Pump won't fit in return area of sump, would this work?

[awdboxer]

I have a 65g RR tank that I'm in the process of setting up. I just bought this used sump for a good price but of course the return area isn't big enough for the pump, always something!

Anyways I was wondering if I could place the pump in the skimmer area and run some flexible pvc up and over the baffles into the return area. So it would suck up the clean hopefully bubble free water and return it to the DT.

I was thinking of the Eheim 1260 pump which outputs 635gph should be good enough.

Would this setup work?

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1308/sumppump.th.jpg (http://img525.imageshack.us/i/sumppump.jpg/)

[der_wille_zur_macht]

It will probably work, but isn't a good idea. The siphon in that tube may break easily, and you would probably find it tough to prime.

Also, centrifugal pumps don't like any sort of restriction on their intakes, which is pretty much what your design will produce.

If your return area isn't big enough, I see three viable options:

1) Get a bigger sump, or move the baffles in that one
2) Get a smaller return pum
3) Put a bulkhead in the side of the return area, and use an external pump.

[awdboxer]

Yeah those were the 3 other options I was thinking of too. The width in that area is only about 3.75" so the pump options are limited and I wanted something in sump to keep the noise down and free up some room.

I guess I could try and cut that last baffle out. What if I just left the pump in the skimmer area and let it pull water from there and return it. What would the drawbacks of that be? Bubbles? Water that's not as clean?

[Everyones Hero]

You'll probably have to worry about bubbles more than anything. I found that having my skimmer exit tube under the water seems to eliminate most of the bubbles, though.

It'll probably be easier to pull both baffles out & turn one into the drain/skimmer section & make the other the return pump area.

Another problem you'll have is that if you put the pump into the skimmer section & you have an in-sump skimmer the water level will constantly change as water evaporates, constantly screwing with your skimmer.

[Kakabub]

Just a thought, could you put the return pump in the skimmer area but figure out a way to reroute the skimmer return hose/exit tube to one of the other areas to avoid the bubbles? I have my skimmer in one baffled area and my exit tube dumping back into the fuge area and it works great both for bubble reduction and adds flow to the fuge.

[awdboxer]

Hmm, yeah that's another good thought. Do you think it will have enough power to push the water up and over the baffle?

[Kakabub]

not sure what kind of pump you have running your skimmer and I don't know jack about any other skimmers except mine unfortunately. I'm still a newb, but mine is a POS coralife 125 and my pump is able to do it. How high is your baffle? The design may be different in your skimmer also, my skimmer return/exit is pretty high so all I had to do was lift it over the baffle and it worked great.

[Fizz71]

Unless you're willing to cut that baffle down I don't think that skimmer will return over it unless you prop it up...which won't work because you won't be able to remove the top of the skimmer anymore.

You could put a gate valve mod on the skimmer discharge then bulkhead it through.

Personally I'd go with an external pump. Something with a fan so you aren't heating your water more than you need to.

[awdboxer]

Yeah, I just really didn't want to deal with the noise and extra required room of an external pump, or hack up the baffles. Guess I'll start looking for another sump.

[PrangeWay]

I've had slim return areas you can try, a pump that might work...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4587+8164&pcatid=8164

They aren't quiet, but aren't loud. Come with a bunch of connections and are pretty cheap. I never had problems with the one I used in my 50gal. ( I use oceanrunners now, but they to big for you )

[awdboxer]

Wow, those are really cheap and the reviews seem to be pretty positive. I might get one and try it out.

[PrangeWay]

Yeah like I said they are okay.

-Not quiet not loud.
-Don't deal with head well, so don't route through a chiller.

But in a 65gallon if you're just returning through 1 line, they are pretty good. And they are thin, in 3.5" you can almost fit the biggest in there, though I'd top out a 3" or so, so you can leave the suction cup base on. That'll reduce noise/vibration alot...


PW

[awdboxer]

So I got the pump and I was thinking of doing 2 drains and 1 return. The pre-drilled holes on my tank are 1" and 3/4". I'd use the 1" as the main drain and the 3/4" as an emergency drain.

For the return I was thinking of using flexible pvc running directly from the pump up and over the back of the tank. Would this work?

[Everyones Hero]

You'll probably run into a problem with getting the flexible PVC to stay in the tank.

My return goes from vinyl tubing to hard PVC. The PVC has 3 90* elbows. It allows me to hang the return over the back of the tank w/out it falling & to direct the flow where I want it.

[awdboxer]

Cool....yeah, that's what I was thinking of doing. Running the flex up the back then have a couple hard PVC 90's to kind of hook it to the top of the tank.

[Everyones Hero]

That's worked great for me for over a year & a half. Add a 3rd 90* in there so you can direct the flow. Don't glue it in place, though. It gives you the ability to change the direction. I have mine pointed up a little bit to help agitate the surface of the water.

[ddinox64]

Didn't bother reading every post. Why not put the drain hose in the return and the return in the drain section?

So. In your picture, the pump on the left, the drain on the right.

But looking at it again that looks like it won't work either. Is that thing suppose to get a special oval sock?

What are the dimensions of that sump? You must have a very tall 65 gallon tank.

[awdboxer]

Nope a normal sock fits it. I really don't want to use a sock because of the added maintenance and nitrate issue but then I'd have to worry about keeping the sump clean etc. So it's a toss up and I guess swapping a sock out every other day is easier.

The sump dimensions are 24x14x16

The tank is 36x18x25

[ddinox64]

Yeah, that's a tall 65. May want to get yourelf a used 30g (30x12x18)for about 30 bucks and start fresh. The extra 6" on a 30 is what you need for the return pump. Then you'll have 10 for skimmer and 10 for the fuge if you want one. The 4" left over wil be used by the baffles.

Most likely you can find someone to buy that sump for the price you need to make your new one. I built mine for less tan $50

[awdboxer]

Yeah, that was another thought and I've been looking around for a used one. I really would like to use a nice return pump like the Eheim or a Mag for peace of mind instead of a $36 dollar pump...but we'll see.

[awdboxer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15578845#post15578845 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Everyones Hero
That's worked great for me for over a year & a half. Add a 3rd 90* in there so you can direct the flow. Don't glue it in place, though. It gives you the ability to change the direction. I have mine pointed up a little bit to help agitate the surface of the water.

Everyone's Hero, do you have any pics of your plumbing? I'm about to start on mine...

[Everyones Hero]

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w71/notabassist31/Aquariums/0910091703a.jpg

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w71/notabassist31/Aquariums/0910091704a.jpg

The 1st pic shows the return pump that feeds my 2 tanks & Phosban reactor.

The 2nd pic shows the return line that goes to the 75g & 20g. The line coming out of the top is my siphon break. When the pump turns off air is instantly sucked into that line & very little water back siphons to my sump.

[awdboxer]

Cool, thanks!