A stupid idea

[DerrickLim]

Hi everyone,

I hope the title caught your attention and willing to help me evaluate the idea.

Basically I start off marine tank with an inappropriate setup (no sump, run on eheim pro 3 canister). Basically it is a used set that I took over from someone.

What I intend to do is to connect it like this ....

tank inlet -> canister (in) -> Canister (out) -> hydra stream -> reservoir water below tank -> standalone pump (with flow control valve) -> chiller -> main tank

* HOB overflow box is impossible due to the euro bracing.

* reservoir tank is where i intend to put my HOB protien skimmer (buy already, so gotta used), dosing pump. wanna hide this equipment from the main tank.

* standalone pump will have a slightly higher flow rate than canister and then control with valve.

My concern is imbalanced input and output flow in water reservoir.

I know I am not doing the setup in the most efficient way as I gotta live with my lack of experience. This marine tank is also my learning points for my new tank when i got a new house in 2015.

So, other than scolding me for the poor design, will the above work "technically"? haha ...

thanks in advance.

[Clement Chen]

I have considered this idea once, but even the lfs advised against it, it is hard to match up the flow rate and some times if the pump gets clogged the flow rate will differ and one of your tanks will flood, maybe can try a overflow box

[youdontnowm]

If overflow box, send your tank to drill the plumbing holes haha

[Clement Chen]

Hang on overflow? But dunno how reliable also

[kenyee]

I have seen a setup something like that at Qianhu.. Maybe u can go down and have a look.. The tank is a coral tank without any sump nor overflow.. The DT can just see 2 hoses (suction & discharge).. Its hard to explain in words but to go down and see the real things will be better..

[tunicate]

Hi Derrick,

If you use a canister, then it needs to be in a close loop back into your display tank(DT). Otherwise, during power outage, water will siphon off from DT until water drops below your "tank inlet". All these water will accumulate in your "reservoir" provided it has spare capacity to accomodate.

With regards to "standalone pump will have a slightly higher flow rate than canister and then control with valve", it is not a good idea to put pumps in series. The flow rate between 2 pumps will differ over time due to dirt accumulation(likely to be the canister pump). When that happens, "reservoir" will dry up while DT fills up.

I see dangers ahead bro if you intend to go down this path.

[DerrickLim]

Looks like it is a real bad idea. Gotta make do with a messy tank then....

Thanks everyone

[Quas111]

You can buy a U-tube, and use it as an overflow. (pic is from the Internet. Not mine) I have seen people on other forums use it, and it's very good. The water can channel into the sump(the tank below). You must make sure that the water level of the tank is low enough to ensure that the u-tube doesn't empty 3 cm of water from your tank onto the floor. IMO canisters are the worse form of filtration for saltwater, as it traps a lot of waste and detritus. You can also just get a simple pump to pump water back from your sump to your display tank. Fairly simple compared to your initial idea. Here's a (2 minute) drawing of what you can do

[Quas111]

You can buy a U-tube, and use it as an overflow. (pic is from the Internet. Not mine) I have seen people on other forums use it, and it's very good. The water can channel into the sump(the tank below). You must make sure that the water level of the tank is low enough to ensure that the u-tube doesn't empty 3 cm of water from your tank onto the floor. IMO canisters are the worse form of filtration for saltwater, as it traps a lot of waste and detritus. You can also just get a simple pump to pump water back from your sump to your display tank. Fairly simple compared to your initial idea. Here's a (2 minute) drawing of what you can do

by the way you will need to get a separate pump for your chiller. The return pump would be too strong for your chiller to cool the water properly

[DerrickLim]

I wonder if this is readily available in the market. I take a look tmr. Thanks

[Firestarter]

Its called an overflow box.

[Quas111]

Its called an overflow box.

overflow boxes are very expensive. This would be a lot cheaper with a bit of diy

[sunnymau]

Try this:

I had made one for my friend with a simple sump, and it works. Save you lots of money and easy to make.

Good luck.

[DerrickLim]

Looks good! May I know how many inch pipe did u use for your friend's tank?

[Reefzzz]

Hi everyone,

I hope the title caught your attention and willing to help me evaluate the idea.

Basically I start off marine tank with an inappropriate setup (no sump, run on eheim pro 3 canister). Basically it is a used set that I took over from someone.

What I intend to do is to connect it like this ....

tank inlet -> canister (in) -> Canister (out) -> hydra stream -> reservoir water below tank -> standalone pump (with flow control valve) -> chiller -> main tank

* HOB overflow box is impossible due to the euro bracing.

* reservoir tank is where i intend to put my HOB protien skimmer (buy already, so gotta used), dosing pump. wanna hide this equipment from the main tank.

* standalone pump will have a slightly higher flow rate than canister and then control with valve.

My concern is imbalanced input and output flow in water reservoir.

I know I am not doing the setup in the most efficient way as I gotta live with my lack of experience. This marine tank is also my learning points for my new tank when i got a new house in 2015.

So, other than scolding me for the poor design, will the above work "technically"? haha ...

thanks in advance.

Bro, why not take the easier way out. Rather than rectifying it, why don't you get a proper tank with overflow. Tank alone should not be too expensive I think.

1) You can try to use back the same cabinet to save cost

2) Sell the canister for some cash

3) + the amount of funds you originally plan to set aside for overflow box

You may not need to top up too much after that.

just my 2cts..

[DerrickLim]

Bro, I will certainly get one with sump when I move to my new house. Therefore, I just can't afford the time to setup another tank and gotta move all the livestock. My wife is gonna kill me! Hahaha

Current one is just an experimental phase to learn the trade from fowlr to sps in a small scale.

I certainly won't proceed with that 'stupid idea' after all the advises.

[Reefzzz]

Bro, I will certainly get one with sump when I move to my new house. Therefore, I just can't afford the time to setup another tank and gotta move all the livestock. My wife is gonna kill me! Hahaha

Current one is just an experimental phase to learn the trade from fowlr to sps in a small scale.

I certainly won't proceed with that 'stupid idea' after all the advises.

Haha.. we all been through this initial phase of experimentation... Hopefully, any mistakes will not be too costly