Adding a second system to my sump

[Kalanix]

Hello all I am currently running a 125 gallon main tank with a 25 gallon sump that has a protein skimmer. I am thinking about addind a second 20 gallon tank with a media reactor to run carbon. The media reactor I am looking at comes with a pump that does 98 gallons per hour. However my current return pump is a Model 7 Utility pump that I was given second hand. Everything I see about it online says it does 700 gph.

Would you run the Model 7 still run as my return and have the 98 gph feed it? or would you do this vice versa.

My thoughts are drain from tank through filet sock into 25 gallon with the protein skimmer and the model 7. The model 7 feeds into the 20 gallon where I have the media reactor with the 98gph pump which acts as my return.

Another though I had would be to have tank drain into 25 gallon through filter sock and have the skimmer and the media reactor in this tank. and the 98 gph pump on the media reactor feeds into the 20 gallon tank where I have some live rock and the model 7 pump is my return to main tank.

I don't want to overflow my sump or have the reactor pump not be able to feed the model 7 fast enough. and the model 7 then get dry. Let me know your thoughts

 

[Shawn O]

It's a bad idea to have one pump pumping water into a tank and having a 2nd pump in the second tank pumping water elsewhere. A flood will happen in short order.
If I am reading this correctly, this is how yours is set up.

Keep your #7 pumping from your sump to your DT and back. You can either T off of this to run the reactor or you can run the smaller pump (in parallel) to feed the reactor and have it drain back to the sump or to the DT. The 2nd tank isn't needed.

If you need more room in your sump it would be better to go to a larger tank for a sump, if at all possible. Please post pics or a diagram to show how your setup is currently configured.

 

[toothybugs]

I think a picture is in order.

I have my refugium sharing a sump with my display, but they both are set up to pump out of the final chamber, in to the tank, and overflow back out in to the sump. My lines cross a little in reality but the schematic is the same.

Also, that sump seems small to me. Any chance of jumping it to a 40B or something with a little more capacity?

 

[Kalanix]

Thanks for the info guys, this is my first tank. I bought it used off a guy it was pretty dirty I did a quick clean and set up to keep fish alive. But will have to deal with the algae now somehow. I read that carbon is a good way to do so. I can upgrade the sump in a month or two. Kinda embarassed to post pics as the quipment is still noticeably dirty.

 

[ericarenee]

I Have read your question a few times.. I just cant picture in my mind what you are trying to do...

Can you post some images or a Diagram of what your talking about....

I will just add...

if you bought a media reactor with a 98 gph pump.. That pump is for the reactor only.. You cant use it to feed another tank...

The mag 7 may however but i would be worried about sump not being large enough for several reasons..

Is the 25 gallon tank drilled ?
is the 125 drilled.
what height related to your sump/ 125 gallon tank is the 25 gallon...

You can either have gravity feed from the 125 thru the 25 then into the sump...
Run two return pumps from your sump to feed each tank as long as you do not over power there Over flow box with the pump

Put the 25 in line after your existing sump and the current sump gravity feed it . then the return pump supply water to tank from the 25....

But image or diagram is needed to really understand..
H
Hope this helps
Good Luck Erica Renee

 

[m0nkie]

A easy way is to let the Model7 return water directly to your 125 DT. then DT gravity drain into the 20gal which gravity drain into the 25gal sump.. as long as you design the overflow right, there shouldn't be any flooding issues. the 20gal will sit higher than 25gal sump

you can T off a manifold for the reactor or just use the reactor pump for reactor itself. The Model7 will be for return purpose only.

I would suggest using 1 large sump instead.. less work/trouble in the future

 

[Kalanix]

125g gravity drains from two 1 inch pipes that combine into a 2 inch at sump tank under stand. water flows through a filter sock into big compartment of sump where protein skimmer is. then I have dividers set up so at a certain depth water flows to small half of tank where the return pump is. No room to run the reactor in the sump tank atm. I just have media bags of carbon in each side of the sump. once I added the carbon there was a 25% increase in water visibility in the first 30 mins. Again tank was pretty dirty still but I could not clean properly as I needed to set up to save the fish and rock. Water is still gettting clearer but is not making near as fast progress. I read that running a carbon reactor will help this process immensely.

 

[Kalanix]

Also note that the return pump t's off into 2 3/4 lines on opposite sides of the tank

 

[Kalanix]

Also the tank is like 60% cleaner than when I got it yesterday just from running it and changing sock filters and running the protein skimmer really high over night. Green algae seems to be slowing down and dissappearing.

 

[shifty51008]

Carbon really wont help much for algae, you will want to run gfo to lower the phospates to help with the alage problem

 

[Shawn O]

A reactor can be run mounted to the underside of the stand, doesn't have to actually be IN the sump. T off of your return line to run reactor, reactor then drains back to the sump.

 

[LuciDog]

Your mag7 is rated 700gph at 0 head height. If your head height is 4', your flow is reduced to around 500gph...

My concern with running double tanks with pumps is if your draining your fuge at a rate of 500gph but only filling it at a rate of 98gph... It's going to run dry. Reverse the flow and it will flood quickly.

I think you can do what your proposing, but you need to keep your rate of flow consistant.

 

[snorvich]

Carbon really wont help much for algae, you will want to run gfo to lower the phospates to help with the alage problem

This. Carbon will act as a water clarifier to some degree, however.

 

[CStrickland]

I read that carbon is a good way to do so.

You might have "dosing carbon" confused with "running carbon" (understandably!). Dosing carbon like vinegar or vodka helps algae because the extra carbon allows a greater bacteria population, and as they multiply they use the same things to grow that algae does so there isn't as much nitrate and phosphate fertilizing the algae. Sort of like you eating sugar. Running carbon pulls stuff out of the water like toxins that coral release to defend themselves, or yellow gunk. It's a good absorber.

There's something called biopellets that can dose carbon in a reactor, idk if that works well tho. Usually reactors are for running GAC (granular activated carbon, I think).