Need help with sump drain/overflow issue

[pasion]

Let's just get right to it, shall we...

I have a 90 gallon with MegaFlow overflow kit, which drains down to a 10-gallon cheap-o AGA that houses my protein skimmer and return pump (in two separate "chambers") and next to that I have another 10-gallon AGA with the bubble trap, rubble trap, refugium area. My dilemma lies in how do I move the water from one tank to the other.

Both tanks are identical in height... attached you will find the best sketch I can do right now, so you all get an idea where my head is at.


Image 1:



Image 2:





At first - and currently I should add - I have a U-tube as the method I was going to employ; however, after it failed to drain back to the return pump section in an efficient manner, I have decided to seek another option.


I do not know if these tanks can be drilled, from what I hear the cheap quality of them is less than ideal for a break free drill. I would prefer to drill it out and use a bulkhead or two for the water return, I am cautious as to the truth to the tank debacle.

Any other creative or otherwise good ideas - I have nothing so far. I might come up with something this weekend and I hope I do before I go on vacation.

Thanks!

[Entropy]

IMO the 10g's are too fragile to drill. You can do it, but I wouldn't be comfortable with it. Any chance of getting a bigger sump? I see a lot of 29g acrylic tanks out there that can easily be converted and many of them get scratched up pretty bad by accident which makes them useless as tanks but ideal for a sump.

Otherwise I think I would raise the right tank (in the picture) as high as possible and then drill the side for a bulkhead (as big as possible) and then just have it gravity feed the left tank.

[sjm817]

Drill it. I have heard that 10Gs are tough to drill, but they are cheap. Why the 10g tanks?

[pasion]

I didn't get the 29-gallon until after I had already set the 90 in place and proceeded to fill it... whoops!!!

I plan on using the 29-gallon when I move; however, for the next few months it's either protein skimmer and no fuge for the added flow and removal of waste aspect, or au natural..... which I'm leary on.

I can take a stab at drilling the tank, but if the general consensus is - drill and expect bad things to happen - I won't travel down that road.


This one mistake I will gladly chalk up to my impatience at doing something big and fun after being sidelined on the couch for 5 months with a broken leg.

[Entropy]

You might be able to find a similar sized acrylic tank in the mean time that you could drill, but you would still have to raise it up for it to be effective.

[pasion]

I did also forget to mention that originally i had it on a 2" riser stand but was running into issues with my Protein Skimmer overflowing the collection cup. Now I didn't put the PS on a riser stand of its own, but I was in the process of making one when I had the brilliant idea to discard that idea and go to a U-tube.

Well that surely didn't work to my advantage, lol.

[Cove Beach]

I'm not sure if this a way you might want to go but at a place like Pet Supplies Plus or other chain type pet stores they have acrylic critter cages that are pretty good sized. These can be drilled and use a gravity return. I did this for a refugium on my 75 reef. I just built a stand to raise it up above the 20 long i use for a sump. I drilled a hole to accept a 1" bulkhead with a strainer on it and also made a fence around it out of egg crate and zip ties to keep macro where it belongs. It worked really well. I fed the water to it with a 3/4" bulkhead and loc-line. Good luck

[pasion]

I didn't even consider those - I will take a look-see this weekend and see if I could make that work.

Thank you!


Also, entropy thank you as well. I have not settled on one way or another yet, plenty to ponder.

[sjm817]

Rubbermaid tote is another option. You cant fit anything larger through the opening in the stand?

[Newlin]

Here is what I just setup yesterday. I'm running a U-tube but I'm about to make something out of acrylic that will flow over 1500gph when I'm done, I just don't trust drilling a tank that is this thin. As you can see in the pic, the utube is sitting in a couple glasses so that it will keep suction even if the water level falls below the level of the cup. This is working for me great. I have a little smaller pump than I should on the tank but this one is just perfect for the fuge on the right.

[pasion]

Newlin - thanks for the picture! My only concern is that during a power outtage, or if I turn the pumps off for feedings, the siphon will still work, pulling water from the fuge into the return section. Doing this will cause a minor issue should the power ever go out and the tank drains out AND the other tank drains out. A valid concern, albeit not one I'm really sure I need to worry about.

[flipteg]

the tube will not lose syphon... if power is stopped, the water will stop moving once the water level on both tanks are the same... with the pictured setup, there is no way the syphon will drain either tanks...

although i wouldn't recommend setting it up that way...

[pasion]

Ok, I wasn't picturing the water movement correctly in my head.

How would you recommend setting up the tanks?

[thecichlidpleco]

Ride along, bump to top so I can do the same setup.

[Newlin]

I agree with the not recommending it. This is a temp setup till I get the 20 long from the wife and put all her fish in the 55. This is just the way that I have it now and it has been going for a few days without any problems. I have turned off the power many times and I have not had a problem, 1.

[thecichlidpleco]

I would like this way since I have the 55 stand where space is limited, and not enough time available before classes start to try and cut acryllic tank. So gravity feed would be better than a U-tube feed?