how many times a hour should the water go through the sump?

[Zoaelite]

Originally Posted by banditpowdercoat

I was allways told that it is only the very thin layer of the surface we want? The solid particulate waste acctually gets absorbed/eaten by corals, inverts etc.

Or NP Biopellet bacteria for that matter . Thank you both of you, learned some new info today because of you!

[MikeInToronto]

I'd like to know what the solution is to a system that cannot have intakes in any other location but the overflow.

[banditpowdercoat]

Originally Posted by MikeInToronto

I'd like to know what the solution is to a system that cannot have intakes in any other location but the overflow.

Not understanding what you mean? The tank drains Are located in the overflow.

[MikeInToronto]

Originally Posted by banditpowdercoat

Not understanding what you mean? The tank drains Are located in the overflow.

Restated: What would be the solution to water flow needs if you cannot have open intakes in the aquarium? Let's assume the overflow can't be breached in order to reach those intakes.

[golf nut]

Originally Posted by MikeInToronto

Restated: What would be the solution to water flow needs if you cannot have open intakes in the aquarium? Let's assume the overflow can't be breached in order to reach those intakes.

One more time, what exactly do you mean?

[MikeInToronto]

I'll use an example. Let's say you have a tank full of sea anemones. We'll make them ritteri anemones because they like lots of water flow. In this tank you don't want a PH, closed loop, or anything with an intake. The OF is fine because it is easy to safeguard an overflow without losing efficiency. How do you get the flow up to, say, 10x flow without using PH or CL?

[golf nut]

Originally Posted by MikeInToronto

I'll use an example. Let's say you have a tank full of sea anemones. We'll make them ritteri anemones because they like lots of water flow. In this tank you don't want a PH, closed loop, or anything with an intake. The OF is fine because it is easy to safeguard an overflow without losing efficiency. How do you get the flow up to, say, 10x flow without using PH or CL?

Use a C/L with multiple inlets to reduce the velocity.the overflow box is still an intake. protect the C/L or powerheads the same way..

[banditpowdercoat]

That goes back to what I was saying about Every tank being different. If you do not want to use Powerheads, consider a closed loop. An intake is real easy to guard. Best thing is T the intake off a few times, then there is little suction at all the intake inlets, not just one. If you flow to much through a sump, regardless of skimmer, your going to introduce microbubbles. part of a sump's design is to be slow enough, add time/passages to let the microbbbles escape.

[mr.wilson]

Mike: Use a perforated nylon intake strainer on a closed loop. I used to use a 1/2 HP (3600 GPH) pump on a canister filter for 25 gallon tanks of small neons and they could comfortably swim right up to the intake or return when I used a perforated nylon strainer. An anemone could live on one while it draws in 3600 GPH. http://www.industrialnetting.com/filtration_tubes.html

Bandit: Single pass skimmers will work for a FIFO system because most of them use Sicce or Laguna pumps that only move 500 GPH.

[MikeInToronto]

That's something to consider for next time. I don't trust CLs and prefer propeller pumps with the included mesh right now. But it's not like the flow through my sump is that great anyway, maybe 2-3x skimmer capacity.