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View Full Version : How long can my return/sump be down?


mpderksen
04/06/2015, 10:07 PM
Flooring in the room where I keep my sump. How long can I keep it off?

PhaneSoul
04/06/2015, 10:16 PM
whats in your sump? if its like my sump with just heaters in it then i would just move the heaters and could run indefinatly.

mpderksen
04/06/2015, 11:30 PM
Heater, dosing pumps hoses, skimmer, 4 probes. I did move the heater and the apex temp probe for now. I would guess a week or so without dosing and skimming won't cause a crash. Tonight I got the vapor barrier down and ready to lay the floor. Should go quick, but I can't run the chop saw at night, so Thursday is my next chance.

PhaneSoul
04/06/2015, 11:37 PM
i don't think i would worry too much, even over the course of a month. well of course that depends on the stocking of the tank. i would keep a powerhead in the sump running tho to keep the water aerated

mpderksen
04/06/2015, 11:54 PM
Good tip, thanks. I guess no skimming for a week is all I really give up. The sump is actually under the stand, but the return flows through a chiller in the closet that is getting the new flooring. If I had a big barb connector I could still run everything, but it doesn't seem like I need it for a few days.

julie180
04/07/2015, 04:41 AM
Make sure there is enough aeration in your DT. I would not worry about a week.

toothybugs
04/07/2015, 06:09 AM
I would say you're good for at least a week or two. Your skimmer will probably go a bit nuts for the first couple days it is running again. If you can keep the biofilm live by running it in a tub with a bucket of tank water once a day, that wouldn't be a bad idea.

Careful about putting your full heating setup in just your DT - I caused a partial tank kill by doing that last fall. Cutting off my sump dropped my system volume a considerable amount and the heaters overcompensated for the diminished volume. I lost 4 of 8 fish and a couple corals after hitting 93F. I discovered it after coming home late at night. It was fine when I left, but had I not looked at the tank before going to bed for the night I'm sure I would have lost everything. (It wasn't a broken heater either - still working fine in my full, normal volume.)

mpderksen
04/07/2015, 09:45 AM
If this takes as long as 2 weeks, I'll have a much bigger problem: I promised my wife I would have it done before she gets home Sunday from her trip! My guess is that I'll be back online by Thursday night. I think I'll pull the skimmer and give it a vinegar cleaning and vacuum the sump (which I do quarterly, and was going to do it May 1st anyway).
Having the heater and Apex temp probe in the DT is ugly, but temporary. Missing a few days of dosing 2-part will just mean a few days of extra testing to catch up.
313866
It's a solid bamboo, but clicks together. Should go really fast. I can put the chiller and return lines back even before I set the molding. I'm not wainscoting the closet, so it should even be easy to put that in with the chiller in the way.

ca1ore
04/07/2015, 09:56 AM
I'd concur that having the sump offline isn't a big deal as long as you have adequate in tank water movement and can manage temperature. In my case I run a large ATS off one of my overflow siphons so have to worry about the screen drying out. Absent something like that, no worries.