Sump questions!!!

[crossxfire2]

Alrighty, I need tons of help on the topic of sumps. First off, I have a 55 Fowler. It is not drilled, and when I move my tank to my new house, I was thinking about putting in a wet/dry filter.

I know that I have to buy siphoning tube, and overflow box because it will obviously be an overflow. I also know that I have to have a pump to pump the water back up to the tank. I will use a 29 gallon tank for the sump. I know what I will do with that...I also know how the wet/dry process works (kindof). But I have no idea how to start the wet/dry process, or pretty much anything else. Can yall fill me in??? Thank you!!!

[urban79]

start what? Get it start working. To get it started put water on both side of the U tube. Then get a small air line hose. Slip it in the u tube, intill it at the top of the U. Then suck the air out of the tube. So you get a siphon. Turn the pump on. Make sure all the air is out and take the air line hose out. Top of the water in your tank for the drop of water.

[apedroza]

If your talking about the actual wet dry process to start the bacteria bed all you really need is for the water to go through some cured live rock ( or live rubble). This will help with filtration and starting the bacteria bed. I would stay away from bioballs!!

[LoneStar]

Go with what Anthony said. Use a section of the new sump as a live rock rubble area. You can use a filter sock to catch detritus from your drain. Be prepared to change it out after a few days. Also keep a few clean ones on hand. You can also leave a area for a skimmer. With it being a FOWLR, a skimmer may not be needed but it all depends on how often you keep up with water changes. Eheim pumps are built solid and will outlast any other pump on the market. I would look into one for a return pump.

[crossxfire2]

so does the siphon automatically match the flow of the pump?

[caferacermike]

Yes. You can only remove what you put in.

[brewercm]

As long as you don't put on a pump that is too strong for the return. In other words if you have a single 1 inch drain I wouldn't go with anything over 600 gph as a return pump unless you dial back with a shut off valve.


so does the siphon automatically match the flow of the pump?

[mathias]

and make sure you don't overfill the sump before turning on the pump because if you have a power outage you may have a flood... so when you get it running do a power outage test by unplugging the pump and seeing where the water stops

[crossxfire2]

Am I screwed if the siphon breaks?

[edawgm]

You should not be nuts and bolts. That is unless your U tube has a crack in it and lets air in. (I had this problem but fixed it with a little silicon). The only other thing is that if it does lose the siphon, your return pump will drain your return area and if not caught in time could burn up your pump, which will also happen (return area draining) because of evaporation. So you either get an auto top off system or just do the back braking labor of filling it up when it is low.

If I missed something or made this hard to understand please fill in or let me know.