Would This Work For A Sump?

[Tworner54]

The sump itself is an old 55 gallon tank i used to use for water changes.

I'm not sure on the insulation, id rather get Styrofoam i just down know where. Also not sure on the IN, not a hundred percent if i'm going to try drilling the tank. also what would be an appropriate sized pump for this tank (model and where to get it would be appreciated). Its 8 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet tall. its probably around 300 gallons.

sorry for all the questions this is the first time I've ever done anything like this so id rather do it right than have water all over my basement.

 

[Tworner54]

Anyone?

 

[anarekist]

might not want your outlet to be at the bottom of the tank, when the power goes out all the water will flow out of your tank.

 

[flowingmotion]

I think a tank that size would be around 540 gallons. If you want a turn over through the sump of around 3-4 times your looking at 1620-2160 gallons per hour. So you need a pump that will pump that much water at the head height of your return in the tank. Of course if you want more turn over through the sump you'll need a bigger pump. If the water goes through the sump too fast though it will be less effective on removing NH4 and NO2 from the water.

I would drill the tank if you are able. You cant if its tempered glass. Make sure younlook into what size pipe you should use to get the flow you need.

The design of the sump is ok. It looks like your trying to do a wet/dry setup. Just remember that all of the evaporation loss from the whole system will result in a lower water level in your return chamber. So you either have to keep filling it everyday so the pump does not run dry, get an auto top off system, or make that section bigger so you dont have to fill it as often. I have a 75g tank that i have to top off with at least three gallons every couple of days. My return section is 15"x11.75"x8" and holds about 6 gallons.

The only other thing i would add is that in your picture there is not much room between the top of the sump and the bottom of the stand. You'll need to get your hands inside that sump more than you'll want to for one reason or another so make sure you have enough clearance to fit yor arm in there and add or remove any media and equipment.

 

[Tworner54]

I think a tank that size would be around 540 gallons. If you want a turn over through the sump of around 3-4 times your looking at 1620-2160 gallons per hour. So you need a pump that will pump that much water at the head height of your return in the tank. Of course if you want more turn over through the sump you'll need a bigger pump. If the water goes through the sump too fast though it will be less effective on removing NH4 and NO2 from the water.

I would drill the tank if you are able. You cant if its tempered glass. Make sure younlook into what size pipe you should use to get the flow you need.

The design of the sump is ok. It looks like your trying to do a wet/dry setup. Just remember that all of the evaporation loss from the whole system will result in a lower water level in your return chamber. So you either have to keep filling it everyday so the pump does not run dry, get an auto top off system, or make that section bigger so you dont have to fill it as often. I have a 75g tank that i have to top off with at least three gallons every couple of days. My return section is 15"x11.75"x8" and holds about 6 gallons.

The only other thing i would add is that in your picture there is not much room between the top of the sump and the bottom of the stand. You'll need to get your hands inside that sump more than you'll want to for one reason or another so make sure you have enough clearance to fit yor arm in there and add or remove any media and equipment.

Ya I know ill have at least 2 feet between the top of the sump and the bottom of the tank, I have one more on question on what could I do to stop the water from draining from my tank if the power goes out? Thanks for the reply

 

[flowingmotion]

You have two issues with drainage when the power is out, the overflow drain and the return line.

When the power goes off, the overflow drain will drain down the water in the tank until it reaches the top of the pipe. So you set the height (more or less) based on what will fit in your sump. Ideally you want an little drain off as possible.

Also, the return will start to siphon water from the tank without some sort of siphon break. Most people drill a small hole in the return pipe just below the operating water level of the tank. When the power goes out, the hole will allow air into the pipe and break the siphon. Without the hole, the tank will drain down to the outlet of the pipe which can be too much water for the sump to handle and you'll have a flood.

I suggest you google "Herbie Overflow". Read the thread you find from the begining (its long). When you get bored, start reading it from the end. Then google "Beananimal". Read up on that one too. Those two types of setups should give you quite a bit of info on what you need to do with your setup. You can also checkout melevsreef.com. There is some great info there.

 

[bomber]

Flowingmotion nailed it.

 

[Jc1119]

Flowingmotion nailed it.

yep. exactly right

One other thing to add here is that evaporation is not nearly as big an issue if you DONT use baffles in your sump. My sump can lose up to 40 gallons without the pump going dry because I skipped the baffles. Best way around this is using submerged media and some sway to make sure the water is pulled through the media and not over or around it. I use tetra pond boxes attached to my pump intakes with bio resting on the boxes. All water passes through the socks, through the bio and back up to the tank. No baffles, no floods and evaporation is a non issue