sump about done

[jimpierce]

well my mostly home made sump tank system is almost done. Found some directions on line to make an overflow box system. Thats almost done. Went ahead and bought a 20 gallon tank which is kind of big but 15 gallon tanks seem hard to come by. The glass to make my own would have cost more ten the 20 gal tank anyway. Maybe I'll put my 96w PC to use on live rock and live sand.

I'm using a fountain pump that can push up to 180 gph for the height it will be. I also got a float switch that the pump will be plugged into, just in case of a malfunction when I'm not around.

I'll make sure the silicon has 48 hours to fully cure before putting it to use. All this just to get that dang skimmer out of sight!!! lol

[cocoa_pleco]

sounds awesome!

[sailor]

Sounds great, be sure to post some pics once you have it up and running.thumbs2:

[jbeining75]

Good luck with the overflow/sump and posts some pics of the great creation....

[Drumachine09]

The float switch sounds like a good idea. You can have problems with overflow boxes, so that is a good preventative measure.

[jimpierce]

The float switch sounds like a good idea. You can have problems with overflow boxes, so that is a good preventative measure.


:c12: it didn't take a lot of thought to figure that 3 gallons on the floor is better then 20. thumbs2:

See!!! It did do good sending me to school!!! :hmm3grin2orange:

[spudbuds]

Sounds great! Can't wait to see it in action.

[jimpierce]

Sounds great! Can't wait to see it in action.


the waiting is killing me. Waiting for the silicon to set. Waiting waiting waiting.

[spudbuds]

Unfortunately, I know exactly how you feel. It will be worth it when you see the water flowing and you find yourself smiling like a fool watching water run. :sbiggrin:

[jimpierce]

Unfortunately, I know exactly how you feel. It will be worth it when you see the water flowing and you find yourself smiling like a fool watching water run. :sbiggrin:



I'm gathering I may not be alone in how I'm feelin' here eh?

[spudbuds]

I'm gathering I may not be alone in how I'm feelin' here eh?
All I can say is, at least you have something in your tank right now. I've had my tank sitting here empty for well over a month now. After my sump test, I just left the water in it because it felt wrong to take it out.

[jimpierce]

I put the sump tank in place and added the water and live sand. I'll let it all settle overnight.

I ran into one issue already................ dang it!! The PVC connector I had in the over flow box that is the exit to the sump popped loose. Silicon isn't quite enough for it.................. but the epoxy I used instead will be. mwahahahaha in fact it will probably be the strongest point in/on the whole system!! lol

I got a feeling my "5 gallon" bucket I've been using is more then 5 gallons. I only had to fill it 3 times to fill my 20 gallon tank. lol

[cocoa_pleco]

I got a feeling my "5 gallon" bucket I've been using is more then 5 gallons. I only had to fill it 3 times to fill my 20 gallon tank. lol

holy crap, ive noticed the same thing!


my tap fricked up when i filled my 90g so i couldnt use my python, and i had a 5g bucket that i use to mix saltwater in. its hagen brand.

To fill it to the top, with no gravel in, it should have took about 18 trips right? took only 14. whats up with the mystical buckets? lol

[jimpierce]

gotta be one of those twilight zone things!!!

[Drumachine09]

When do we get to see it?

[cocoa_pleco]

gotta be one of those twilight zone things!!!

lol, it is!

i was worried my 90g might have been mislabeled as a 75g, so i measured it myself and put it into the calculator, exactly 90g

[Levi]

post pics of the fuge

any critters in there?

[jimpierce]

When do we get to see it?



I have to make some minor adjustments. First attempt failed. lol Any body watching would have wet themselves laughing at me. It didn't dawn on me to regulate the pump which puts out more water then the siphon will drain. See the tank getting full? I pull the plug............. guess what else I didn't think of? Yep, it siphoned back to the sump threw the pump hose.
:help:
Getting the picture that I am juggling around now trying to keep things from over flowing? Yea, go ahead, laugh all you want!!!
So I figure I got things figured out ok? I turn on the pump and guess what? The hose had fallen out of the tank. Zero lift the pump puts out 280 gph. Thats 4 and two thirds gallons a minute. Pretty close to a good pressure bath tub.................... free flowing on my floor.

It was quick. Not too bad a mess. But enough that I backed up and regrouped.
The piece I am using to connect the two pieces for the over flow box isn't quite as sturdy as I would like but it will work until I find the boxes I am looking for (or break down and buy a damn box hehehe) Actually I just haven't found an overflow box the size I want. I'm now making the majority of the return line, from the pump to the tank, out of PVC so I won't have to worry about the flex line staying where I want it. And a check valve. And a flow valve. lol

For the time being I will probably only keep live sand and live rock in the sump. Possibly a clean up crew as well. I will post pics tomorrow.

[spudbuds]

I really wish I could have seen that and you did invite us to laugh all we want, so LOL!

A couple of tips for you:

Drill a small hole in top of your return line (under the normal operating water level so any water coming through doesn't shoot out of the holes). Then if your return pump ever loses power or stops functioning, the siphon will break once the water level reaches the hole. You may even want to do two in case one gets covered (by a curious snail or something).
Something to consider with your PVC plan is that rigid PVC will carry the vibration from your return pump and potentially make a bunch of noise. The flexible tubing doesn't have this problem. So, you may want to at least make the connection look like this: pump -> flexible tubing -> rigid PVC. There is also something called flexible PVC that you can glue and use like regular PVC, but I have been unable to find it.

Can't wait to see pics. Good luck!
- Bill

[jimpierce]

thanks for the tips!!! Drilling a hole will eliminate the need for a check valve!! Sometimes I just don't see the simple solution until it gets pointed out to me. I hadn't thought of the noise factor so fortunately its the last two feet that will be PVC (for now, until I can find clear rigid tubing) going to the tank.



I really wish I could have seen that and you did invite us to laugh all we want, so LOL!

A couple of tips for you:

Drill a small hole in top of your return line (under the normal operating water level so any water coming through doesn't shoot out of the holes). Then if your return pump ever loses power or stops functioning, the siphon will break once the water level reaches the hole. You may even want to do two in case one gets covered (by a curious snail or something).
Something to consider with your PVC plan is that rigid PVC will carry the vibration from your return pump and potentially make a bunch of noise. The flexible tubing doesn't have this problem. So, you may want to at least make the connection look like this: pump -> flexible tubing -> rigid PVC. There is also something called flexible PVC that you can glue and use like regular PVC, but I have been unable to find it.

Can't wait to see pics. Good luck!
- Bill