adding a stock tank
- Thread starter Just Jim
- Start date
If you hook up a pump from your sump to the stock tank and then have the stock tank fitted with an overflow return line that goes back to the sump this will do the job. There are lots of different ways you can accomplish this but the idea remains the same. Its just like hooking up your sump to your main display except you can't actually have an overflow box. Instead, you can simply use a pvc line as an overflow by placing it sideways at the top of the stocktank. That way as the water is pumped into the stock tank it will overflow into your pvc return line and back to your sump. If power is disrupted, the stocktank will drain to the level of your pvc return line and thats it.
Just Jim
Active member
This is my system when I started a few years ago. As you can see the sump is directly below the tank using gravity to bring the water down. I have a small "fish room" next to the tank now and want to transfer the water back and forth, changing as little as possible (and buying as little as possible too!) Any ideas?
carman9941
Premium Member
i agree with reefdna just use a bulkhead for the return
There really isn't any balancing in a gravity fed system. If you are running the whole system off of one pump you'll need ball valves in line to adjust the flow. Here are my assumption s of your system from your pics (nice set-up BTW!) Just let me know if I am off.
1. Display tank is viewable one side.
2. The picture is from the fish room side.
3. Gravity feeds into sump and sump pump water vertically back into display tank.
4. If you have a power outage your sump fills up until the overflow teeth are above water.
5. By "stock tank" you mean frag tank and it should work on the same principal as the display. As long as most of the frag tank is above the sump, it will gravity feed and all you need is a submersible pump in the sump to feed the stock tank. Works just like the dieplay tank will.
I guess what I am missing is how a stock tank would relate to your top-off. Your top-off should feed into the sump and should not effect either tanks since your level drop with evaporation will always be in your sump. I hope this helps.
Ed C
1. Display tank is viewable one side.
2. The picture is from the fish room side.
3. Gravity feeds into sump and sump pump water vertically back into display tank.
4. If you have a power outage your sump fills up until the overflow teeth are above water.
5. By "stock tank" you mean frag tank and it should work on the same principal as the display. As long as most of the frag tank is above the sump, it will gravity feed and all you need is a submersible pump in the sump to feed the stock tank. Works just like the dieplay tank will.
I guess what I am missing is how a stock tank would relate to your top-off. Your top-off should feed into the sump and should not effect either tanks since your level drop with evaporation will always be in your sump. I hope this helps.
Ed C
Just Jim
Active member
Yeah that's pretty accurate. My tank is two sided though (not that it matters). Guess I wasn't really thinking of using a bulkhead. I was going to try something a lot more complicated and stupid. My stock tank is a rubbermaid stock tank that I'm going to make into a fuge. I wanted to get a 100g tank, but I couldn't get it into the narrow path to the room. I had to go with a smaller 50g.
