Just bought a used tank, but can't seem to figure out where everything goes

[dougall]

The heater piece with a suction cup is a temperature probe, used to control the heater's thermostats, it goes in the water.

shouldn't matter where, so long as the flow is good. Doesn't need to be visible and is more important to be close to where the temperature is most important, like in the actual aquarium rather than the sump/wet dry. I'd ersonally leave the heater in the sump as long as it will always be covered by water.

I would also prefer the water's height to be controlled by a stand pipe in the overflow, rather than the weir thing,. it may be nothing, but more what I am used to..


finally, I would be sure to make sure that any syphon is adequately broken to prevent the tank backflowing back into the sump and overflowing it in the case of a power or return pump - when full of water and running, pull the plug to the pump and make sure that if the power fails, the sump is big enough to handle any water that returns from the tank.

 

[FJB]

You have been given great advice. Ready to go!
After your cleaning, the tank, stand and sump look quite good. Not bad for $120.
Enjoy!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

You have a gravity driven overflow and a pump powered return. Inside that chamber with the black plastic front you have two drilled holes with bulkhead fittings. The one which connects to that gray tubing should have a tube or pipe attached to it. It is the heaight of that pipe which determines at what level that water will cease flowing into it from the tank. The is usually a few inches below the surface at the max.

There are two dangers with having a sump. One is placing the over flow level too far below the surface. The further it is below the surface, the more of the tank water that can run through it before it stops. This becomes an issue only if the return pump in the sump fails. So, you need to place to overflow pipe at a level such that if the pump fails the sump container can hold all the water that can flow into it. You do not fill most of the sump with water. The bio-balls are mostly above the surface of the water in the sump. That empty space in the sump combined with the proper height of the overflow pipe help prevents floods.

The second danger is something clogs the overflow. If its flow rate is slowed or stopped entirely, the pump will return all the water in the sump to the tank until it cannot suck any more up. The pump will keep runiing with no water and will burn itself out if nobody notices it. The way to prevent this is to install a float valve which turns off the pump should the water level in the sump drop below a certain level. The pump plugs into the float vavle which then plugs into the power source.

Finally, the choice of pump power should match the flow rate from the overflow. The goal if for the water to leave the tank at a similar rate at which it is returned. So if you find that the pump that came with it is broken or breaks in the future, you are looking for a replacement with a similar gph and head.

 

[White Knight]

Are you saying there is a gap or slot between the front slotted overflow 'cover' and the rear inner portion of the 'cover'? I didn't notice that before in your pics but went back and looked at it in post #3. If there is a gap between those 2 sections, make sure it isn't blocked by crud buildup otherwise it may impact the way the water flows through.

Yes, between the front and the rear is a gap; two rows of plastic. There doesn't appear to be any debris there, but it's hard to tell.

This is the 1st time I've see a pic of the black thing attached to a wire. Is it possible it is a float that is used to determine water height? What is it hooked up to?

It's actually in my first post this thread, pic number 8. It is connected to the thermometer. I have found out that it's a temperature probe.

One other thing is the way the drain hose from the tank to the sump is laying below the top of the sump. Usually that hose slopes smoothly from the bottom of the tank to the 90 degree fitting at the top of the sump lid.

The guy did mention it being too long. I curled it up a bit and put it in the sump. Anyway, I finally got home and filled it. Turned on the pump and the sump emptied (water went into the tank, no leaks). I couldn't figure out what was wrong, but the water was a bit too low. It has to cover the top vent as well. So I added another two inches or so and it works! The water stays level in the sump. The thermometer light goes on, so it's probably working. I'll let you know by tomorrow.

Only one problem, it's so noisy! The noise isn't coming from the pump, but from the waterfall in the overflow. I understand that it's because of the lack of a stand pipe. I have no idea what to look for when buying one. I can't believe the guy who sold it to me was ok with this noise.

Well, here's some more pics, including the water level, inside the overflow chamber, and final product. I thought that I cleaned the overflow chamber better, but I guess I missed a few spots. Well, thanks again!

 

[White Knight]

You have a gravity driven overflow and a pump powered return. Inside that chamber with the black plastic front you have two drilled holes with bulkhead fittings. The one which connects to that gray tubing should have a tube or pipe attached to it. It is the heaight of that pipe which determines at what level that water will cease flowing into it from the tank. The is usually a few inches below the surface at the max.

There are two dangers with having a sump. One is placing the over flow level too far below the surface. The further it is below the surface, the more of the tank water that can run through it before it stops. This becomes an issue only if the return pump in the sump fails. So, you need to place to overflow pipe at a level such that if the pump fails the sump container can hold all the water that can flow into it. You do not fill most of the sump with water. The bio-balls are mostly above the surface of the water in the sump. That empty space in the sump combined with the proper height of the overflow pipe help prevents floods.

