DIY - Projects & Ideas • Cheap wet/dry sump

[Hoosier Tank]

Actually I figure it's close to 900gph with the head height I have and a 1200gph pump. If I would have made two overflows I would have had only 1 u-tube in each also. You want the water flowing fast enough to keep bubbles from forming and possibly breaking the siphon.
With only 1 u-tube per overflow there would be room for a Durso standpipe. It's basically a "T" sideways on the standpipe so the 90 portion points sideways and the top capped with a small vent hole in it. Similar to this DURSO LINK except with the whole unit inside the speciman container and exiting out the bottom similar in fashion to mine...
I find the little trickeling noise mine does make rather soothing

[dreday]

its a fine line between trickling and gurgling. right now i have a trickle but before i had a gurgle and it drove me crazy. it was louder than the tv!?!?!?!

yea i forgot about durso. i guess i could try to make a little one in the container. i thought they had to be a certain height though. i guess it is just the concept that needs to be applied.

hmm more ideas to think about.

[boredatwork]

There have been many discussions on overflow/sump noise on a lot of other sites. I literally spent about four weeks researching the cause of noise and some solutions (I was ... bored at work). The good news is that there are two methods I found for "silent" overflow/sump setup. The bad news is that they do not work with HOB overflows. I think durso is the best you can do for a HOB overflow - which usually ends up being extremely difficult in those little boxes with very little room behind the tank. Especially with dual overflows and a single overflow box. One thing I tried was dual overflows and dual overflow boxes. That gave a little bit more room.

Another option is the muffler...

http://home.everestkc.net/jrobertson572 ... ction.html

I have seen mixed reviews on it though, and I never tried it on a full scale setup - but its pretty cheap to build and try.

[Hoosier Tank]

(I was ... bored at work)

Well I guess that answers that question!

[Zack2112]

Hoosier Tank


Great thread, I just recently came across a deal that i might be getting a 180. I've been following your threads on the 180 and it turned out awesome.

I Really like your sump idea and plan to use this if the deal doesnt fall thru. I have just a couple questions for you.

Now that is has been running for a while is everything still functioning as planned, what other filtration do you have in the tank, and finally what pump did you use and how much did it cost.

Thanks again for making this post. Hopefully it works out and i will be building one of these myself pretty soon.

[Hoosier Tank]

Yes, evrything is running well and no issues yet... knock on wood. The pump is a Catalina Aquarium CA-4000. Here is the link http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?products_id=1584.
As of yet it is the only filtration I have. Not a heavy bio load yet but these fish are making up for it. 2 batches of fry growing in the rocks and a 3rd momma holding . I thought later I may add a canister like a magnum as a water polisher but so far everything is crystal clear.

[Zack2112]

Thanks a ton for the info, i was all for tackling the project but cringed when i saw the price of nice high flow pumps. Heck, maybe i will even double it up.... Thanks again!

[Hoosier Tank]

Yeah, I'm on a limited fish budget... thats why the title to this thread was "Cheap wet/dry sump". Their Titanium heaters are affordable too. Course their longevety is yet to be seen.

[dreday]

i got a new hy-drive pump. i think it is from the same manufacture as mag-drives.(not 100%). i got a 1700gph for 150$. which is pretty darn good. chekc out petsolutions.com for them.

[dreday]

so i got my new sump up and running. had a few little leaks but nothing major.

just had an issue with the pump and thought i could get an answer here. the pump is creating a vortex in the container and starts blowing bubbles into the tanks. now the water line is about 3" above the pump and i am trying not to add more water because it would then be above the bottom of the bucket. and that would negate the polishing pad i have attached to the bottom of the bucket. now i believe this because the water will flow out the side instead of draining threw the pad.

so my main quest is what is the best way to stop the submerged pump from creating a vortex and blowing bubbles up. i will try to get some pics if needed.

[Hoosier Tank]

In mine, the lower 1/3 of the bucket is under water while it's running. With that, about 1/2 of my potscrubbies are above water so I don't see a problem with it. I only have holes in the bottom of my bucket so the water has to flow all the way through to get into the sump. If you wrap the polishing pad up the sides and secure it with a rubberband or long plastic zip tie, the water would have to flow through your polishing pad to get out... But I suppose if it cloggs the water could back up and not drain quick enough.
Some one posted to add a standpipe from the pump pick-up going up to suck air sooner in order to keep the pump from overfilling the tank if needed, maybe you could fit one to your pump going down to the sump floor (instead of up) to keep this from happening.

[boredatwork]

Another option is to place the pump intake at a level in the sump that won't allow it to overflow the tank. I argued with someone who suggested for a long time before I realized he had a good idea. This is probably the easiest way to do it. But the assumption, in this case, is that you don't care what happens if the pump runs dry which may or may not be a bad thing.

[dreday]

i found an easy fix with some leftover parts. i used a threaded mip adapter that came with the pump(for inline use) and attache that to the inflow side. i found an elbow pvc that i had for another sump and it fit perfectly onto the adapter. then i just turned it so that it faces down and it does not suck anymore air.

it slowed down the flow a little bit but its better than possibly burning out the motor.

[michaelshawncrowley]

Hoosier Tank
Hey there , I'm new to this site. I am in the process of building a remote filtrarion set up vry similar to your posting. I have some spacific questions for you. How can I get ahold of you? Thanks so much -Michael-

[rydog]

Great set up and pretty much exactly what I am currently working on. Can anyone tell me what the black fittings are on the UGJ that go around the bottom? I am having a #%$& of a time finding what this part... (2nd to last picture on page 3)

Big props to anyone that can help! Thanks!!