Hey guys, new here, went through about 60 pages of this thread to learn about pvc overflow siphons and such, seem to have a pretty good handle on it, you guys definitely have the best thread around for anyone who wants to learn about a DIY siphon setup.
I don't know if I missed it, or if it was in the 20 pages I didn't read, and it's not so much a question as what I plan to do,and suggest if anyone else is in the same type of setup I am.
I currently have a 55 gallon tank, which I just have filled with water, haven't set up anything yet really, and since it's only going to be a freshwater tank, and I'm on a pretty tight budget, i decided to build a small sump for it out of a ten gallon tank.
Ended up using old cd cases for the baffles, just siliconed it earlier today, so I'm going to let it cure until thursday(which is when I get paid so I'll be getting and building the overflow setups) before I leak test it.
I set up the tank in four sections, seperated into the four corner going over, under, and over again, I can post some pictures in a bit if anyones interested in that part, but this seems to be more about overflow, and such, so I'll leave that to if it's inquired.
Basically, I'm still completely undecided on where I'll be putting the sump tank, although it's only 10 gallons, my 55g stand doesnt have any underneath storage or anything, so I'll be putting it next to the tank, and I considered having the 10g at a higher level than the 55g, so the overflow siphon would be going into the 55g, and if there was a power outage, there would be room for the overflow, but the baffle setup I have doesn't seem like it would allow for enough room for a good overflow siphon setup, so what I've decided on is a little overkill I think, but still inexpensive, and with much added peace of mind.
The 55g tank will be setup on the stand, the 10g sump will be set up on a second stand off to the side, at a lower level than the 55g.
The 55g will have a pvc overflow siphon system to go into the 10g and the 10g will have a maxi-jet 1200 return pump into the 55g.
In between the two tanks will be either a tote box, or more likely a plastic trash barrel, and both the 55g and the 10g will have an emergency pvc overflow siphon at about an inch above where the water levels should be.
I know it seems overkill, but it also seems kind of like, why not for the small amount extra it would cost me to have that easy peace of mind.
I don't know if I will be able to set up the siphons to actually work though, since they will be empty at all times other than the event of an emergency, is this true, or would the pumps be able to prime themselves if I had smaller or larger overflow tubing involved?
I drew up a pretty bad picture of what i mean, and I apologize for anyones iq going down looking at it, but I'll risk including it anyway.
(No letting me upload it to here, guess the picture is just that bad lol, so here's a photobucket link to it.)
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j83/Castro897/Outline1.png
