pepetj

I am experimenting with a DIY Surge Bucket system for my recently cycled 20gal tall Nano Reef tank.

I have a 6gal sump capable of handling variations as much as a bit over 2 gallons of water. So I figured the standard 5gal Surge Bucket design easily available online would not be secure.

I ended up finding a 2gal transparent, light weight bucket with lid which allows me to see the system at work. I find it more interesting than the standard design.

So far I am fine tuning the system. I am going with two of these transparent light weight buckets adjusted in a way that both end up releasing around 1.5gal of water (around 3/4gal each) to keep my aquarium flood safe.

The challenge here is making it work with such small volumes of water. The push (against gravity) force of approximately 1.5 gal of water is barely capable of lifting the main float device, a slight variation in the angle of the lifting arm is critical. Also the room (working space) is quite limited. I am using 3/4" C-PCV for the float/discharge mechanism but I am almost certain to upgrade to the smaller 1/2" C-PVC.

I figure that if I keep somewhat different flow rates between the two buckets, I can recreate better the asynchrony of wave movements found in Nature.

I left the camera in my vehicle so I will upload a few pics tomorrow. This seems a silent way of improving water movement/circulation in Nano tanks.

Credits to Devon Bolt and AquaTouch for the original idea I based this modified version on.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo

Attached Images

2gal Surge Bucket for Nano.JPG (70.5 KB, 22 views)

pepetj

Lesson learned: Don't under estimate the weight of water. The thing almost fell to the ground. Had to dismantle it and will use adequate means to support it now.

I used a bigger container (a plastic drawer) since the small 2gall bucket didn't work out well.

Pepetj
Santo Domingo