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#1 |
Premium Member
![]() Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NW IL
Posts: 1,603
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Plumb to basement or AIO?
I'm desperately wanting to get back into the hobby. I have a neat spot to put a tank off to the side of my kitchen. This is in a corner that is over an old shower in the basement that we don't use.
I really like the simplicity of AIO tanks but I also dream of how nice it would be to have all the equipment in the basement sitting over a floor drain if there was ever an issue. Plus it would give me near unlimited room for any equipment I wanted and allow the display to have a larger area. If you had this option available would you plumb it to the basement? For anybody that's done this how big of a pump should I expect to use? I figure I can use a stand to keep things higher in equipment room for ease of maintenance and to reduce head loss. Maybe have to pump water back up 8 or 9 ft? What would be the best pump for this job? Does it add a lot of heat? |
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#2 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 20,050
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Plumbing to a different floor is IMO a last resort...
The decision depends on specific details of your system.. If you cannot achieve your plans on the same floor then the added cost of the pump/electricity may be acceptable to you..
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Who me? |
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#3 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 118
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I have a basement sump and couldn't imagine having it set up any other way. It makes maintenance so much easier.
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#4 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 995
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mine is in the basement. It really doesn't take that much more effort. Just 4x the return pump size, recommend DC so you can change the pressure as needed/desired. Also a couple of pneumatic pumps for your ATO and you are set.
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#5 |
RC Mod
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I use an Iwaki 100 pump for a 102 gallon tank, typical vertical lift with a 3 foot zag in it to reach the 'up' hole and an 8 foot horizontal run to reach the sump; and the tank is really tall, counting stand, about 6'. You can actually put the hole in the wall above the baseboard if you don't want a hole in the floor, but a couple of one inch holes are really easily covered when/if you sell the house. I have a utility sink and floor drain down there: invaluable. Not the only way to fly, but the easiest. I do recommend the Iwakis with the Japanese motor---absolutely indestructible. Worst thing ever happened, a snail got through into one of the impeller slots, and I just used a screwdriver and a quick undo and redo to remove it. It's run since 2007 without a glitch or problem except the snail. Put a gate valve on the up line only, and valve it down if it's too strong for your tank---best be over-powered reined in than underpowered struggling to get flow.
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Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%. Last edited by Sk8r; 01/04/2020 at 10:40 PM. |
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#6 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 506
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I have a tank in the basement, a tank upstairs, and a stock tank sump in the basement utility room. I absolutely love not having everything jammed into the tank stand, there is plenty of room for everything. Another advantage is all the noisy equipment is packed away where you can't hear it. OTOH you definitely pay for it with a higher-cost pressure pump to get the return water upstairs. Plumbing to and from the upstairs tank is with thick walled vinyl tubing which works well.
One thing nobody mentions is basement floors are cold. Good if your tank overheats, bad if you have to run heaters to keep the temp up. Stock tank is on a foam insulation board to lower the heater bill. |
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#7 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Miller Place, NY
Posts: 7,206
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Basement sumps should be OFF the floor on a bench!
Saves on the back & knees along with easier maintenance. A no brainer IMHO.
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250 gallon mixed reef, 2 Reefbreeder's Photon V 2, Deepwater BLDC 12, DAS EX-3 Skimmer, MTC mini cal, 2-3/4" Sea Swirls, Aquacontroller & 6 Tunze pumps. |
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#8 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 53
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Quote:
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#9 | |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 53
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Quote:
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#10 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Lima,Ohio
Posts: 728
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I wonder how well the DC jabeo pumps work. Longevity wise...
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120RR tank/ 30g sump, mag 9.5, SWC cone 160, Reefbreeders photon 48 |
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#11 |
Registered Member
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 23
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It shouldn't be a problem. Be careful with the returns. Put a hole on each to keep it from siphoning too much down to the sump and be sure it's kept clean. Sorry about the seahorses. I know how you felt about them.
_____________ basement remodel |
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#12 |
Registered Seaweedist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 5,807
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Lots of good points made about basement setups here.
Me, I like everything together, on the same floor. When I work on my tank, I don't want to have to go up and down stairs. Wouldn't it be easier to plumb a drain to your basement shower, than to plumb a return pump, etc. up to your tank?
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As many naturalists and environmentalists have suggested, we should set aside our arrogance, our desire to conquer and control everything, and walk hand in hand with Mother Nature. -Walter Adey Current Tank Info: 180g Seagrass Sandbar Lagoon, START DATE November 28, 2018 |
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#13 |
Registered Member
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IMO, if I had a basement, I would seriously consider having the sump down there. Keep all my supplies and stuf, I think it would be great, just the electricity to pump the water back up. Sure the pump would be more but generally I would drop the upfront cash for a high efficiently and durable solution.
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Originally posted by yellowslayer13: "I hate that hole" Current Tank Info: SCMAS Member 225 peninsula euroreef RS180 Apex 400W X 3 20k radiums / Spectra mixed SPS |
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#14 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 53
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#15 |
Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: pittsburgh,pa
Posts: 2,612
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Yep - Downstairs sump and refugium for me. As you get older , bending down or getting down on your knees to service a bottom sump/skimmer is literally painful. Love the fact that I can clean my skimmer, watch all the "life" in my refugium ,etc without bending over. I have a whole build thread over on that other reef website.
But yea- having to purchase a larger return pump due to the head pressure is a factor. |
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