The second danger is something clogs the overflow. If its flow rate is slowed or stopped entirely, the pump will return all the water in the sump to the tank until it cannot suck any more up. The pump will keep runiing with no water and will burn itself out if nobody notices it. The way to prevent this is to install a float valve which turns off the pump should the water level in the sump drop below a certain level. The pump plugs into the float vavle which then plugs into the power source.

Finally, the choice of pump power should match the flow rate from the overflow. The goal if for the water to leave the tank at a similar rate at which it is returned. So if you find that the pump that came with it is broken or breaks in the future, you are looking for a replacement with a similar gph and head.

Thank you for the reply! The pipe in the overflow is slightly over 5 inches from the top (where the water overflows). That is the reason it's so darn noisy. I really have no idea about finding a stand pipe, which I assume makes it taller.

Luckily, my sump has a water level on it. I just took a pic of it running. I will look into a float valve. Great advice, thanks!

 

[White Knight]

The heater piece with a suction cup is a temperature probe, used to control the heater's thermostats, it goes in the water.

shouldn't matter where, so long as the flow is good. Doesn't need to be visible and is more important to be close to where the temperature is most important, like in the actual aquarium rather than the sump/wet dry. I'd ersonally leave the heater in the sump as long as it will always be covered by water.

I would also prefer the water's height to be controlled by a stand pipe in the overflow, rather than the weir thing,. it may be nothing, but more what I am used to..


finally, I would be sure to make sure that any syphon is adequately broken to prevent the tank backflowing back into the sump and overflowing it in the case of a power or return pump - when full of water and running, pull the plug to the pump and make sure that if the power fails, the sump is big enough to handle any water that returns from the tank.

Thanks for the heater advice. Thankfully, the probe cord is very long. I have the probe it near the top of the tank, by the flexible black pipe that the water flows out of into the tank. The heater is in the sump now. Can't tell if it's working, but the power light is on.

Any idea what stand pipe I can buy, and where? I would but one right now on Amazon if I knew which one to order. The noise from the overflow is so loud!

Just turned off the power. The water in the sump rose about two inches. There is about 7 more inches of free space before it would overflow and flood. Glad to know it's good.

 

[dudley]

After D dougall 's post I realized that was probably the heater temperature probe.

You should be able to use a piece of PVC pipe to extend the height of the standpipe but you'll have to figure out the size you need. Can you easily remove that screen looking thing that is currently in there?

 

[White Knight]

After D dougall 's post I realized that was probably the heater temperature probe.

You should be able to use a piece of PVC pipe to extend the height of the standpipe but you'll have to figure out the size you need. Can you easily remove that screen looking thing that is currently in there?

What thing did you mean can I remove, the piece at the end of the pipe in the overflow? Maybe, I'll check. But guess what? Remember that strange mystery, white piece in pic 6 with two openings that we couldn't figure out? Well, it finally clicked. It fits right in that pipe in the overflow, and slowly rises as the water rises. The water rose slightly in the overflow, as seen in pic. It helped quiet the noise a little, but not enough, I still want a proper stand pipe. After close inspection, I noticed a lot of corrosion on it. It must have always been used by the guy who had it last.

 

[dudley]

Interesting! I knew eventually you would figure out what that piece was for. So are you saying when the float raises fully the water comes through the top slots in the overflow? And no water drains to the sump when the float is completely down?

The piece that the white float slides into looks to me like it is screened but it could just be an optical delusion to me. I wasn't sure if that piece can come out easily or not.

 

[White Knight]

Interesting! I knew eventually you would figure out what that piece was for. So are you saying when the float raises fully the water comes through the top slots in the overflow? And no water drains to the sump when the float is completely down?

The piece that the white float slides into looks to me like it is screened but it could just be an optical delusion to me. I wasn't sure if that piece can come out easily or not.

It's weird, it caused the water to rise in the overflow chamber about and inch, and the white piece started floating up a bit too. Water does not come out the top small hole (at least that've I've seen yet), so I guess it's there "just in case." I'm assuming the water goes into the screen. Yes, it has a screen, there's a very clear pic of it a while back, but here it is again. I'm not sure if it comes off yet. So the water comes out of the top slots, falls, causes the float to rise a bit (and the water level to slightly rise), and then the water drops down into the sides of the screen and into the sump. If I held it completely down, the water would rise, but as soon as I let it go it comes up out of the pipe a few inches. It's not doing a good job no matter what it's doing. It's very loud.

One thing that I don't quite understand is why doesn't the overflow chamber fill up if the water level is below the top slots, since there are also slots on the bottom? I'm thinking there are three possible reasons for this. 1) Simple physics. It won't rise past the first slots because of gravity. It needs to come from the top, not bottom. 2) It's dirty behind the first slots, and blocking water. 3) The barrier behind the slots can be removed. I'm strongly leading towards option 1.

Well, today I make a trip to the pet store. Gonna buy new sponges, gravel (no sand, changed my mind), and a background. Will post more pics then.