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JeremyHorton 
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 Topic: pros/cons of plumbing my tank to sump a floor belo
Posted: August 02 2011 at 9:44am |
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I've been thinking lately of doing a semi major change on how my 120gallon reef tank is setup. I current have two overflows that are plumbed underneath my tank into my stand. One goes into a very large refugium(40 gallon) and the other into my mechanical filtration side(protein skimmer, sock filter, UV, and heaters).
I have seem some people who's secondary tanks are plumbed down a floor. They usually have very large sumps(horse watering trough or other large cheap setup). I have seen them full of live rock and have lots of space for macro algae. They seem like they are very easy to maintain the equipment as it isn't all stuffed into a little box.
I have a 6 foot tall crawl space that I'm kinda making into a usable space(I put stairs, lights, shelves , etc.. in).
For those that have done such projects, what are some of the pro's and cons of moving all the equipment to a "fish" room?
What are some of the big issues and pitfalls that I might run into? Also at the end of the day is it worth it?
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Dion Richins
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Posted: August 02 2011 at 10:39am |
I loved mine in the room below. Lets you have much more water volume and is easier to maintain. The only con I can think of is the bigger pump to move the water that distance. Bigger pump more power. Other wise its awesome.
My new system that I am designing for the home we are looking to build will have the sump in a controlled room behind the tank. (something I'm currently doing on my basement tank.)
Anytime you can get the sump and equipment into a open room makes life much easier.
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: August 02 2011 at 8:42pm |
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+1 to that!
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: August 02 2011 at 9:35pm |
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+2
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Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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sunflashx
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Posted: August 02 2011 at 11:28pm |
 The sump is definitely more accessible. 
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JeremyHorton
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Posted: August 03 2011 at 9:40am |
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Wow that is a nice setup.
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Jake Pehrson
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Posted: August 03 2011 at 9:56am |
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I agree with the above. The only downside is the large return pump.
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DLindquist
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Posted: August 03 2011 at 10:12am |
This just wouldn't fit in the stand! When we started working on our large upgrade, we also decided to move the control room to a separate location. We opted for the garage. Obviously we went with the larger return pump at double the cost of the previous return pump. Even after downsizing that pump, we still have more flow for future additions. This leads me to the biggest advantage of a separate control room, the ability to continually add on without running out of room. One disadvantage (if you consider it that) is more drain water returning back to the sump in the event of a power loss. We have a check valve in place on the 2" return line but the 2" drain line raises the sump to near capacity. We will be adjusting the level of the sump soon to address this concern.
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A government strong enough to give you everything you want, is powerful enough to take everything you have.
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Jake Pehrson
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Posted: August 03 2011 at 10:25am |
The water draining back to the sump is another disadvantage if you cannot contain all the water. I would not rely on a check valve to stop the back flow. IMO this is a disaster waiting to happen since check valves have a high failure rate in reef aquariums. That is why I have a 240 gallon sump.
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sunflashx
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Posted: August 03 2011 at 12:00pm |
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I opted out of a dedicated refugium space in my sump tank in exchange for a larger return section.
The sump is a 75 gallon tank, which I holds about 50 gallons as configured if I recall correctly. I think I pick up about 6 gallons when I shut off the return which mostly fills my return at the level it is set at. My main drain runs as a siphon, so I have a 1.5" pipe completely full that has to drain, in addition to the overflow and display tank level settling.
The concern for unplanned drainage shouldn't be drastically different with a sump one floor below the display or fairly close to the display. The bigger concern is the same as a in stand sump, which is the return siphoning the display. If my check valve were to fail I've got room for about 20 gallons for it to siphon out of my display before it floods... Into the floor drain below my sump bench.
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