Plumbing Triple Tank Set-up

[Cap'n]

OK, the title of the thread is a bit deceiving, the third tank is the sump, so it would be even easier than you suggested StirCrazy. I am tempted to go this route, but I really don't want the extra external pump and all the added plumbing.

One thing I have to remind everyone with suggestions is that I am extremely, umm... cheap! and would like to do this with what I have on hand.

For example, I started up my high end graphics program to make the following diagram detailing my current plans. This may make it easier to pick apart, I mean, help me modify and troubleshoot.

.................................................. ..........
.........HOB..........................HOB......... ....
.......overflow <<<<<<<< skimmer.........
.....|...................|......|................. .|............
.....|..fish-only....|......|.....reef........|...........
.....|__________|.....|__________|...........
.............\/..................^..........................
.............\/..................^.........................
..........|..\/..........|>>>|...|...eheim............
..........|..sump.....|.....|....|..canister...... ....
..........|________|.....|__|....filter........... ..
.................................................. ...........

This is intended as a learning experience and will not be permanent. When we move into our own house the plan is to replace the 55gal fish-only with a 120. By that time I will probably be so sick of this ghetto setup that I will drill and plumb the whole thing properly. Until then, this is what I have to work with.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by cptclever

.................................................. ..........
.........HOB..........................HOB......... ....
.......overflow <<<<<<<< skimmer.........
.....|...................|......|................. .|............
.....|..fish-only....|......|.....reef........|...........
.....|__________|.....|__________|...........
.............\/..................^..........................
.............\/..................^.........................
..........|..\/..........|>>>|...|...eheim............
..........|..sump.....|.....|....|..canister...... ....
..........|________|.....|__|....filter........... ..
.................................................. ...........

This is intended as a learning experience and will not be permanent. .

yup and the biggest learning experience I see will be when your power goes out and then comes back on, the ehime and the skimmer will start back up but the overflow may not. this will be quite the experience of cleaning up water from the carpet

I am going to stick to my original Idea, but I will make some other suggestions, put the skimmer on the sump so it will skim the common point of water, buy a couple cheep pumps (used what ever ) mag 5's will be simple. If you insist on using the ehime then only one more pump will be needed. if tanks are empty get them drilled, if not buy two overflows and have each one return to the sump.

this will give you two independent systems working off a common sump. sure the cost is a little bit more but not much and you don't have to worry about the whole system if one part fails. in your original idea if you are out for the day/weekend and your ehime fails there is no Water to replenish the first tank so your skimmer motor will drain it down until it loses suction then burn out from running dry. also the sump could overflow from the excess water depending on its working level.

in a different scenario your skimmer pump fails and the ehime just keeps pounding the water to the first tank and then it goes onto the floor because the skimmer pump isn't sending it to the second tank.

sooo, now if you rig it independently if the skimmer fails who cares, it just doesn't skim till you fix it, if one of the pumps fail it only stops circulation in that one tank and the other tank and sump are fine ... make since?

Steve

[Cap'n]

Yeah, every time I played through the possible pump failure scenerios I always ended up with water on my imaginary floor. I think I'm going to have to give up on plumbing my two tanks together and simply have them share a common sump.

I did some research this afternoon into using U-tube siphons to connect them together but found more complaints than recommendations for that system. Still intriguing though...

Another possibility is cutting a small, square section at the top, back corner of each tank and building a channel to connect the two; return on one, overflow on the other. But, don't like the idea of cutting the tank...

Looks like I'm going with a shared sump. Essentially the same results anyhow.

[Invigor]

if you're putting holes in it, just get a nice round hole in each tank and have it plumbed to enter the sump, and have the return pump plumbed nicely to have a return in each tank

[TANGOMAN]

If I'm lookin' at this correctly there may be one problem... . Is the Eheim intended as the return pump? I considered this years ago myself and was informed the canister will yield poor results as there is no gravity feed to the inlet of the canister. That gravity feed "boosts" the output, that was the theory. This may be wrong but something worth considering...
I agree with going parralel. U-tubes are a pain and unreliable. Take it from me, NEVER do the "temporary thing"...

[Cap'n]

Yeah, the plan is totally reworked now. I have an external pump ordered which will return from the sump to both tanks. Each tank will have an overflow emptying into the shared sump. The contents of the eheim canister will be added to the sump / refuge and the filter will be moving to the cichlid tank.