sump advice

[shecter]

ok so i want to get my sump going with part of my tax return. i need advice on an overflow kit and return pump and whatever else i need. i have a 20something gallon tank im going to use. the equipment going in is a 220g coralife skimmer and a fuge. i dont know about anything else. ive been looking and its not clicking lol

[sweet d]

What size tank are you running now and what size sump are you looking at?

[SleepyJ]

You can either drill (go with a gl*******s.com set-up) or you can get a HOB overflow (I would recommend a Lifereef overflow). You can buy plumbing supplies at any hardware store or online. For a return pump, I would say go with a mag; I had an Ocean Runner and a Rio and both died quickly while a lot of people had good luck with the mags.

Is the sump already set up? If not, you'll have to look into glass or acrylic sheets to make the partitions.

For set-up, a lot of people here will most likely volunteer to help you out.

[renogaw]

buy my sump buy my sump!!

[mikelaubach]

What Justin was saying is to go to www.glass holes.com without the space. The profanity filter catches that one and ***'s it out.

You basically need a way to get water to the sump and back up from the sump to the main tank. It sounds like you already have the sump from your comment.

The question to consider now is whether to drill or not. If the tank is already in play and you do not want to empty it and risk starting over with regard to cycles, you are left with a hang-on-the-back overflow. I have an Amiracle 600 GPH overflow that I used for years before I started drilling. Now I'll never go back to undrilled tanks. I'll sell you the overflow for $50 if you're interested (I installed a unit to make it silent since most overflows are noisy and I could NOT have that in my office).

The water flows to the sump via gravity. Then to get the water back to the tank, you will need a pump. While I agree with the stability of the Mag series, they are also power consumers compared to other submersible pumps. I started with a RIO 1700 years ago, and I too would say to NOT use one of them. I've heard good things about other pumps that are more efficient power-wise. I use a Mag5 return, but am considering swapping in the Mag7 on my 65G to get a little more turnover, but have not made a decision yet.

A 500-600 GPH pump will get you about 350-400 GPH turnover because of the pressure it takes to push the water up that 4' to the top of the tank. That is good for up to 55-65G I would say. I had the same pump setup in my 29G. Really it comes to a combination of what the sump can handle for flow and where you put your heaters (I put mine in the sump as I just do not want to see them, so I have to have enough turnover to keep the tank heated but not so much that the heater is inefficient).

From the pump, use tubing to connect to hard lines. The hard lines go up and over the tank top in the rear (again, presuming you are not drilling the tank). You can use one or two returns. In my 29G, I built a unit that took the one feed from the pump and split it, sending water into the tank on both ends. This reduces the output to half for each instead of a strong output out of one outlet. It also made it easier for me to secure and ensure it never fell off. :lol:

So what size is the display, and do you want to do hang-on or drill?

[mikelaubach]

Duplicate post.

[shecter]

sorry i thought i had a sig all set on this site lol. its a 38 gal tank. the sump is a 20 gal high i believe. my skimmer is a coralife 220g. i know ill need the glass partitions and i do want a HOB unit so i dont have to disturb my tank. the sump isnt running its just in process. i have to kind of match my overflow kit to a return pump so i dont overflow either tank right? if i missed any questions just let me know lol