Need help with sump plumbing plz

[Duzzy]

Hi there,

new to the forum but been around fish and tanks for a good while. Have decided to build my first sump. I understand how to make the sump but its plumbing it to the tank that is troubling me. I cant put holes in the tank that is not feasable option for me at this time but would still like to have a sump.

My problem is once how do i get water to and from the tank and to and from the sump, and how to I calculate what size pumps I need or is there a better way, any links, articles help would be great.

My tank is 130 liters (32gal)

Regards Darren

[Anselth]

Melevsreef.com - Welcome! has some ideas about plumbing, but here is the basic idea:

You'll need an overflow or weir box to remove water from the display tank. Water drains from the overflow to your sump. You need to select a return pump that will push less water than your overflow will drain. Your drain will only drain as much water as your pump pushes, but if your pump is faster, it will overflow the tank.

To calculate your pump, try this Head Loss Calculator

[Jason25]

Basically what he is saying is that if you have an overflow box rated at 600 gph make sure you pump is pushing just a little bit less than that. The oveflow will be 2 pieces one piece will be in the tank and the other piece will hang on the back of the tank, connecting the 2 will be a "U" shaped siphon tube. Water will flow into the box in the tank through the siphon tube to the box hanging on the back and down the drain pipe attached to the outside box. It will flow through your sump where your return pump will push it through PVC that you attached from the pump back up to the tank. Here are some pics of what mine looks like hopefully this helps.

Inside box.



Outside box and drain tube.



Return to tank.

[AQTCJAK]

Welcome Aboard

[Duzzy]

Thanks all, appreciate the help..... Its a whole new world lol

[PEMfish]

Study this;
I'll take you through it,,,
The water is in your tank
It flows over teeth into a overflow container.
There is the end of a U tube in there, it is sucking ( siphon ).
It flows through the U tube out of the tank.
The end of the U tube back there is lower than the one in the tank.
The water is now in a container out side the tank.
The container is divided in two by a wall called a baffle.
The water flows over the baffle
The top of the baffle lines up somewhere in the in-tank-overflow.
The water is now in section two of the container.
At the bottom is a bulk head with a pipe coming up out of it.
The pipe gets wider close to the bottom. The pipe is called a stand pipe.
Close to the top of the baffle there is a street T on the stand pipe.
Off the top of the T the pipe is caped.
In the cap is a small hole.
The water flows into the T and down Into the sump.
It gets filtered, goes over baffles, dose its thing...
Reaches the return pump
Up up and away.
The pipe leads into the DT ( display rank ). In the return pipe is two small holes above the water line.
The entering water makes the water rise.
It flows into the overflow.
Repeat.