Lucky or Not? (sump question)

[SirFragalot]

OK, a friend of mine finally decided to do something about a rotting 75g set up that had layed dormant for almost a year without any care this past Saturday. (husband left her and hasnt been seen for a year and a half) Anyways, She called my wife to tell me to come get a couple things from the tank. I went over there thinking that I was getting some odds and ends like mag floats and what not. I get over there and here is what I ended up with for free.

100-100+ lbs of live rock. 3/4 of which was sitting above the water line in tank for months.

A box full of different things that included test kits, RO filters (1 set), new box of Joe's Juice and various supplements.

The RO unit that I was borrowing from her. (Coralife Pure-Flo 2 RO/DI)

Pro Clear 150 wet/dry sump w/ built in skimmer without pre filter.


I tried to get the tank since it was reef ready but she wanted to put turtles in it. : I know, doesnt make sense to me either. I didnt push it. Plus there were a few obvious scratches on the front.

So here is my question. I am running a 55 NON reef ready with a canister filter. (I know) How may of you have had experiences with this sump? I would love to use it if it's worth it.

 

[mikem]

Great deal.
Yes, there is a lot of benefits with using the sump.
The only thing you would need now is the HOB overflow box.

 

[SirFragalot]

Great deal.
Yes, there is a lot of benefits with using the sump.
The only thing you would need now is the HOB overflow box.

Is it worth going that route or should I hold if the day ever comes that I upgrade to a RR system? I have heard a lot of stories about floods using overflow boxes. Is that due to human error or is it just one of those things that comes with using an overflow box?

 

[mikem]

Human error. I never had a flood and I've used them for almost 30 years.

 

[curt]

I've used them for about 20 years and never had a flood.

 

[Nickjr000]

Human error. I never had a flood and I've used them for almost 30 years.

I've used them for about 20 years and never had a flood.

What models you guys usin?

 

[curt]

Not sure of the model or name.Just the basic u-tube type.Though I've upgraded to a rr tank with a build in overflow.

 

[mikem]

U tube here too. When I switched to the enclosed one, I didn't like it. There was no way to clean the inside, creating more of a chance for a flooding problem. Once I hooked up the aqua lifter pump to it, I felt safer.

 

[SirFragalot]

My tank is only 2-2 1/2 inches from the wall. Most overflows need at least 3+ inches. I would have to do a complete tear down just to move the tank and stand out a couple more inches. I would love to make use of this sump but I'm thinking that if I was going to do all of that, I should just upgrade to a 75??

 

[mikem]

Upgrade is always better. ;D
Can you hang it on the side?

 

[ds4x4]

U tube style if you get a HOB overflow.. clean it every so often (bi-annual) and you should never have a problem. match the pump to the overflow rating so theres enough flow to remove any bubbles.

 

[SirFragalot]

My 55 has survived this long with just a canister, I might as well hold out for a bit before I rip everything down. What's the cheapest RR 75 around? LOL

Oooooor... I purchase a used plain 75 (anybody got one laying around?) and trade her for the RR one?

 

[Nickjr000]

Just drill that one then. Cost you 100 bucks for bit bulkhead overflow and all. Glassholes.com

 

[TanksNStuff]

James... before you buy anything, let me offer you some more stuff (for free!)

I have a HOB overflow box that you can have for free. It has a small hole in the top of the U section that prevents it from working. But, all you need to make it work is a small piece of air tubing and a valve. I may even have that stuff lying around in my spare parts box, and will give it to you also if I find it.

Here's a couple pics of it (hanging in the middle of a tank I used to have).

The hole I'm speaking of is hard to see in the pics. It's right between the two white nylon screws though. It was drilled purposely to put an air valve on there... but the tube/valve was missing when I got it. I tested it out by just holding my finger over the hole, and it worked fine like that... so a tube/valve should do the trick.

Now that I'm looking at the pic, I see the return line fitting that you can also have. It's in the top right of both pics. I used that green tubing for something else, but the black fitting that hangs over the top is yours if you want it. It's similar to This one. You will need this if you use a HOB overflow because your return pump discharge will also have to go over the top of the tank since you don't have any bulkheads.




