[RSidetrack]

Okay - I am tired of the clutter in my tank, the filters, the heaters, my drain pipe, etc - so I am working out a system so I can not have any of it in the tank.

So here is my current plan, and any advise, suggestions, comments please bring them, I need them lol.

I have a sump pump which I have pipes in my back yard going to trees, so great use of the water.

The idea is I am going to have a bucket (5g) in the unfinished part of my basement, I will have a wet/dry pump (still trying to figure out what to do for this, I need it to not siphon when off - any suggestions?) pumping water out of the tank (with the drain pipe only at the level where I want the water to be).

Then I will have a pump going from the 5g bucket to the aquarium - I want this to be the only item inside my tank. So this will draw the water out of the bucket to the aquarium, this will keep the water level always the same in the tank and provide circulation within the tank as well.

Then I want to move everything else to the bucket. My pH controller, the CO2, filtration, etc. I am still working out what I am going to do with filtration, whether I figure out how to use my Rena or build some custom system, I don't know. (Also - is it okay to filter the water in the bucket rather than direct in the aquarium? I do have a concern about any items floating in the water not getting filtered out, etc).

I am going to do an RODI unit to fill the 5g bucket. The 5g bucket will have a drain at the top which will run to my sump pump. What do I need to add to the water with RODI? I know there is something about having to get minerals or something in there - my city water is horrible.

I also plan on having the heater(s) in the 5g bucket. At least one doser for my Flourish.

That is what I have got so far, any advise is most appreciated.

 

[DogFish]

Think worse case scenario, power outage, pump stops, tank syphons off. So be sure the height of your intake/output/volume of water will not over flow your sump. Easy solution put the 5gl. bucket in a store tub for "insurance".

 

[RSidetrack]

Think worse case scenario, power outage, pump stops, tank syphons off. So be sure the height of your intake/output/volume of water will not over flow your sump. Easy solution put the 5gl. bucket in a store tub for "insurance".

Good point - I was thinking about everything for the aquarium if power went out but not the sump pump itself.

 

[wespastor]

Here is a td that might be of interst to you.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/130787-diy-hob-overflow-sump-filter-who.html

There are other threads about sealing a sump so that CO2 will not escape an open system like that ... just sayin'

I am sure there are others with actual experience and knowledge on the subject ... but these are just a couple of points that I have gleaned from reading/Lurking around here.

Hope these point you in the right direction.

Best wishes,
Wes

 

[RSidetrack]

Here is a td that might be of interst to you.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/130787-diy-hob-overflow-sump-filter-who.html

There are other threads about sealing a sump so that CO2 will not escape an open system like that ... just sayin'

I am sure there are others with actual experience and knowledge on the subject ... but these are just a couple of points that I have gleaned from reading/Lurking around here.

Hope these point you in the right direction.

Best wishes,
Wes

I actually have that siphon set up on my tank already - though it is a bit clumsy and not efficient (I take a 3/4" pipe and it goes down to a 1/2" tube which then goes down to a 1/4" tube) - not my original plan but it is what I had laying around lol. It worked right up until the 1/4" tube clogged, then I had an overflow - actually this morning :angryfire

The reason why I don't want to do that is you have to hook some kind of pump to it so that it always has water in the top portion. If air breaks the "siphon" it will cease to function - which would lead to overflow. This is why I want to build a pump siphon system that just goes to the level of water I want. Also it will be a lot less bulky and ugly.

 

[RSidetrack]

I am thinking about making my own filter for this set up.

It will have a coarse mesh canister, followed by a canister of bio media, followed by a purigen canister, followed by a fine polish canister, followed by a UV sterilizer. I will just have a pump hooked to it and run it out of the 5g bucket. Then I will have to find a use for my Rena filter lol.

 

[GDP]

I guess you could do all that. But you could also just get an inline heater and get some lily pipes.

 

[Luecke1548]

if you are worried about the sump siphoning you could add an anti siphon hole in the return hose, just put a hole in the tube when its in/over the tank but not in the water. its noisy but fuctional

 

[Miira]

I have been thinking about this too. I want to get a much bigger tank sometime after new years. Anyways, I was thinking of using some sort of float activated shut off for the pump, so that it doesn't overflow that main tank.