Sump balance

bobsingh1

Member
I spent two days in the long weekend trying to gather stuff for sump. When finally I put everything together (thanks to home depot)I am unable to achieve a perfect balance between water coming down and going up. My RIO 1400 that pushes the water up does it much faster than syphon process that brings it down. My question is, if I add another RIO 1400 for pushing the water down, will that strike a perfect balance.
Any ideas are welcome and appreciated.
 

mr . salty

Active Member
Try adding another line from the tank to the sump. Your syphon line should be larger than your return line or you will have problems. My new setup has three 5/8"lines from the overflow. You can also get a larger capacity overflow box. I would'nt put a pump on it,asking for flooded floors. STEVE
 

bobsingh1

Member
Yes, the RIO does have a control knob but I don't want to use it as it ultimately cracks the shaft and also, I want the water that is pushed up create a good current.
Steve, I can add another line or make a thicker line to match the RIO 1400. I don't have an overflow system. I can put the syphon pipe about an inch deep in the main tank and if for some reason (power failure)
the pump stops pushing water up, the syphon will automatically stop after that inch of water has moved in the sump, BUT, if the pump starts again, the syphon will not start automatically resulting in a spillage from main tank to the floor and that is why I wanted to add a pump to push water down
I have also seen an overflow system for tanks of my type but same thing can happen using that system too... I am kind of leaning towards getting another RIO 1700 to push water up and using RIO 1400 to bring it down...
Any more thoughts ?
 

mr . salty

Active Member
Do you have an acrylic tank with a hole in the bottom? If it has a built in overflow you can drain the overflow,leaving the tank full, then drill and add another standoff pipe and drain line. STEVE
 

mr . salty

Active Member
Sammy, you may have hit it on the nose. Try restricting the return pump. Pinching the hose or something. STEVE
 

bobsingh1

Member
I understand.. guys.. but algae or waste in the pump could also throw the water off balance as the syphon keeps on throwing water in the sump at the same rate. Also if, for some reason the syphon stops...it will not start automatically and the pump will keep on putting water into the main tank.
I was thinking something similar on the lines of what sundog suggested but less complicated. Kind of adding a float to the sump to control the syphon process. I will, however, have to go with a larger pipe to syphon the water into the sump to make sure that the flow rate is much grater than the RIO but match it with that of RIO by restricting the syphon process by a float.
 

mr . salty

Active Member
Adding a pump with a float could work, but reliability is the determaning factor. If you dont have a reliable syphon, I would focus my attention on solving that problem. Overflow boxes have proven yhier reliability for years,and are avalible at any good fish store. STEVE
 

kmr

Member
I dont't recall if you have an Eclipse tank or not. It is very important to use an overflow box. It's output plumbing has to be larger in diameter than the return. This is the most reliable way to move water to the sump. If having a sump is really important to you and if it is your hood giving you probs. replace it or have it modified. There are lots of plastic shops that can do that for a few bucks. I had a custom acrylic canopy made for $150. This allows for and also hides any equipment I want hanging on the back of my tank. Just a thought. The cost of a second Rio would help offset the price.
 

bobsingh1

Member
Ok... I am convinced. I will go with an overflow system. Any good recommendations ?
And thanks for all the insight.
 
Top