[e_baer]

I have a 55 gallon reef tank, but I want to add a sump to put my protein skimmer in, as well as have a small divider for algae to grow in. My only question is what pumps should I get for the return of the water form the sump to the main tank? Also, if there is a power outage, is there something I can get so the water doesnt continue to siphen out of the main tank? Do you think a 10 gallon tank for a sump is OK? should I get a 20 gallon instead? Am I able to use a garbage can, or some sort of plastic container instead?

[blind1993]

a good idea is to use the 20g and put it in a 55g plastic bag so if the power goes out water will not flood the house

[e_baer]

But, there is nothing to buy that will stop the siphon?

[Krazy]

You can use a check-valve in your return line and also drill a hole at the top of your return line in the display tank, just under water line, so when/if the power is to go out, it'll drain, then suck air at the drilled hole and lose suction, therefore not allowing a flood...

[e_baer]

alright thanks, and do you think I should use pvc piping, or plastic tubing?

[Reticentregret]

as long as were on the topic im using a 55 for my diy sump/fuge under my 120..... now my reeflodart pump has a 2inch intake and 1.5 output is it ok if i drill for two one inch bulkheads in the back of this 55 which is not tempered instead of buying a 3inch bit then buying a 2 inch bulkhead to boot... id rather use the one inch bit and the one inch bulkheads i already have? sound ok?

[TurningTim]

Originally Posted by e_baer

But, there is nothing to buy that will stop the siphon?

You can calculate the amount of water that will come out of the DT and make sure you have that much room in the sump for the backwash.

(L" x D" x H")/231 will give you gallons of water. If you lose 1" of water out of the 75 (with anti-siphon holes) Then 48x18x1= Y

Then for the 20 (not sure of the dims) would be

L"x D"x Z= Y

Once you get Y you can get Z. Then Z will be subtracted form the total height of the 20 and that will be the tallest baffle height.

No more guessing......

Use pvc and you can also use spa-flex (flexable pvc). don't use clear vinyl just gets mucked up with algae

Check valves also have a bad tendency of failing.....

HTH
Tim

[eldouble]

I used a large rubbermaid container as a sump for a few months before I built my sump/fuge combo. Worked fine. Cant help with the overflow stuff since I have a drilled tank.

[Riki Jonz]

Can you explain why having a drilled tank is different in this regard? I thought I understood the concept of making a small hole in the return pipe as a precaution against siphoning in the event of power failure, but your comment introduced new uncertainty in my mind. Thanks!

[glampka]

Roger it all depends on what kind of return you have. If you run the return line over the top of the tank then you are correct about drilling a small hole in the return line just below the surface of the water as a siphon stop. However on closed loop systems where the return is plumbed into the back of the tank you can't do that since if you did you'd have water spraying out all over the place. In closed loop systems you drill a hole, install a bulkhead & plumb your return line into that.

[Riki Jonz]

O.K.. How is the issue of power failure and flooding dealt with in the closed-loop system you described?

Thanks.

P.S. I am new to this and planning my eventual system.

[glampka]

Check valves - they prevent the water from backing up but they're not foolproof. They have been known to fail. You pretty much have to hope they don't fail.