Tank and Stand help.

[jrpsaros]

Okay, i go to NC state and for one of my classes, i have to build something using two different materials, well, what better to build than a nice plywood tank. I'll be starting it in a few weeks, so I'm going to have lots of questions untill then.
I plan on building two tanks, a sump and a stand. I want a 48" x 24" x 24" tank as my main tank on top, then I want to build a stand for it. In the stand, I want to build a smaller tank, with a sump attached to the back of the small tank still in the stand. (i'll attach a general idea of the whole thing, and then also of my tank/sump idea).

My questions so far are with a tank this size, do i need to use 3/4 ply, or can i get away with thinner plywood? also for the glass/acrylic. Can i use a 55 gallon tank, and disassemble it, and use that as the glass for the two tanks?

I also plan on using liquid rubber to seal the tanks/sump. Thanks, and the more input I can get on this the better.

Overall idea

And the top view of the tank/sump, Front obviously being the tank, back being the sump.

 

[Burko]

That looks like a good idea with the sump at the back of the lower tank.

How will the water move through the 3 sections (top tank, lower tank and sump)?

And will the lower front tank be full of water?

 

[jrpsaros]

I plan on the lower front tank having glass in it, and being a fully functional tank. To get the water to the sump, I would cut a small section out of the top right of the center divider to my desired height. so the water would over flow into the far right chamber of the sump. The wall of that chamber would be around an inch or two off the ground, and the chamber full of fliter sponge. the next chamber would be full of bioballs, and the wall would be 4 inches from the top of the tank, then next chamber would be filled with something else, and be 6 inches from the top, so as each chamber fills, it just overflowes into the next. The last chamber would have a pump, and the heaters. . I'd have a hole in the center divider for the pump to pump back through.

For the top tank, i'd have a wood in the back right corner, making a section in a triangle and sealed with a hole at the bottom. this would be the overflow, which would then go through pvc and into the right section of the sump, going through the sump, then the same pump as before, pumping it back up to where it eather have it go through a hole at the top of the tank, or maybe make a spray bar.

If this isn't clear enough, I'll try to draw something up explaining what i mean.

 

[Burko]

OK...

It is hard to picture but the way I'm seeing it... It might work.

Have you checked the volume of the sump against the increase in volume (of the 2 tanks) needed for it to flow?

 

[jrpsaros]

I'm not quite sure what your asking, but I'm figuring the top tank to be around 120 gallons, front tank to be around 43 gallons, and sump to be around 50 gallons.

 

[Burko]

"I'm not quite sure what your asking"

For the overflows to work at the speed of the pump a certain gain in the height of the water in each tank has to be achieved.

But with my Back of the Envelope maths...I'd guess a sump of around 25% of volume will be fine.

 

[Chaz88]

If I understand it correctly you are using the same sump for both tanks. My concern would be controlling the return water so that you don't overflow the bottom tank.

 

[jrpsaros]

i thought about that too, and figured i'd use 1 inch pvc from the pump the the top tank, then off of that same line, have a t fitting that would fit the 1 inch pipe, and the t part coming off either be 3/4" or 1/2" and use that pipe to go to the bottom tank, Do you think this would work? or would I need to get two separate pumps or different gph?

 

[Chaz88]

I will have to think about it later. The Doc has me on Cyclobenzaprine and Prednisone for my back and it is making it hard to think it all out. Sorry.

 

[GermanRam]

Sounds to me like you could put a plastic in-line shut off valve to control the flow to the small tank. I have never tried it, so go with your best judgment on this.