EQUIPMENT
All glass 30gal. tank with stock hood and wood cabinet stand.
Whisper 3 wet/dry power filter
Undergravel filter
301 powerhead
30watt 6500k fluorescent lighting
Sump: started 01/09/00 (See diagrams below)
All glass 10gal. tank
Algae filter
Low wattage light for algae
Protein skimmer (not in use)
Submersible heater
Mini-jet MN606 submersible pump for return to main tank
The first diagram below shows a top view of the whisper 3 wet/dry power filter that hangs on the back of the 30gal. main tank. I don't have an over flow, and I wasn't fond of the idea of using a siphon to supply water to the sump. I used what I had laying around which helped save on cost while at the same time trying to prevent all posibilities of flooding. The pump of the whisper draws water from the main tank into the filter chamber which is separated by a divider that I put in (the red line on the diagram below). The water passes through a fiber cartridge (green lines ) that catches the large particles, and then gravity flows to the sump via 1/2" cpvc. The return line is also 1/2" cpvc which comes in on the other side of the divider (red line), passes through a second fiber filter and flows back into the tank. The blue arrows show the direction of water flow.
The second diagram is a top view of the sump. It is divided into three section (1, 2, and 3). Sections 1 and 2 also have cross dividers in them that are 2" off the bottom which causes the water to flow under them and then over the others. I tried to show this with the green arrows on the diagram. In section 1 there isn't anything in it right now, it is just were the incoming water line A dumps water from the main tank. Blue arrows show water flow to and from main tank. Section 2 is the algae tank and 3" bubble disc. Section 3 is where the protein skimmer, and submersible heater is, as well as the return pump, which sets on a shelf close to the waters surface (water line B). I teed off of line B and ran water line C (light blue arrows show water flow) diagonal across and it dumps back into section 1. I put line C in to help control water output from the return pump (it was a "just in case" thing). As it ended up line C is not used. I installed shut off valves (yellow X on diagram) on water lines A and C, which is how I adjust the flow rate of both incoming and out going so they match.
In conclusion, I was actually a little nervous when it came time to plug the pumps in and watch this thing work for the first time. It took a little while to get the flow rates to match, but now that it is set it has ran with no problems. I've tested it by pulling the plugs to simulate a power outage and when I plugged them back in everything started back up and the water levels stayed almost the same.
Thanks for stopping by. On your way out please stop by the home page and take a minute to sign my guest book.
If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to e-mail me.
If you would like more info on algae tanks, check out Joaquin's site. He has a very good description and photos of his algae tank.
Whisper 3 wet/dry power filter
Undergravel filter
301 powerhead
30watt 6500k fluorescent lighting
Sump: started 01/09/00 (See diagrams below)
All glass 10gal. tank
Algae filter
Low wattage light for algae
Protein skimmer (not in use)
Submersible heater
Mini-jet MN606 submersible pump for return to main tank
The first diagram below shows a top view of the whisper 3 wet/dry power filter that hangs on the back of the 30gal. main tank. I don't have an over flow, and I wasn't fond of the idea of using a siphon to supply water to the sump. I used what I had laying around which helped save on cost while at the same time trying to prevent all posibilities of flooding. The pump of the whisper draws water from the main tank into the filter chamber which is separated by a divider that I put in (the red line on the diagram below). The water passes through a fiber cartridge (green lines ) that catches the large particles, and then gravity flows to the sump via 1/2" cpvc. The return line is also 1/2" cpvc which comes in on the other side of the divider (red line), passes through a second fiber filter and flows back into the tank. The blue arrows show the direction of water flow.
The second diagram is a top view of the sump. It is divided into three section (1, 2, and 3). Sections 1 and 2 also have cross dividers in them that are 2" off the bottom which causes the water to flow under them and then over the others. I tried to show this with the green arrows on the diagram. In section 1 there isn't anything in it right now, it is just were the incoming water line A dumps water from the main tank. Blue arrows show water flow to and from main tank. Section 2 is the algae tank and 3" bubble disc. Section 3 is where the protein skimmer, and submersible heater is, as well as the return pump, which sets on a shelf close to the waters surface (water line B). I teed off of line B and ran water line C (light blue arrows show water flow) diagonal across and it dumps back into section 1. I put line C in to help control water output from the return pump (it was a "just in case" thing). As it ended up line C is not used. I installed shut off valves (yellow X on diagram) on water lines A and C, which is how I adjust the flow rate of both incoming and out going so they match.
In conclusion, I was actually a little nervous when it came time to plug the pumps in and watch this thing work for the first time. It took a little while to get the flow rates to match, but now that it is set it has ran with no problems. I've tested it by pulling the plugs to simulate a power outage and when I plugged them back in everything started back up and the water levels stayed almost the same.
Thanks for stopping by. On your way out please stop by the home page and take a minute to sign my guest book.
If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to e-mail me.
If you would like more info on algae tanks, check out Joaquin's site. He has a very good description and photos of his algae tank.