2 questions that i need help with soon.

[ryanhayes96]

1. how do you convert a wet dry to a sump or is there a way to add a skimmer and a refugium to a wet dry?

2. when the power goes out and the return pump from the sump goes out the overflow will continue sucking water, how can i prevent a flood?

 

[InLimbo87]

1. That all depends on how much room you have within the wet-dry, how big your skimmer is, etc. You can try getting rid of any bioballs, media, etc, and just seeing what kind of room you have to work with. Chances are you won't be able to fit both a refugium and a skimmer in it.

2. This should be handled with your overflow dependent on what style it is. A u-tube style overflow maintains a siphon within the overflow box through the tube because water stays filled in the tube, and both the interior and exterior sides of the overflow box. I don't know a whole lot about the other ones (CPR style), but I know they have some sort of vacuum pump to maintain siphon so that the power goes out. I recommend the u-tubes. They are known to be more efficient with maintaining siphon when the power goes out. I shut my pump on and off all the time and I have had no issues with it breaking siphon.

 

[InLimbo87]

You should also drill a hole (if there isn't one already) in your return line to ensure that your return line breaks siphon. I know that I have the return u-tube dealy on the top (don't know how to describe it), and it came with a hole in it.

 

[playa0069u]

do you get it dude or do you need pictures? It was hard to understand for me until I had it in my hands

 

[ryanhayes96]

but when the power goes out i dont want it to keep siphoning, i want it to stop because if it keeps siphoning it will overfill the sump causing a flood becuase the pump is off. How can i do this?

 

[InLimbo87]

It is hard to explain. You want there to be a siphon within the overflow box after the power goes out. It will not siphon it out of the tank, just merely stay in stasis so that once your display level raises back up again, the siphon will continue... dont know if that made any sense

 

[InLimbo87]

It will only siphon water out of the tank until the water is below the teeth, then at that point the siphon will be maintained in the overflow box.

 

[InLimbo87]

Here's a picture from www.melevsreef.com . I think it does a good job at showing what happens when the power goes off.

 

[ryanhayes96]

if someone had pics of wha to do that would help

 

[InLimbo87]

I just posted one... green light = return pump on. red light = off ....

 

[ryanhayes96]

what if the sump overflows before it syphons all the water down to the teeth?

 

[InLimbo87]

Then your sump is far too small... you have to design a sump that takes into account the extra space for when the return pump is off...

 

[Me No Nemo]

Also, if you are going to take out the bioballs, do it a little at a time and allow the tank to catch up. There are ways to place a hang-on refugium in your sump as well. You can place a T and a valve off your return pump if it's powerful enough and pump some of the water over to a refugium that then dumps into your sump before the return. A light setup from Home Depot, about $20 in all, works great as a fuge light.

 

[InLimbo87]

Good point marcye. Forgot to mention the bioball thing, but it sounds like he hasn't yet used the wet-dry.

 

[ryanhayes96]

ok i think i got it. when the power goes out it will suck all the water in the overflow until it reaches the circled point. it will then remain filled there until the power restarts and the water begins pumping agian? it that right?



and what is that circle thing in the return? it has a question mark next to it?





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[ryanhayes96]

yeah im getting the overflow from seth and the wet dry tomorow

 

[InLimbo87]

That is the hole in the return line that I was talking about... this is to ensure that water doesn't get siphoned back the other way.

Sounds like you're getting the jest of it though. Once you set it up you'll really understand it. I would try checking out melevs website. He has some great info on sumps/diy stuff, that would definitely be beneficial

 

[playa0069u]

that whole keeps the water from siphoning from the return line BACKWARDS into the sump. you cut a hole at the water line to break that sipnon.

 

[playa0069u]

onceyou dp it it is so much easier to understand.

 

[ryanhayes96]

so that hole in the return should be below the water when the power is on and when the power is off also?