Need Pump Help and Fast....

[felix15]

Ok so here is my situation. The do it myslef kind of person i was decided to go ahead and build his own tank...I have a tank 24x24x18 and on the back wall it has four retun bulkheads at 5 inches from bottom and about 12 inches from bottom. I linked the bulkheads to a cheap rio powerhead pump and filled up the tank. The rio is located in my 10 gallon temporary sump. My only question is how do i stop the water from flowing back into my sump after the power is pulled on the rio pump? If i let it the water would overflow the sump. Thanx.

 

[sergeant]

Sounds like the openings your tank have are designed for a closed circuit with a better pump. I would stay away from those rio. My tank has crashed twice using rio pumps.

 

[felix15]

Is there anything else i can do?

 

[tree]

You would need to put a check valve(s) in. A check valve allows water to flow in one direction but not the other. But they need to be checked periodically to make sure they are not failing. Nothing like leaving for a weekend only to find out the valve has failed. The check valve could go just above the pump on the return line if you want to go that way.
When you plumb over the top just a simple hole drilled in the PVC just below the water line eliminates most of that problem. As Sergeant said, the layout of the holes for your tank is more for a closed loop which doesn't have the same problem. If it were my tank I would plumb from the sump over the top and then set up a closed loop using the holes you already have in place.