Sump's

[mike455555]

few quick questions about sump's,

water syphons in from the tank, and gets pumped back up to the tap by a pump switching on and off due to water level right? , what happens if there's a powercut water will continue to syphon down from the tank into the sump but not back up, how can you prevent this

my second question is, is it worth it for a 90L tank? to add a small sump, its freshwater, so will i also need to buy power-heads? for my plants

is it worth the effort? im wanting to add more stocking but space is limited

 

[fenny666]

Sumps work on an overflow and not a syphon. Basically water is pumped up from the sump and when the water reaches an overflow level it flows back down to the sump.
A syphon can occur though (when power is cut) on the pump line but is easily remedied by drilling a hole on this line just below the main tanks water level.The logic being when the water level reaches this hole it will draw air thus breaking the syphon.
I just recently went down the route of adding a 70l sump to my 190l. There are many advantages to it such as greater volume,but the main disadvantage for me was the amount of noise from the overflow.I personally didn't mind it so much,but the missus did,needless to say i no longer have a sump.
You can get round the noise by fitting the sump remotely but for me this wasn't an option.
If you are only looking at adding a small sump i would hazard it's not worth the hassle and you'd probably be better off beefing up your filtration and maintenance to increase your stocking level and/or make room for a bigger tank.
Nice tank by the way.

 

[Royston]

I have a six ft tank with a two and half foot sump tank . You can fit loads of different types of media in it and also the heaters and air stones. I also have auto water top up and the good thing is everything is out of site

 

[DrRob]

Sumps are rarely silent, but my pumps are noisier than my overflow. Modified durso overflows can be near silent if you set them right.

 

[Royston]

Sumps are rarely silent, but my pumps are noisier than my overflow. Modified durso overflows can be near silent if you set them right.

What's a durso overflow ? I have a weir so is there a difference

 

[DrRob]

A durso is a form of standpipe, in the weir, that controls the water flow in an attempt to keep it quieter. I use one combined with an open tube valved so that the durso takes almost no flow, which makes it fairly quiet. They take a bit of fiddling with to get them right, but they work.

 

[Royston]

Ok... I have one then