Diy Sump/refugium/shrimptank Idea?

[jojouk]

Ok, so I have my main tank (as in my signiture link), and a little 16 litre tank that I picked up for a couple of quid.

I have been thinking and thinking of what to do with this little tank, and have come up with this. It is mainly a nice little breeding place for shrimp, with tank water flow so no concerns about bubblesponges etc... but also culture microfood etc in there, and hopefully look quite nice too!

2 problems:

1) How on earth do I match the syphon flow to the pump flow - should I ditch the old Juwel powerhead and get a pump with adjustable flow?

2) If the syphon fails, the powerhead/pump will burn out. If the pump fails, then the syphon will stop automatically, so preventing floods.

Any comments welcome

Thats Neil in the tank, my male Opaline Gourami.

 

[DrRob]

2 problems:

1) How on earth do I match the syphon flow to the pump flow - should I ditch the old Juwel powerhead and get a pump with adjustable flow?

2) If the syphon fails, the powerhead/pump will burn out. If the pump fails, then the syphon will stop automatically, so preventing floods.

If you take a look at the sump/syphon designs out there you'll find that the syphons tend to use hang on the back overflow boxes that are oversized, as a result they only pick up what the pump returns as they're reliant on the water level rising to drive them.

If you put a float switch on the lower tank, it'll switch off the pump if the water level drops below a certain level.

 

[jojouk]

If you take a look at the sump/syphon designs out there you'll find that the syphons tend to use hang on the back overflow boxes that are oversized, as a result they only pick up what the pump returns as they're reliant on the water level rising to drive them.

Could you possibly point me in the direction of an example?

 

[DrRob]

Something like,

http/compare.ebay.co.uk/like/120363178760?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

or

http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_overflow.php

That sort of thing.

 

[jojouk]

So basically the overflow box thing makes the syphon flow match the output of my return pump?

If the syphon overflow box stops working, the flow switch (which I have no idea how to wire it in by the way) will stop the pump, as the water level in the 'sump' will fall.

If the return pump stops working, then the flow to the sump will stop when the water level of the main tank drops too low to power the syphon? I may get a bit of overflow in the sump, but it will be minimal, as long as my normal water level is not too high in relation to the overflow box?

Hope I understood that correctly?

 

[DrRob]

Pretty much right. The overflows work by the simple idea of a short syphon to a box on the back, that has a large pipe that can handle more than the capacity you want. If it drains too much the syphon stops, but doesn't break, as the box on the back still has water. As the water level rises again flow returns.

The problem with them tends to be noise. You'll find a fair bit on the marine topics where people are working towards the perfect overflow system with less noise.

Float switches sit in the power line for the pump. Basically it stops sending power if the level drops. They're not totally reliable, as things can get stuck in them, but they're better than nothing. Naturally some are better than others. Wire pump into switch, switch into mains, and don't electrocute yourself.