what Pump for a sump??

[mrmaroon]

I am going to put a 7.5 gallon ( I know it is small!) sump under by 20 "very" mini reef. What kind of pump should I use to return the water. I am going to put my skimmer and heater in the sump. What else can/should I put in it?

 

[option720]

I may be stating the obvious here, but with a 7.5 gallon tank at max you will only be able to keep it half full, because you have to consider back flow from the tank if the pump fail. Which means that you will maybe have 4 gallons of water added due to the sump. is it really worth it?? and you want to put a skimmer down there too...hmmm.
Well to answer your question you will need a pump that pumps around 200 gallons per hour. i would suggest a mag 5, Ehiem 1250 Hobby Pump or a rio 2100. All of those would need to be throttled back a bit.
Take a look at my sump if you want some ideas.
www.geocities.com/option720/sump.html

 

[mrmaroon]

I understand this may not be worth it but...
It will add 20% more water to work with...
I have never built a sump and it will be fun...
And my skimmer is a hang on the back...
How do you get the PVC to fit on the pump w/o leaking?
thanks

 

[jtoliver]

If you use a rio, it is submersable and you just slide your return hose right on it. Make sure you clamp it(non metalic, I just used nylon tie wraps) because WHEN it comes off you WILL have water all over your floor.

 

[jtoliver]

Also, make sure that you drill a small hole in your return tube just under the water line to prevent the water from siphoning into your sump when the power goes off. You could use a check valve, but that is more expencive.

 

[mrmaroon]

jtoliver...thanks for the help!

 

[fishforme]

Drill a small hole... I was messing around in my sump yesterday and knocked the return tie wrap off the pump and the sump started to back fill. A small hole in the return tube under the water would prevent this backfill? Why?

 

[option720]

because once that water level of the tank has drained to the point it reaches the hole the air will break the siphon and you no longer have water draining back to the sump.

 

[johnnysalt]

OR, instead of pvc, you can use clear vinyl tubing like I did and with a plastic tie wrap, etc. will be VERY snug over the outflow of your return pump.

 

[csufman]

When the water level drops below the hole in the overflow tube and breaks the siphon, will it start back up when the power comes back on? Or will the tank fill up until your sump is dry and burn your pump out. I have never set up a sump and want to after the hoidays.

 

[mrmaroon]

JohnnySalt...Is it 1/2 inch tubing...I assume from a hardware store? And what exactly do you mean by a plastic tie wrap? I am planning on putting my skimmer, heater, and LR in the sump. Any thing else?
I appreciate your help

 

[mrmaroon]

How many gph should I use for the return on a 20 gallon tank. 200gph?