tetraodon Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 My friend wants to add a fuge to their 20L, the fige cant be below the DT becuase its on a dresser, ive plumbed 2 pico tanks using a small pump and "u" tubes, I ran accross this:http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/244598-my-diy-pvc-overflow/ I know this is for a sump thats below the DT , could it be moded to work for a side by side? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 No. You need gravity to maintain the syphon. You don't want to resort to two pumps either (one in, one out), as you will never match the flow rate and you will end up flooding one tank. Best option is to raise the fuge higher than the display, pump from the display to the fuge, and use an overflow to return to the display. Link to comment
tetraodon Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 How much higher does it need to be? Link to comment
biocubedatx Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I've seen this in school science classes they built a 2x4 base just to raise one tank about 6 inches and it cascaded down to the other and pumped back up. Link to comment
tetraodon Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 Thats what ill have to do then thanks Link to comment
uaiu Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I'd looked into something like this and one small thing to remember is that the water level in your display tank will drop not the sump since they are in opposite positions. Just something to think about if an ATO is going to be used Link to comment
Nocturnal Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 How much higher does it need to be? You just need to make sure the overflow in the fuge is higher than the water level in the DT. Even a few inches would work. Link to comment
streamline.by.design Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I have two evolve8s side by side. I have a pump from one to the other and a water bridge for return flow. It works great. Link to comment
tetraodon Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 I have two evolve8s side by side. I have a pump from one to the other and a water bridge for return flow. It works great. thats what i have, i wanted to see if an overflow would work on the side by side application Link to comment
le0p Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 I ran a two tank system for over a year, well two tanks and a sump. I didn't want to drill anything so I had a weir overflow from a 55 to the 40b and then another from the 40b to a sump. Then an 1100 gph return pump back to the 55. The overflows were kept running by Aqualifter pumps. It worked pretty well but the maintenance was a nightmare. The overflows would get algae and detritus in them and the aqualifters would suck up stuff and block the airlines. I couldn't go a couple days without doing maintenance on them or there'd be a chance of overflow. I wouldn't do it again, my new tank is drilled and it's so much easier to control. If it were me, I'd drill the display tank and raise it up. Link to comment
tetraodon Posted March 24, 2014 Author Share Posted March 24, 2014 I ran a two tank system for over a year, well two tanks and a sump. I didn't want to drill anything so I had a weir overflow from a 55 to the 40b and then another from the 40b to a sump. Then an 1100 gph return pump back to the 55. The overflows were kept running by Aqualifter pumps. It worked pretty well but the maintenance was a nightmare. The overflows would get algae and detritus in them and the aqualifters would suck up stuff and block the airlines. I couldn't go a couple days without doing maintenance on them or there'd be a chance of overflow. I wouldn't do it again, my new tank is drilled and it's so much easier to control. If it were me, I'd drill the display tank and raise it up. its an already running tank, so drilling isnt an option, what where the aqualifter pumps doing? Link to comment
evilc66 Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 A water bridge might work, but you have to be careful with it's setup. Much like a HOB overflow, you will need an Aqualifter to remove air from the bridge to maintain the syphon (especially important on restarting the flow). You will also need to make sure that the ends of the tubes don't extend too deep in the water. The deeper they go, the more water that will be syphoned out of one tank into the other before the syphon breaks. Too deep, and you could overflow one of the tanks. Link to comment
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