Sumps Without Drilling

[stefday]

I am looking at upgrading my current set up and I am looking at several options.

I was wondering if there are any sumps that do not need drilling into the tank and if so how effective they are?

Thanks for any information.

 

[Morri]

You can use an overflow box This is a good DIY version else you can get a few on flea bay there are some draw backs as they rely on siphoning if this stops for what ever reason you will need to manualy restart.

http/www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/overflow.html

 

[mixmaster jay]

or you could use a powerhead to pump the water to the sump and another for the return pump but of a higher lph

 

[TigerIssey]

Don't do this, you will never (even with the same pumps) end up matching one pump to another due the head that one will be pumping against.

It WILL end up with a wet floor and an empty display tank.


Overflow boxes have a tendancy to lost syphon at powercuts, blockages and other reasons and are not considered reliable. Again, will end up with a wet floor.

 

[mixmaster jay]

ive managed it on numorous occasians successfully as a put up sumps and ran them for months it does take time and not use the same output pumps and use a in line shut off valve to get the flowrates balanced and position the power heads right (in tank at the top and in sump roughly halfway to 3quarters up it does work but it is alot of fidling about and eagle eye watching

but getting the tank drilled is the best option and it only usually costs £10 per hole which isn't too bad

im not being funny but i did say to use different lph powered pumps the highest power being in the sump

 

[rabbut]

It will end in a wet floor when one or other pump gets blocked, seriously, unless you like mopping and replacing furnishings that were damaged by the mess and finding out the hard way that your houses insurance does not cover tank leaks, you really do not want to use two pumps.. They are less reliable than overflow boxes ("What, is that even possible?" cry the overflow box users)

Drill the tank, it's the only reliable way. Overflow boxes will eventually cause the same issue as two pumps

All the best
Rabbut

 

[mixmaster jay]

right im not saying go and do it my way all im am saying is it worked for me with great patiants and im not saying its a better way than an overflow box

like i said i ran mine for about 3/4 months without a single problem ,ok it took me 2 days to set it up and get it right but it worked so not in all cases that i will and up with a wet floor and if you position the pumps right it will only pump the water that both tanks can take just like a normal stand pipe application

i also said that getting the tank drilled would be better

and it was only and idea so stop being so abrupt with your answers as it can be done if planned properly

that is all im saying on this and im not replying to this thread anymore

sorry for this stefday

 

[mike os]

if you are seeroius then bite the bullet & get it drilled

 

[rabbut]

I'm not saying that it never works short-term. I know one person that's been running such a two-pump rig for a year without issues. I know about 20 others that got a wet floor with it...

 

[Tolak]

I'm not saying that it never works short-term. I know one person that's been running such a two-pump rig for a year without issues. I know about 20 others that got a wet floor with it...

This is most often the case. I'm a DIY junkie, tried numerous ways to get something like this to work. It will work short term, any stray piece of plant, snail, or any sort of blockage will throw the balance off, requiring a mop. Buildup in the tubing will throw off the balance, pump wear will, plenty to go wrong. While none of my tanks are marine, most of them have overflows for water changes, well worth the time & effort for a reliable setup.

On the few that are not drilled I will on occasion use a self starting siphon, a sort of overflow for water changes. This is when I am home, across the room from the tanks I'm working on, I've had them get obstructed or lose siphon, causing me some mop work.

 

[Musho3210]

You wont get a wet floor with any type of set up if you set it up right (unless of course your tank physically breaks, leaks etc.), the worst that will happen is your pump will run half dry and the tank will have a little more water than usual. The only problem that may arise is your ATO might continually pump in RO water which MAY overflow or lower your salinity. But again with a high quality ATO this can be avoided since some have an auto shut off function if it runs for an abnormally long time (the Tunze Osmolator is an example).

Leave about an inch or two of water space in your main tank and have a small separate overflow section of your sump for the pump. That way if water stops coming down the pump will exhaust the special place for it, but since no water is coming in it will have only added a gallon at the most into the tank, plenty of room up there to take care of that. And vise versa, if water stops going into the tank, as long as the drilled holes, overflow box, or pump is in an overflow section of the tank and can only skim the top layer of water, the few inches in the sump can take care of it. If there arent overflow sections even with a drilled tank you can get a wet floor. Just design it right and you should be fine.

Still, drilling is the best way to go as it is more reliable and you probably wont come home to a half dry running pump every few days.

 

[seffieuk]

Drilling is best but you can by a tunze or maybe it is deltec (I can't remember which) that has an anti syphon on the overflow box

Seffie x

 

[ben1987]

tunze ^


cant you get someone to do it for you? like a tank builder or forum member. its really not hard.