Sump Setup

[saltman23]

well i am planning on upgrading my 75 FOWLR tank to a 150-180 gallon tank.
The question is with the sump. I was thinking of using my Fluval 405 (340gph) as my intake from the tank. then have it feed into my 30 gallon sump which would house my protien skimmer and uv. for outake i would have a water pump to push it back in the tank. Would this work? Has anyone ever tried this? thanks.

 

[fishfreak1242]

Having your Canister filter as your drain will not work. Your best bet is with a overflow box. The reason is if there is a blackout or power failure to the tank. In this case the water traveling down the pipes for your canister would case a siphon and empty your tank down to the bottom of the draining tube of your canister. Go to melevsreef dot com and look at his DIY and Acrylics section. There you will find everything you need to know about sumps.

 

[saltman23]

I did think about if the power went out. But then i figured if i put the intake of the filter 2 inches below the water line, then if the power went out only 2 inches of the tank would empty. does this make sense? any other suggestions?

 

[saltman23]

bump

 

[sman]

If your getting a tank that big it would probably already have built in overflows.
Also you would never be able to make the 2 pumps match each other, a few have tried, it always ends up with water everywhere.

 

[wattsupdoc]

Many tanks that size are not reef ready. So look for a reef ready one when you buy. It will have built in overflow(s). On the syphon break issue, it would only drain down to the bottom of the canister filters intake, yes. If set 2 in from the top, then that's where it would stop. But whats going to start the syphon back when your pump comes back on and your not there? You'll flood.
Additionally as stated, you'll be trying to match two different pumps to each other. It wont work problem free for any period of time.

 

[saltman23]

first of all, thanks for your repys.
I am thinking about either getting a RR tank, or using an overflow/pump for the intake to the sump. As for the size (GPH) of the pumps, what should they be (intake and return)? Again, tank is either 150 or 180 FOWLR, 30 gallon sump. If anyone has a water pump that they perticularly like please share.

thanks in advance.

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by Saltman23
http:///forum/post/2758947
first of all, thanks for your repys.
I am thinking about either getting a RR tank, or using an overflow/pump for the intake to the sump. As for the size (GPH) of the pumps, what should they be (intake and return)? Again, tank is either 150 or 180 FOWLR, 30 gallon sump. If anyone has a water pump that they perticularly like please share.

thanks in advance.
IMO, a RR tank would be much easier and less of a hassle instead of buying an overflow box, because then you don't have to worry if your overflow loses siphon and wasn't primed correctly or something like that. To figure out the right size pump, you have to figure out about how far it has to push water upwards and calculate for head loss. As for pumps, Ive been hearing nothing but good things about mag drive pumps. They are both internal and external pumps so they wont let you down.

 

[wattsupdoc]

You DO NOT use 2 pumps to utilize a sump. At least you don't pump out the water then pump it back in. The drain is fully syphon or gravity fed. You need to figure out first what the purpose of the sump is going to be. Then you figure out the sump size, based on what you want and what you can fit. Then you figure out the flow to the sump. Then you figure out the return pump. I like the mag drives very well myself. Also, you will need to do some calculations to get it right, as well as determine baffle height if bubble traps are to be used. Oversizing your drains and not using any tight bends or hard 90's is very important.
Do some research before you go any further. While asking questions is a great way to do research, googling and reading will get you much more knowledge faster. Research sumps and refugiums. Of course we will be glad to answer your questions, but you can gain much more, faster this way.

Also, if your going to buy that size of a tank, and you know your going to do a sump, please dont let yourself buy anything except a reef ready tank. You'll thank your self 10X over. Also, there are different styles of RR tanks. Single OF, dual OF, corner or center OF's, Even end OF's. Think about the tank and how you might want to aquascape it as well as what you might be keeping in it BEFORE you buy the tank. You can also get them with the back glass tinted, my Oceanic 135 is and I LOVE it. I'll never have anything any other way.
One more thing, IMO a 30 gallon wont be near big enough for a 150 or 180. Maybe for just a sump, but why not go ahead and do a 55, or better 75 sump/ fuge?