Sump Questions

[frankthetank]

I'm building a sump for the first time ever. I'm going to build it rather simple... mainly to serve as a little more water volume and to hide my protein skimmer and heater and be able to get rid of some ph's in the display tank, since the return flow will be probably twice of one power head I use now. The idea behind this is to really clean up the 46 bow from all this equipment.
I'll be using an overflow box. When I thought of this idea, I thought to myself what if there was a power outage? Would the siphon still be there? Or would I come home to a living room full of water? Any horror stories about this? Is there a way to preven this? Or does this just not happen?

 

[weberian]

Do u hav to suck a 1" tube, or two-1" tubes at the beginning?

 

[weberian]

My diamond drill bit has paid for itself compared to the cost of boxes, in just one use (and I've already used it again since).

 

[frankthetank]

Originally Posted by Weberian
Do u hav to suck a 1" tube, or two-1" tubes at the beginning?
That is my understanding.
I don't think my tank can be drilled. At least that is what my lfs said. It's an All Glass Aquarium 46 bow.

 

[laddy]

Your sump return should only facilitate a 3-5x turnover of the display, so you may need, in an optimal setup, powerheads regardless.
As for the power outage, great question, one that should always be considered when taking water out of the display. If you are returning via a submerged line, it'll siphon back down to the lowest point where air breaks the suction. However, you can hedge your bet by drilling a small hole in the highest point, preferably at the water line (but make sure you keep up with the top-offs) to break this suction if the pump fails or there is a power failure.