible--so it drains faster, and keeps you from having to drill a bigger hole than you have to--although this may not be that big a deal.

So you know you want 6X, 8X, 10X tank volume turned over per hour--Let's say 2400 GPH. You prolly want to have an overflow box on each end of the tank, so you skim almost all the surface of the whole tank. so that's two drains, draining 2400 GPH. Maybe you want to be REAL safe, and make it so if one drain clogs for some reason, the other drain by itself can drain 2400 GPH.

A single 1.5 inch drains would handle that just fine. But, TWO 1.5 inch drains, one on each end of the tank, would definitely handle 2400 GPH.

Then, if you want it to be REALLY nice, you'd do Herbie style drains, so you'd drill FOUR 1.5 inch drains--two drains behind each overflow.

So that's how your drains are set up--for a Herbie. You might consider a Beanimal style drain. I wish I would have now, but Herbie is still very cool and dead silent.
 
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