DIY Surge Mechanism

[fishfanny79]

Has anyone here ever setup your own surge type device? Something like a rubbermaid tote / tank that sits above the main tank and you have a pump that fills the tote until it reaches a certain point and then it 'flushes' (the tote has a toilet bowl type hardware in it) and it all rushes into the tank via pvc...
???
If so, how did you go about this?
Thanks,
Pete

 

[vicegrip]

I have a friend that did it with a 5 gallon bucket when it went it was like flushing the toilet. I think I have a diagram somewhere, I'll try to find it.

 

[sign guy]

its called a dump bucket and if I remember corectly its kinda rough on the coral If you are looking for a water movement check out the wave2k

 

[vicegrip]

I found this from Aquarium Corals By Eric H. Borneman

 

[vicegrip]

Originally Posted by sign guy
its called a dump bucket and if I remember corectly its kinda rough on the coral If you are looking for a water movement check out the wave2k
The one my friend had was crazy. blew rock around killed fish. Looked cool but not for a 60 gallon tank.

 

[reefforbrains]

wow I am new to all this comp stuff, just a mad DIY'er at heart. I commend you all on having such a profound knowledge of this. I am almost embarrassed now to post my version.(mine is very simple compared to the fancy ones)but works well.
It is simple and you can see how it works in the diagram i made in in paint. sheesh I know I will be ridiculed for being so old school but oh well heres mine.

 

[sign guy]

how often dose it roll and what size tank is it on?

 

[reefforbrains]

you asking me? or the other guys? on mine to increase or decrease just use a bread twisty or peice of wire coat hanger bent around suppy hose to choke the flow and slow it down or increase flow to make it fill more and dump faster.

 

[bang guy]

My lagoon hastwo 32 gallon surge containers. They work 100% by siphon and have worked flawlessly for over 4 years. They each push about 25 gallons of water through a 2" pipe about every 2 minutes. It takes them 20 seconds to dump the water. They are not synchronised so about once an hour there's a big surge where both dump simultaneously.