Multiple tank sump

thanks again guys!!!! I really appreciate the simplicity of these set-ups (once they are set up!!) and will certainly integrate both the shunt/head tank and the open return line as, hydraulically, they make a whole hell of a lot of sense. Still daunted by getting holes into all the tanks, but one step at a time. I guess I will have to be shuffling fish around this summer and doing one or two at a time.

Remember that you don't *need* to drill. You can buy/make overflows that use a siphon to transfer water over the lip of the aquarium. They usually have two siphon tubes running in tandem, so that you don't wind up with a flood if one loses the siphon. Not as reliable as a drilled hole and more complicated, but a less-scary option to get started, at least with a tank or two.

Cheers, Jase

Remember that you don't *need* to drill. You can buy/make overflows that use a siphon to transfer water over the lip of the aquarium. They usually have two siphon tubes running in tandem, so that you don't wind up with a flood if one loses the siphon. Not as reliable as a drilled hole and more complicated, but a less-scary option to get started, at least with a tank or two.

Cheers, Jase

yeah, I know, but the overflows will cost more in the long run than a bulk head fitting, and as you said are not nearly as dependable. if the power goes out you could potentially break the siphon and when the pump came back on....water and fry all over the floor... It's not that I'm scared of the drilling so much (I have a couple cracked tanks to practice on) but my 20+ tanks are all full of water and fish and so emptying and drilling them all will be a marathon event.

yeah, I know, but the overflows will cost more in the long run than a bulk head fitting, and as you said are not nearly as dependable. if the power goes out you could potentially break the siphon and when the pump came back on....water and fry all over the floor... It's not that I'm scared of the drilling so much (I have a couple cracked tanks to practice on) but my 20+ tanks are all full of water and fish and so emptying and drilling them all will be a marathon event.

Guess it depends on how comfortable you are building your own overflows and how they're designed. If you have a resevoir box both inside the tank outside and two (or more) siphon tubes, the risk of losing a siphon should be *very* low. I'm not sure if the design I've worked out is the same as what you'll find out on the web, but I think it's fairly fool-proof. I'll try to sketch it out sometime soon (but actually need to *work* a bit now).

Folks seem happy with this overflow design. It would certainly be cheap to try.
http://www.plantedta...w-retrofit.html
another link
http://reefcentral.c...mp;pagenumber=1

Edited by dafrimpster, 11 April 2008 - 12:12 PM.

Folks seem happy with this overflow design. It would certainly be cheap to try.
http://www.plantedta...w-retrofit.html

Wow, thanks dafrimpster! That looks really simple, and I don't see a major point of failure. The open end on the top of that 2nd bend means it can't create a siphon that will drain the whole tank beyond that level. Strap a nylon sink scrubbie on the bottom of that intake to keep fish from getting sucked in, and it looks *done* to my eye!

Although... I would make it *2* upside-down-U's coming out of the tank and joining at a T below -- so that it will tolerate a loss of siphon in one without a problem. I'd also want to figure in some way to add a little clear section at the top of the upside-down U so I could see if bubbles were collecting and remove them when needed. *Way* simpler than what I was envisioning.... and that's a very good thing.

Here's the image. It says there "taken from the net", so I don't think anyone's going to go screaming "copyright!".
 pvc_overflow_set_up.JPG   44.09KB   0 downloads

That other one dafrimpster linked looks ridiculous -- I'm not going to bother trying to understand it. That's the same approach other folks on that forum took.

Edited by jase, 11 April 2008 - 12:30 PM.

Yes the other one has a "Rube Goldberg" kind of feel. The concept is expained pretty well though. I am going to give this a try soon. I love playing with pvc. My wife always rolls her eyes when she sees me coming home with a sack of fittings...

... I'd also want to figure in some way to add a little clear section at the top of the upside-down U so I could see if bubbles were collecting and remove them when needed. ...

They actually make clear PVC, though it is a bit expensive.

They actually make clear PVC, though it is a bit expensive.

Really? What is it used for? I've never seen it in a hardware store. Some sort of boating/marine application, perhaps? Have you seen it in a store of any kind?

It'd be silly to use it for an entire setup, but I could definitely see using it in parts where you want visibility to be minimal, or you want to be able to verify flow.

I mentioned earlier that you can get polycarbonate fluorescent light tube protectors. They're cheap, but they don't match up with PVC fittings. A T5 lamp protector would make a great airlift, though -- if they exist. T8 works fine, but it's a little large.

Thanks, Jase

Really? What is it used for? I've never seen it in a hardware store. Some sort of boating/marine application, perhaps? Have you seen it in a store of any kind?

It'd be silly to use it for an entire setup, but I could definitely see using it in parts where you want visibility to be minimal, or you want to be able to verify flow.

I mentioned earlier that you can get polycarbonate fluorescent light tube protectors. They're cheap, but they don't match up with PVC fittings. A T5 lamp protector would make a great airlift, though -- if they exist. T8 works fine, but it's a little large.

Thanks, Jase

Check Aquatic Ecosystems. We purchased some to make swim tubes for larvae.

Isn't that what they made central vac systems with so you could see a blockage??

Really? What is it used for? I've never seen it in a hardware store. Some sort of boating/marine application, perhaps? Have you seen it in a store of any kind?
Thanks, Jase

Don't forget. Even though a central system makes it easier on you for maintenance it also make it easier for transmission of disease throughout the tanks.

Edited by Canadiancray, 12 April 2008 - 12:24 PM.

You could probably find something here that would work

http://www.tapplasti...251561961384011
or
http://www.usplastic...clickid=leftnav

Here is a link to the clear PVC, but the stuff isn't cheap:

http://www.aquaticec.....e/clear pvc/0

For a few feet of small diameter pipe it wouldn't be too expensive, but with 3" pipe at $20+ per foot it starts to get pricey. We actually built an exhibit at an aquarium where I used to work where we ran 1" pipe all over the place and put food in various places and attached it to a fire ant colony so you could watch them crawling around inside the pipe, must have cost a fortune!

Edited by BLChristie, 12 April 2008 - 05:00 PM.

Don't they have clear rigid tubing at Lowes? I used to have some that I used to feed darters, and I can't imagine that I purchased it anywhere but a hardware store.

Can anyone suggest a sump tank size / pump combination to feed tanks with a total volume of 1100 litres?

Can anyone suggest a sump tank size / pump combination to feed tanks with a total volume of 1100 litres?

I'm not an expert with these systems, but what I know is this. The volume of the sump has to be able to accomodate the normal water volume during operation, (basically keeping a submersible pump under water) and it has to have the capacity to accept all over flow water that would drain from the tanks if the pump stopped working (power outage, etc.). What is the volume of water between the operating water surface and the standpipe or overflow combined from all the tanks in the system. You can add more volume to your system by rigging up a 55 gal drum with an overflow, just like the tanks. You could plumb it so you could bybass the barrel, drain it, fill it, and c'est voila! water change without fudging with any tanks.

As far as pump size, you can look at it from a hydraulic residence time/water exchange rate point of view: Total volume/flow=gal/(gal/min)=minutes. Maybe someone can chime in with good time value to shoot for....it depends on what you are keeping, how beefy your filtration system is, etc.