messias Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Good afternoon to all, I´m thinking of setting up a sump for my 5gal. tank, and I would like your opinion on the design. Right now it´s just a project and nothing is actually built, so I´ll take your considerations into account. Basically it will have three compartments: Running salt-water from the tank; Fresh water supply; Water change compartment where I can stabilize the parameters before adding it into the tank. The freshwater supply will be above the saltwater level and will be added by gravity, through a float valve. For weekly water changes (roughly 0.5gal), I thought on removing water manually from the sump, but to replace it slowly from the “water-change” compartment, through a small pump, back into the “tank water” compartment. Can I have your thoughts over it? Thanks! Link to comment
bertyboy69 Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 its a good idea, however i personally think the water change compartment should be eliminated and used as part fo the sump or used as a refugium. giving the tank more water volume will keep paramaters stable and the more volume the better, your better off just using a bucket for water changes. The fresh water resevoir however is a fantastic idea and i wish i included something simmilar in my sump ! Link to comment
Exquitas Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 What bertyboy69 said is right. I had the same idea as you have with the freshwater compartment in my sump. In the end I decided to use an external tank as freshwater reservoir so that I can use the other space for more saltwater volume. More Saltwater = More stable system ... Here's my sump under my 6G Fluval Edge: My 6G is now @16G with Sump + Biopellet Reactor Right Side: 3 Return Lines (1x External Biopellet Reactor, 1x Overflow, 1x Emergency Overflow) + Skimmer + Heater Left Side: Refugium/Fuge with Miracle Mud, One Stone of Live Rock (I'll put some Algae in there after Cycling is done) Right behind the left side: Return Pump to the Tank + Pump Intake for the External Biopellet Reactor On the Left side in the other compartment of my cabinet you can see my Freshwater (RO/DI) Reservoir for my ATO. Link to comment
messias Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Hi there, Thanks for the input! The whole idea behind the enclosed W/C compartment, was to be able to perform a single water change even while on vacations, giving me a second week off the hook…and enjoying the beach somewhere! The water would be pumped out of the sump with a timer device in a pre-determined day (AC and battery operated), and the water change would start to go in once the pumping-out is complete. Bad idea?... Hi Exquitas, Really nice set-up you´ve got there! Link to comment
Exquitas Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Hi there, Thanks for the input! The whole idea behind the enclosed W/C compartment, was to be able to perform a single water change even while on vacations, giving me a second week off the hook…and enjoying the beach somewhere! The water would be pumped out of the sump with a timer device in a pre-determined day (AC and battery operated), and the water change would start to go in once the pumping-out is complete. Bad idea?... Hi Exquitas, Really nice set-up you´ve got there! That's even a very good idea. The problem are the Pumps. You would need high precision pumps or they would #### up your salinity and you would need 3 Tanks for storing your water: - Top Off RO/DI Water - Waste Container (from Waterchange output) - Fresh mixed Saltwater with your desired salinity (for Waterchange input) Everything needs to be controlled by float switches and ideally peristaltic (don't know if it's spelled like this, too lazy too google it now haha) pumps. Top Off would have to turn off when the water change starts and turn back on right after it... and so on The concept is nice ... but the implementation would be a nightmare without a controller that takes care of everything at once. Oh and thanks EDIT: I forgot to mention something ... In bigger tanks this sould be possible without major problems. In tanks like ours (yours is at 5G) 100 more mililiters can affect you salinity in your tank but in tanks with 60 or more gallons 100ml's are nothing... (Not to mention what could happen if one of your float switches fails) Link to comment
messias Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Yep... the "top-off" stopping/re-starting part, is the one that I still need to figure out... But I´ll be back with more crazy ideas! Link to comment
Exquitas Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 But I´ll be back with more crazy ideas! Ohgodwhy.jpg Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.