My Wet/DrySump

Good evening! Some photos of my wet/dry-sump were requested. The pump (hidden under the bio media) is a mag drive 950. My 265g is not pre drilled as was my 155g bow front. I'm using a HOB over flow box now.
Thanks for suggesting I take some photos, I see room in the left hand corner, bottom of the sump for more bio media! yeah!!!! The white pole in the center is for my return hoses, one on each side of the tank.
Ken

 

Looks a lot like mine! except mine always has mulm in the bottom. What are the sponges that you have in there? Are they made for aquarium filters or is there a cheaper option? I think that's what I need, I only have two layers of bonded filter pad above the drip tray above the bio balls.

I see why you don't put the heaters in there :0

I have a single outlet overflow that sounds like a flushing toilet every few seconds. Is your overflow loud?

 

great pics!!!!!!
cut I can say, for me, I like the pillow stuffing much better...that's too difficult for this gal LOL

great job !

 

great pics!!!!!!
cut I can say, for me, I like the pillow stuffing much better...that's too difficult for this gal LOL

great job !

That's a good idea! I wonder if it would get tangled up in the impeller on the pump though. I could sew a little pillow case for it out of the net stuff from the fabric store.

 

Hello Sue. I just stir my sump once a day with my finger. It gets build up in it too. I also have a battery powerd air supply line sitting on top of the white lid so my bio matter has oxygen should be we lose power.

The sponges all are aquarium filter sponges That I've saved and collected over the years with a few new ones. The blue bio balls have not been cleaned in 10 years. I don't touch them period not any of my filter media in the sump. I keep all of my over flow sponges and prefilter sponges (to my mag drive) rinsed under tap. I have well water so I don't worry about chlorine issues and I don't depend on these sponges for bio matter. I feel they need to be cleaned and rinsed well for the filters to work at their peak level.

My over flow is fairly loud but I love it and it's not so loud that it disturbs me or disturbs my sleep. I find it very soothing. It more like a gurgling sound.
You can fill your sump full of bio media Sue and don't forget the room (if you have it) under the blue bio balls. Lots of room there too.

 

Sue if your pump has a pre filter sponge then the pillow stuffing shouldn't get inside of your impeller. Great idea if you make a pillow case for it! Very cool!
Ken

 

I don't think it does. It's a Marineland MaxI Jet 3000 775 GPH.

I don't touch the bio balls either. I just siphon the mulm out when I do water changes.

My overflow does not make a constant gurgle sound, it is more like a flush. Every few seconds the water reaches about 2 inches on the drain side and then "flushes." I have the tube-shaped sponge that's made for the overflow (Eshopps) but no matter how I position it it still flushes. The best position seems to be at an angle against the little wall that divides the overflow. It at least eliminates the falling water sound that way. It was a used set up and I think I might be missing a tube that goes above the drain hole. I've tried with no luck to find a picture on the internet that shows what should be there.

 

Sue my sponges that rest in the over flow box slide over a 4" piece of pvc pipe.

Now when I had my built in over flow system on my 155g, it sounded like an iron lung every few seconds due to the fact that it wasn't level. However in the over flow corner was a plastic piece that could be removed for a more even flow on each end. It was sounding so bad because the floor wasn't level and the tank wasn't exactly level. By removing the plastic piece on the high side eliminated the Lung sound. I don't know if that helps you any or not
Ken

 

It does help! a lot! I've been trying to figure out what is missing from the overflow for a long time. I even tried to piece together some pvc fittings to make a standpipe but it was to wide to fit in the overflow without leaning. Does the pvc pipe in your overflow have holes for the water to flow through or does it just go over into the pipe once the level reaches the pipe height?

 

Sue the 4" inch pvc does not have holes in it. The water flows over the pipe and down the hose.
Ken

 

Thanks Ken