Time to give up the Emperor 400s?

fishfishkc

fishfishkc

Member
Okay for the last couple years I have been using a couple Emperor 400s to help with water flow. Im not using any filters in them they are just for for water movement. I have always been iffy when it comes to using a sump (i guess I worry about leaks) so I have been using the Emperors and a hang on skimmer along with a couple power heads for circulation. My problem now is that im running out of room in the back of my tank to hang things. Should I give up the 2 Emperor 400s and use a few more Maxi jet 1200s in their place?
For circulation im currently using:
- protein skimmer with maxijet 1200 pushing it
- 2 maxijet powerheads
- 2 emperor 400s
- powersweep 214
I know if a switched to a sump I wouldnt need them nor would I need a hang on skimmer but I dont know much about sumps and I hate to buy something without having knowledge on them.
 
benj2112

benj2112

Member
Well...I love my sump/fuge and all the options it opened up for me (Euro Reef protein skimmer, phosban 150, macro not in display, SCWD on sump return for switching water movenment and more)...but if you really don't want a sump would go with a couple of well placed powerheads and get rid of the E 400s.
 
badkharma

badkharma

Member
What are you using for mechanical filtration? I have an emperor 400 on my QT tank - good filter, but I would replace it if I was just using it for water movement, especially for how loud it is (compared to a submerged PH) and how much space it takes up. I'd replace 'em.
 
benj2112

benj2112

Member

Originally posted by FishFishKC
Do you have pics of your setup. Whats a good sump cost for a 125 gallon tank?
Well...I don't really have any good pics of my sump. Sumps aren't really anything you just buy. The ones out there are very expensive for what you get. It is better to build one. The first thing I would say is to do a search for sumps and refugiums. You should be able to get some good info with that.
I do have a cheesy drawing of my sump. It is a 46 gallon tank that sits behind my display tank stand. With sumps that bigger the better...so make one as big as you can (although most people only make theirs about 25 to 50% of their display tank size).
Water into chamber one from overflow in display tank. Chamber one also contains my phosban 150 fluidized bed filter and my Euro Reef skimmer on its stand to keep it at the right depth.
Water moves up and down through the baffles into chamber two. Chamber two contains my macro algae (chaetomorpha and live rock).
Water moves into chamber three. Chamber three contains my Mag drive 9.5 pump that returns water to my display tank through a SCWD. Chamber three also should be a good size as this is the only place in the system where evaporation is visible (water level drops...water level stays the same in display tank and chambers one and two at all times).
I also have a heater in Chamber one and three.
Hope that helps some.
 
fishfishkc

fishfishkc

Member
I guess my main concern is how to you keep the flow of water going into the sump equal to the flow of water leaving the sump? Am I missing something simple? I guess I worry about coming home one day and finding my sump overflowing and my tank empty.
THanks for the diagram!
 
gkp

gkp

Member
The water only flows into the sump as fast as you pump it into the tank( it is an over-flow that sends it to the pump). in other words the speed of the water going into the sump is controled by the return pump. That one pump puts the water in the sump and puts it back out. And if you have a hole drilled into your overflow tube it cant overflow.....when my power goes out my sump on my 125g it fills to 1 inch below the top.
 
benj2112

benj2112

Member

Originally posted by FishFishKC
I guess my main concern is how to you keep the flow of water going into the sump equal to the flow of water leaving the sump? Am I missing something simple? I guess I worry about coming home one day and finding my sump overflowing and my tank empty.
You just have to make sure your overflow can handle the amount of water that your sump water pump can produce....(example my Mag 9.5 can pump water up to 950 gallons/hr with no head pressure and my overflow can handle up to 1200 gallons/hr...so the display tank will never overflow and the sump will never get pumped dry).
So, you just have to get an overflow that can handle more water than your sump pump can push.
Also, I will say it again as it is important. Chamber 3 in my diagram is the only part in the system where the water level goes down as water evaporates or up when you add water. So, it should be made big enough that it doesn't get too low if you are gone for a few days or a week or something. The water levels in the rest of the system will stay the same.
 
rjmang

rjmang

Member
FishFishKC, where abouts in KC do you live? I just got into SWF and would like to know any info on the LFS that you use.
 
scott9311

scott9311

Member
The water only flows into the sump as fast as you pump it into the tank( it is an over-flow that sends it to the pump). in other words the speed of the water going into the sump is controled by the return pump.
Actually, I found that the water from the overflows is a constant, and you have to regulate the amount of water going into the tank from the sump via your return. I accomplished this by putting a ball valve inline on my return, and slowly closing it till the return flow rate equaled the flow rate from the overflows.
Yes, once power is restored, the siphon will restart.
 
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