Need opinion on doing a sump

[delorean]

Wow! you are very resourceful. I think you pretty much summed it up for me thanks. I know its probably better to go with cutting the glass but since my reef setup has been running for a bit now i think I'm going to have to either make a custom overflow or just do the siphon idea.

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13690566#post13690566 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Whys
Also consider placing a gate-valve on your drain. This will allow you to precisely control the flow of draining water and back the waterline up into the drain pipe. This does a great deal to control sound and will also help eliminate bubbles.

Putting a gate valve on the drain side is a bad idea, it should be free flowing. A gate valve should only be used on the return side. There is too much of a risk of a snail, algae, etc. getting caught on the drain side. The return pump would keep pumping until the main tank overflowed or it ran dry.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13690657#post13690657 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Whys
You can use a siphon overflow if you can't drill the glass, but it's risky. If the siphon gets broken then your tank overflows into the room. Not good.

Not with a properly designed overflow box -- the U-tube Lifereef comes to mind. I personally have been running one for 6+ years and never once lost its siphon. And I am not the only one that has had this experience. There recently was a thread about lifereef overflows and if anyone had had them fail, excluding user error it hadn't.

 

[Whys]

Toddrtrex, I see your point and it deserves consideration, but this is done frequently in the hobby and in truth, your overflow teeth should keep out anything too large. The amount a valve must be closed to force the waterline up the tube is minimal.

I have a ball-valve on the end of my drain, but it is preceded by a 'T' that splits the drain to my slow-flow refugium. There is another ball-valve on that drain as well, but between the two, the teeth on my overflow, and the fact that the main drain is only closed very slightly...

It all works out quite well.

"There recently was a thread about lifereef overflows and if anyone had had them fail, excluding user error it hadn't."

Yeah, but... lots of user error out there. I mean you spend years getting your tank just the way you want it, you fill it with expensive fish and corals, then BAM... all dead and water all over the floor. Why? Just a little bit of human error. Ouch...

 

[Toddrtrex]

I personally think that having a ball/gate valve on the drain side isn't needed and a unnecessary risk. Should control the flow only on the pump side.

Think you are being a bit extreme about the tank being dead and water all over the floor from using a quality overflow box, but to each his/her own.

 

[luv951]

To the OP: A sump is definately worth it! You should be able to find a good used overflow for around 20-40. Check the selling forums. makes it real easy, and they are very stable - I had one for around 6 years also.

IMO, the only valve of any kind that should be on either the return or the drain is after a 'T' in the plumbing, to control the amount of water that goes to each outlet. For your small setup, this is probably not needed at all. Just run both open.

Someone else said it, but make sure that the running water level in your sump is low enough so that when the power goes out, the amount of water that drains from the main tank to the sump will not over flow the sump. Having your in-tank return high up, obviously, will minimize this.

Good luck!

 

[luv951]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13692492#post13692492 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Toddrtrex
I personally think that having a ball/gate valve on the drain side isn't needed and a unnecessary risk. Should control the flow only on the pump side.

Think you are being a bit extreme about the tank being dead and water all over the floor from using a quality overflow box, but to each his/her own.

If you get a pump that is properly sized, you don't even need to have a flow-limiting valve on the return size. Its a nice feature to have, but not a necessity.

 

[delorean]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13692924#post13692924 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by luv951
If you get a pump that is properly sized, you don't even need to have a flow-limiting valve on the return size. Its a nice feature to have, but not a necessity.

I was think of the same idea. I figured since it is a small setup, I could just use a small enough pump without going nuts with the plumbing. The reason why I don't want to really start investing on this idea is because I do want to have a much larger reef setup one day. I'm not sure when though.

You all have been very helpful. Thank you so much. Hopefully, I'll be able to figure something out