suggestions for pump and overflow

S

Statman

AC Members
Nov 3, 2004
179
0
0
My display tank is 120g and the sump is a 55g tank. I would appreciate your suggestions as to what I would need as far as a pump and an overflow box. The whole sump thing kind of concerns me so I want to get as many opinions as I can before I purchase.

Thanks

(if dimensions of tank or important let me know and i can post, it know its 6ft long but the rest im not sure of at the moment)
 
Pump size will depend on the sump setup and what you're doing for additional flow in the tank, i.e. powerheads, closed-loop system, etc. Also, what kind of tank is it going to be - fish only, FOWLR, reef? That will also make a difference in how much flow you'll need to shoot for. There are several differnet styles of HOB overflow boxes, the cheapest I've found them is on ebay. Most are rated at either 600gph or 1200gph depending on how many drains it has. Which one you choose will be determined by your return pump.
 
I plan on running no less than 2 #4 koralias, it will first be fishies an live rock, around 150 or so pounds. Next year I hope to get good lighting and add corals. What are the pros and cons of either the 600 or 1200?
 
Good prices on those overflows, they are the same type that I use. You can also hook them up to a Tom Aqualifter to automatically prime them.

As far as check valves, with a properly designed sump setup, you shouldn't need one. On the return line, you drill a small hole just below the water line for a siphon break so it doesn't siphon a lot of water back down. Then, you just need to be aware of how much head space is in your sump, so if you do lose power, there's enough room for the little bit of water that flows back down. I have about 250 gallons worth of tanks on a 40gal sump, and when I turn the power off, I get about 3-4 gallons of water draining back because I have my overflows and siphon breaks set up well. On a 55gal sump, you should have plenty of extra space left to catch anything that drains in an outage without requiring a check valve.
 
id have more piece of mind knowing that a check valve would work rather than relying on how i set it up ;] so IF i do get a check valve, do i want one on both lines?
 
You can use them; to me its just one more thing in the line to reduce water flow, and one more piece of equipment to fail if I'm counting on it. You can use them on both lines.
 
as far as overflows go, would I be better off with the dual drain or single? since i have a larger tank do i want two, or does something else factor in to that?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom