thinking about moving my sump to the basement. anything i need to know before i do this. tank is 75 gallon and sump is a mega flow model four. i think it is about 40 gallons. i am thinking about plumbing it with pvc pipe, instead of the flexible hose it has now. do i need to do anything different or special.
sump in basement
- Thread starter rccub23
- Start date
You could use your existing pump if it can move the water from the basement to the display tank. You could use either solid pvc or flexible pvc. You could use as big as a sump as you wanted. By adding the bigger sump you might need to upgrade your skimmer to handle the extra volume.
You will save money on cooling in the summer. The reverse siphon when you stop the main pump will have to be recalculated because of the amount of water in the pipes. The big rubber tank might be great and cheap if you need the volume. The head pressure from your return pump will be be reduced also. It is so much easier down stairs. Good luck
surgeonfishbarb
New member
You will need to make sure that you don't exceed the head pressure on the pump. What is the approx. distance from your basement up to your display tank?
kzickovich
Member
I just got done doing the same thing about 3 months ago just remember the extra water in the pvc when doing water changes. the extra six feet up you have holds alot of water and may overflow your sump when you turn off your pumps. Oh and PVC is the way to go instead of flex hose.
Also do you have a fuge in your sump or a seperate fuge? Mine is seperate and I got a small pump and pumped water out of my sump and gravity feed it back to the fuge works great.
There's a head loss calc. on the home page
Also do you have a fuge in your sump or a seperate fuge? Mine is seperate and I got a small pump and pumped water out of my sump and gravity feed it back to the fuge works great.
There's a head loss calc. on the home page
It is likely you will need a new return pump, with at least 6 more feet of head pressure; your pump would have needed to be oversized by a lot to be adequate. You should be able to find your pumps head pressure rating on line. It is best to have a couple of extra feet of rated head pressure to accommodate the extra pressure that elbows and pipe add. Measure the distance from your pump to your return discharge and add two feet. This will give you the head pressure. Then find a pump that gives you your required flow at that head pressure.
Aquarist007
New member
This is what I am running with 8 feet of head:
I bought the sump for 15 dollars at Toys R Us (60 gal)
Basements allow you to run refugiums also---I the far left one setup as a remote deep sand bed and the one closer to the sump is full of chaeto macro algae
I bought the sump for 15 dollars at Toys R Us (60 gal)
Basements allow you to run refugiums also---I the far left one setup as a remote deep sand bed and the one closer to the sump is full of chaeto macro algae
Fizz71
FragSwapper
Even if the pump says it can handle 14ft of head, there will still be a major reduction in flow. I have a basement sump and I upgraded to a Tarpon pump because it's "pressure rated" which really just means the prop is designed for back pressure (same motor as another non-pressure model).
Take a look at the different pumps and get familiar with the charts that show the gph curve from headloss. Keep a close eye on power consumption too, some pumps promise major flow at high pressure, but suck major electricty. My Tarpon's holding steady at 196-197 Watts which is on the high end so I'm probably only looking at 600gph tops (the pump is rated up to 1440).
Avoid all PVC turns on your return...use flex PVC when you need to make a bend.
And those rubbermaid stock tubs are frickin' awesome. Check out your local "Tractor Supply" store. I'm running a 100g version with an RDSB. I'd be running on the 150g but I don't have bilco doors for my basement and the 150g wouldn't fit through the basement door.
Take a look at the different pumps and get familiar with the charts that show the gph curve from headloss. Keep a close eye on power consumption too, some pumps promise major flow at high pressure, but suck major electricty. My Tarpon's holding steady at 196-197 Watts which is on the high end so I'm probably only looking at 600gph tops (the pump is rated up to 1440).
Avoid all PVC turns on your return...use flex PVC when you need to make a bend.
And those rubbermaid stock tubs are frickin' awesome. Check out your local "Tractor Supply" store. I'm running a 100g version with an RDSB. I'd be running on the 150g but I don't have bilco doors for my basement and the 150g wouldn't fit through the basement door.
tspors
New member
I have sump in basement also. I run SPa flex down in the walls. PVC for the rest. I cut my holes in the walls then throught the sill not the floor. Use a GEN-X Pump rated at 2150gph and max of 40'. The water changes are easy I shut the pump off it back flows to sump. 15 gals out and back in. Temp is great 78 - 82 during the day heater rarely ever turns on. Best think you will ever do.
Aquarist007
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14707692#post14707692 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fizz71
Even if the pump says it can handle 14ft of head, there will still be a major reduction in flow. I have a basement sump and I upgraded to a Tarpon pump because it's "pressure rated" which really just means the prop is designed for back pressure (same motor as another non-pressure model).
Take a look at the different pumps and get familiar with the charts that show the gph curve from headloss. Keep a close eye on power consumption too, some pumps promise major flow at high pressure, but suck major electricty. My Tarpon's holding steady at 196-197 Watts which is on the high end so I'm probably only looking at 600gph tops (the pump is rated up to 1440).
Avoid all PVC turns on your return...use flex PVC when you need to make a bend.
And those rubbermaid stock tubs are frickin' awesome. Check out your local "Tractor Supply" store. I'm running a 100g version with an RDSB. I'd be running on the 150g but I don't have bilco doors for my basement and the 150g wouldn't fit through the basement door.
Fizz---not trying to hijack here but I am experiencing higher levels of nitrates then I should for my system pictured above--maybe you could comment on this thread:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=14715233#post14715233
Fizz71
FragSwapper
That I most certainly will NOT argue!!!
My last 2 setups were basement sump setups and I will never go back. In fact when looking for a place for my new home for the 8 footer I did not even CONSIDER any location I couldn't either work behind or below! No more tight under tank sump for me. #1 it makes a mess of the floor, #2 there is so little room, #3 it's not kid friendly. You SHOULD however research pumps carefully which was my point. I almost bought a pump because I loved the GPH rating until I found out it had 4 times the draw of the tarpon and 100 times the draw of a powerhead. I'd rather save the electricity and get flow from within my tank and keep my sump a little slower moving. I have a lot of flow IN my sump, but water changing hands between tank and sump is only 2 or 3 times an hour.
