Need some opinioins on a Brainstorm Idea

Kalied20

Kalied20

New member
I have been thinking about a system with my main display (90 gallon) and along side of it having a 30-40 gallon.

Here's the idea, and has anyone tried it or think it will / or will not work???

I have a 25 gallon refuge/sump, and a 20 gallon sump. Both acrylic. I am think about plumbing them together and having both tanks use them. So both tanks would drain into the first one. It would be a skimmer, and small amount of filtration. then the plumbing would take it to the bigger refuge/sump. It has DSB, LR rubble, Cheato, etc. and would spill into the return pump area. The return pumps would be a smaller one for the 30-40 gallon and a big one for the 90.

The catch is that I would have to keep both of them in the tanks stands. So they would be same height from the ground. Would I need a pump from sump 1 to refuge/sump 2 to move water. Or will it move water by pressure?

Just thinking out loud. Any ideas would be welcome.

I am going to have to CAD this thing out and see what it might look like.
 
I would really try to find away to do it without using a second pump togo from the first sump to the second. If either pump ever went out you would have a mess. Maybe the first sump could be setup abit higher than the second and have it gravity feed the second. A bulkhead between the 2 below the water surface should work also.

I would only use one return pump and split the output using a ball valve on each output to set the flow for each tank. Again less things to break.
 
Water always seeks it own level, so if you drill into the side of the first sump (at the bottom), and have plumbing go to the side of the second sump (at the bottom), it will flow (and both sumps will always be at the same level). You would have to be sure you're interconnection plumbing is large enough to handle the total flow of both tanks, plus some extra size (just to be sure).
Make sure both sumps are sized large enough for (overflow)water entering sumps should you turn off both supply pumps. This would be controlled by the height of the final baffle leading to the pumps. I would also have the inlet to the second sump go to a 45 degree elbow, followed by a short piece of pipe, followed by another 45, and a short piece of pipe. That way water is entering the second sump vertical, and wont disturb the DSB in the second sump.
Oh, and by the way, save the CAD time and energy, get a pencil and paper, draw a rectangle on the left side of the paper, and one on the right. Now draw a line connecting both rectangles at the bottom. Indicate on that line what size it would be...see, you're done in less time that it takes to boot up the computer :D
Sorry, just had to! (I've got a BSME).

Rick
 
LAUGHING....my computer is always on.....and CAD is mostly up....
So it would take me longer to find a pencil
 
At least you know what a pencil is :D, how are you at recognizing paper?
I'm not sure I agree with TitansFan, go with 2 pumps, but make sure both of them could handle the total flow requirements. Use a "Gate Valve", to control the output of each (depending on tank requirements). That way if a pump goes down, a quick splice, and both tanks are running until a replacement pump can be had.
JMTCW

Rick
 
This is what I do all day....
2006023-M1-Model-2.jpg
 
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SNORING! (been there, done that, got the tee-shirt), that is why I now cut people open :)
The only problem with cutting people open is the design engineer makes random design changes, and does not provide revised drawings!
 
Possibly your design boss suffers from thinking he's my design boss! Most do (myself included, when it was my design being manufactured).
JMTCW

OK, enough fun, how about some real input into ideas provide in the above post's. Come on folks, I know opnions are out there.

Rick
 
If I am understanding what you are saying it should work just fine. Just make sure you have large enough pipe to handle the flow. One seahorse breeder on Sygnathid.org even keeps several 10 gal. tanks connected together with "U" tubes for grow-out tanks and the last one drains into the sump.
 
That kinda sounds similar to what I run... I have a 125 draining (two drain lines) into a 15 gallon sump, but Tee'd off to feed the 15 gallon fuge. I feed from both ends. They are connected in the middle, with the returns in the side that gets more drainage. I also run a siphon from inside one of my overflows to feed my 7.5 gallon frag tank. It then drains to the fuge (where the Tee'd section is from the main drains). Gravity all the way. I'd be afraid of using a pump to go from one tank below to another, as if one builds up with gunk faster than the other (reducing flow), you'll have a back up that could result in water on the floor. Size the connection for more than the drains and you'd be fine. If I could do it over again (and may get the oppurtunity soon), I'd do one bigger tank under the 125, however...

BTW, they all laughed at me at the December meeting (and called me names-no reindeer games for me:() when I mentioned I was using CAD to draw up the frag swap room layout...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9525710#post9525710 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gflat65
BTW, they all laughed at me at the December meeting (and called me names-no reindeer games for me:() when I mentioned I was using CAD to draw up the frag swap room layout...
Click to expand...

they are just jealous....:bum:
 
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