need sump guidance

coralreefer

coralreefer

Active Member
i want to set up a sump in an existing 75 gallon. i know what an overflow box is, but is one necessary to have a sump setup? why couldn't i just use a 1700gph on the intake and the same rated pump on the return?
also, i have no idea how to setup the inside of the sump. ive heard of baffles, but i dont know what they are. any help is greatly appreciated
 
almostclueless

almostclueless

Member
Well, you can absolutly not have a pump pushing water down to the sump. The reason is because of a thing called head pressure. The pump pushing down has the power of gravity on its side. This means that if they were both rated the same, the pump puching up pushes much slower than the one pushing down, resulting in a flood. This is the same with any pump. It's just not possible, or even practice to have a pump pushing the water down. (even if you offset the pump speed). That bean said, the overflow will only keep up with the pump, not pushing any faster or slower. For sump design, check out other thread in the DIY section, and you will find tonnes of designs. You looking to have a fuge?
 
coralreefer

coralreefer

Active Member
no fuge. just a sump. is there any other overflow system i could use than one using a siphon? i dont want a flood. could i use an aquaclear 70 powerhead on the return?
 
nordy

nordy

Active Member
If your sump is properly sized and setup, you can't have a flood if power is cut and the return pump stops. I have a wet dry sump and the return pump well stays pretty low so if the pump stops, like when I turn it off for cleaning/etc water only rises about halfway to the top of the sump.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top