Sump/Overflow help

[TBrewerton]

Hey everyone, so over the past couple of week i have been thinking of making a small sump for my tank the main reason is I want to be able to remove the heater from the DT and also add a second heater for backup as well as to try and regulate the temp a bit more steady.

The tricky bit is the tank is a shop standard tank with a fitted canopy that cant be removed - this makes attaching things or drilling things to the tank near impossible.

My first thought was to create a syphon to the sump and have a return pump to send it back... pretty simple but then it crossed my mind that if the power went out the return would stop but the syphon would go until it couldn't reach the water... this would be fine until the power turns back on and theres no syphon but theres a return pump... FLOOD

So I am at a loss for ideas - anyone able to point me in the right direction?

 

[Amba]

A hang on back overflow of good quality will not lose syphon.

 

[Ted]

What about a home made pvc overflow....I have seen them made on you tube.

 

[TBrewerton]

Yea just found some links now - most a pretty bulky though - designed for massive tanks - trying to find something with a low footprint and preferably that doesn't go right to the bottom of the tank..

I will keep you all updated - if you have any ideas tho let me know might save some time :-)

Cheers,

Tim

 

[Amba]

Eshopps PF Nano

 

[TBrewerton]

Thanks Amba, Just looking at them now - not a hard design to replicate - i understand the logic now - cheers for the help - will see if i can source something like that over here otherwise might DIY something

 

[Amba]

Good luck!

 

[little_fish]

I would try replicating the life reef overflow system because the siphon will automatically start up after losing power

 

[Northstar24]

I would try replicating the life reef overflow system because the siphon will automatically start up after losing power

They make pretty good products, they are expensive, but well thought out

 

[little_fish]

Yes, but it is so worth the money. The piece of mind is priceless really

 

[TBrewerton]

Thanks Hannah,

Yea the I've looked at a few designs now and have worked out how to make sure it auto starts, can't find anything local so will have to DIY if I do go ahead with it. Might not be till early next year now though, I will post any design before making it for feed back

 

[Northstar24]

Yes, but it is so worth the money. The piece of mind is priceless really

Yep, I have a full filtration setup from LifeReef and for the most part I have been pretty happy with it. I really only have two minor complaints, both of which wouldnt even matter had it not been my first setup and I had known better

 

[TBrewerton]

Alright, its been a while since starting this topic - I just won a second tank which is just a tiny bit bigger than my current one. I am going to make the new one my main tank and use my old one as a sump. So the overflow is back on my mind.

I have just had a heap of containers set up on my bench and practised how to get an automatic syphon working. I am pretty happy with my results.

In the display tank I will have a box with a slit in it near the top for the display tank to drain into. in this box will be a pipe (upside down U) going over the back of the tank into another small box, in this box will be a pipe coming up through the base to just below the hight of the display tank water level.

The upside down U will have a syphon on it, but if the power goes out and the pump in the sump stops slowly the display tank will drain down till it gets below the slit in the over flow box stopping the box from filling up. The pressure between both boxes will then equalise efectively stopping the syphon but without it breaking. Once the power comes back on and the pump starts to fill the display again the water will then again start to flow into the overflow creating a higher pressure on that side and again starting the syphon into the overflow.

The area I am stuck on is the drain pipe down to the sump - is anyone able to let me know the best way to create this (I am getting both overflow boxes made out of glass and can have them drilled but am not sure about how bulkheads work etc..

With a bulkhead does it fit through the hole and then screw up on it with the pipe going right through the centre or does the pip attach to each side of the bulkhead? Also does a bulkhead need to be fixed (glue/silicone) or are they self sealing?

for the return I was just planning on attaching a valve to the return pipe so i can limit the return to just less than what the overflow box is skimming off.

Can anyone see any problems with this plan? and also can anyone help with the questions surrounding the bulkhead attachment.

Cheers,

Tim

 

[Ted]

Not really sure why you dont just buy a overflow box but what you describe doesnt sound bad. A bulk head attaches on the box through the hole in the glass. The inside part will have a flange with a rubber o ring the out side has threads and a nut. By tightening the nut it creates pressure on the rubber o ring which creates the seal. I have always used a little vegetable oil on the rubber o ring so it doesnt bind up and wrinkle which would make the seal impossible.

 

[TBrewerton]

Thanks for that ted, that helps a lot! The reason I'm not buying one is none of the fish shops I've been to or contacted in New Zealand have auto starting syphons... The stock they have is years behind what I've been researching. Hence my basic design from the more modern overflows.

I could import one but its gonna be about 1/4 the price to get this made by the local glass company.

Anyways thanks again, that info will help greatly, will go get the pieces tomorow so I can send them to the glass company for sizing the holes :-)

 

[TBrewerton]

So the overflow should be made and ready for pickup on Friday - YAY its been a long time planning but I really wanted to make sure I got this right (last thing I want is a flooded room)

To get the 2 boxes made up is going to cost me $35 including getting the base drilled for the bulkhead. So the only thing left to get is my return pump and I will make up a small spray bar for the water return.

Just to get the Life Reef Overflow imported here was going to cost around $180-200 (if I imported myself - close to $400 through a retailer)

So needless to say I am glad I spent the time to do the research and design this (now hopefully it will work haha) and thanks to everyone for there suggestions as without the product names I wouldn't have had a place to start with my design.

Once its up and running I will post some pictures up. Exciting!!