DIY W/D approval

[spiral_72]

If any of you have 5 minutes.... Could ya' take a look at my filter and
overflow design and pick it apart? All parts are from a hardware
store.....The sump/overflow is built from 1/4" acrylic. Hopefully it's
big enough to run a 55 gallon freshwater aquarium. The drawing colors
didn't transfer to PDF very well since it is on a paper white
background, but hopefully it's legible.

As I said, they are .PDF files.... I made a quick link to them in the
upper right hand corner of my "Freshwater Aquaria" page..... Above the
picture.

Be critical as long as there is good reasoning behind it...... The sump
uses the footprint of my stand. The filter tower, I thought would look
cool the way I designed it.

Thanks! I'll check back Monday.
http://www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html

[Elaine T]

spiral_72 wrote:
> If any of you have 5 minutes.... Could ya' take a look at my filter and
> overflow design and pick it apart? All parts are from a hardware
> store.....The sump/overflow is built from 1/4" acrylic. Hopefully it's
> big enough to run a 55 gallon freshwater aquarium. The drawing colors
> didn't transfer to PDF very well since it is on a paper white
> background, but hopefully it's legible.
>
> As I said, they are .PDF files.... I made a quick link to them in the
> upper right hand corner of my "Freshwater Aquaria" page..... Above the
> picture.
>
> Be critical as long as there is good reasoning behind it...... The sump
> uses the footprint of my stand. The filter tower, I thought would look
> cool the way I designed it.
>
> Thanks! I'll check back Monday.
> http://www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html
>

The thing that caught my eye as possibly problematic is the overflow.
Those bent tube siphons are a real pain. I had them on a marine tank.
Have you considered drilling the tank? You could lower the water level
and drill at the back with an overflow box if breaking the tank down to
drill a standpipe is not feasible.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[Elaine T]

spiral_72 wrote:
> If any of you have 5 minutes.... Could ya' take a look at my filter and
> overflow design and pick it apart? All parts are from a hardware
> store.....The sump/overflow is built from 1/4" acrylic. Hopefully it's
> big enough to run a 55 gallon freshwater aquarium. The drawing colors
> didn't transfer to PDF very well since it is on a paper white
> background, but hopefully it's legible.
>
> As I said, they are .PDF files.... I made a quick link to them in the
> upper right hand corner of my "Freshwater Aquaria" page..... Above the
> picture.
>
> Be critical as long as there is good reasoning behind it...... The sump
> uses the footprint of my stand. The filter tower, I thought would look
> cool the way I designed it.
>
> Thanks! I'll check back Monday.
> http://www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html
>

Realized I should be more specific about the J tubes on the overflow.
Dissolved gasses can come out of the water in the turbulent siphon flow,
and you end up with a growing air bubble at the top of both tubes. If
the air bubble gets big enough, the siphon breaks. Unfortunately, if
conditions are such that gas accumulates in one tube, it accumulates in
both so redundancy isn't particularly helpful. In my marine tank, the
venturi on my powerhead or my skimmer return would sometimes dissolve
enough air to do this.

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[NetMax]

"spiral_72" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> If any of you have 5 minutes.... Could ya' take a look at my filter and
> overflow design and pick it apart? All parts are from a hardware
> store.....The sump/overflow is built from 1/4" acrylic. Hopefully it's
> big enough to run a 55 gallon freshwater aquarium. The drawing colors
> didn't transfer to PDF very well since it is on a paper white
> background, but hopefully it's legible.
>
> As I said, they are .PDF files.... I made a quick link to them in the
> upper right hand corner of my "Freshwater Aquaria" page..... Above the
> picture.
>
> Be critical as long as there is good reasoning behind it...... The sump
> uses the footprint of my stand. The filter tower, I thought would look
> cool the way I designed it.
>
> Thanks! I'll check back Monday.
> http://www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html
>

I'm no expert but I think you'll find that this design has a limited flow
rate. If it's a copy of a working unit, compare gph. Lowering or making
adjustable the first lip after the siphons would help. Elaine's comments
are extremely valid, whenever the flow rate is slower than what is needed
to clear itself of air bubbles (as would be the case with this design).
hth
--
www.NetMax.tk

[spiral_72]

Well no, it's not a copy. Rather a compilation of designs I guess. The
inside box is adjustable +/- 3/4"

That's interesting, I knew air bubbles formed but I had no idea why. I
had thought I would use a suction tube to a nipple in the top of each
siphon tube to the pump. Drilling the tank is obviously ideal, but it
scares me...... BAD! I will look into it though. Is the drilled
tank/drain idea quiet?

Not enough flow? Crap! I thought surely it would flow my 150gph.......
and I was proud of the redundant tube. Phooey!

No comments on the sump/filter? I guess it's a typical design though.

I really appreciate you taking the time Elaine, NetMax.... Thanks.
http://www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html

[spiral_72]

Oh, man..... I really, really really really don't want to drill my
tank. Please, there must be an alternative...?

[NetMax]

"spiral_72" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Well no, it's not a copy. Rather a compilation of designs I guess. The
> inside box is adjustable +/- 3/4"
>
> That's interesting, I knew air bubbles formed but I had no idea why. I
> had thought I would use a suction tube to a nipple in the top of each
> siphon tube to the pump. Drilling the tank is obviously ideal, but it
> scares me...... BAD! I will look into it though. Is the drilled
> tank/drain idea quiet?

Hmm, I've read about ways to quieten them, so I guess some can be noisy.
How about drilling the side of the tank? Ideally the side you drill is
taller than the others, so your water level does not drop appreciably
(this mostly only works with DIY tanks as few manufacturers (ie: DAS)
offer this).
--
www.NetMax.tk

> Not enough flow? Crap! I thought surely it would flow my 150gph.......
> and I was proud of the redundant tube. Phooey!
>
> No comments on the sump/filter? I guess it's a typical design though.
>
> I really appreciate you taking the time Elaine, NetMax.... Thanks.
> http://www.geocities.com/spiral_72/Spirals_page.html