Now, if you are considering drilling holes for bulkheads instead...

I also have a couple of Sch 80 bulkheads. Two of them are 2" ID and the other is 3" ID. They are all CPVC Socket x FNPT (Female National Pipe Thread). You can find dimensionalal info on The Hayward website.

Here is a pic of them before I installed them in the holes I cut.

I originally planned on using one of the 2" for a drain to the sump, the other for the return from the sump, and the 3" was going to be a closed loop intake (and discharge was going to be piped over the top and around the top frame of the tank.)

They are practically brand new since I cracked the bottom of that tank about a week after I drilled the holes. :'( :'( They never saw water except for when I first tested it for leaks after drilling. I got them at a good price from a supplier that we use at work, but they were still about $70 total. I say that to show they aren't cheap, not because I want something in return. This offer is for Free, nothing required in return except the fact that you will be helping to clean out my spare parts box, hehe.

Let me know if you want either free package. I know where ya live already from when I bought your paintball gun. I can stop over after work one night and drop it off to you.

 

[SirFragalot]

George,

Of course, I am willing to take that stuff off of your hands. I'm trying to picture it and might have to mount on one of the sides of the 55. I'm not sure if how big it is since i'm not sure what size tank it is mounted on in the pics. I was seriously thinking about taking that piantball money and a little from taxes to upgrade to a 75 or 90 and building a stand/hood but with the baby coming in a couple months.....probably not a great idea. So I'll stick with the 55 until I see a 75 or 90 on the curb. LOL

I really appreciate you offering this to me by the way. If you have anything else you think I might benefit from, I can let you grab a couple pieces of LR from the 100 or so lbs that that are drying out in the shed.

 

[TanksNStuff]

Tell ya what James... I'll look through my box this weekend and see what I can come up with for you.

For reference, the tank in that pic was a 135G AGA. It's 6' long. The previous owner (my bro-in-law) used that HOB for that tank, but he said it probably needed another. I think it would be more than adequate for your 55 though.

Keep in mind, if you use this HOB, and use the sump, you will need to get a return pump. You will need one that is as strong or stronger than the flow rate of the HOB. Stronger is ok since you can put a valve in the return line and restrict it as necessary. I'm not sure of the flow rating on that thing, but I'll measure and find out similar sizes on the internet to get an idea for you.

Anyway, check back here over the weekend and see what else I might have for you. Should be posted by sunday night.

 

[SirFragalot]

Thanks again George. Good to know that I will finally be using a sump and skimmer. I'm sure that I will have a lot of questions when setting this up.

 

[reeferwanabe]

Just thought I'd let you know my experience with this sump.
Don't like it. skimmer never really works properly.
Hard to eliminate bubbles going to display tank.
Noisy.
Still running it but looking to build my own soon.
Also not a lot of room for water when the power goes off.
sorry for my bad news. I'm sure there are ways to fix these problems with it but not worth the effort for me. I've tried.

 

[mikem]

The fitting on top of the overflow box is to hook up an aqua-lifter pump ($10). The pump will allow the U tube to prime itself, even after a power outage.

 

[TanksNStuff]

Yes Mikem, some people use an aqua lifter or similar pump to prime the HOB overflow... and we could probably do that with this box too. My bro-in-law had a tube with a valve on it though, dunno why.

James, I took some measurements on mine and couldn't find anything similar on the web as far as size. Most of them I found were wider than this one (looking at it top down) but mine was wider than most the other way (from the tank wall it hangs on out). So I got a rough square inches of 15.75 and tried to match that against others. The popular CPR models have a CPR90 which is around 12 square inches (box inside the tank) and that one is rated for 600 gph. I think the one I have will be pretty similar.

So, for a return pump, you would want something like a mag 7.

I looked through my box of stuff, and I found a small valve that you can use... but the tubing I have is too big to fit into the hole on the HOB. You will either need to buy some tubing (or the aqualifter pump as Mike suggested) or you can drill the hole bigger to fit the tubing I have.

Anyway, if you are still interested in any of this stuff, reply back here and I'll check it before I leave for work on Monday.