# How does a sump work?



## Gerber77 (Jan 10, 2006)

I would like to know how a sump works. Please show pics of your sumps. I want to know how you get water from the main tank to the sump?(plumbing I guess) It would help if you could post pics. Thanks a lot.


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## icp (Jan 18, 2005)

To get water from the tank to the sump you would need an overflow box or a drilled tank with built in overflow box/riser tubes.

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/overflow.htm < explaines how overflow's work


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

here are some pics of my overflow in operation, and 2 shots of my sump, i can explain it all if you want, but it would take a second, so just ask. im lazy. lol


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## Gerber77 (Jan 10, 2006)

Please explain level drummer.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

Basically a "overflow" draws water from the main tank down a tube into a 2nd container below the tank, you will have a "baffle(a object to create a compartment like place) that will be in place to stop it from gushing all over the bottem tank.

Water flows through each compartment of the bottem tank and ends up at the other side, where a 2nd strong water pump, pumps the water back into the main tank on top.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

mala has it, there are MANY different ways to do a sump, the one i decided to do is (from left to right, im gonna describe each section) first is the intake chamber, its just so the water doesnt make a mess like mala said, the three small pains of glass after that is a bubble trap, the water goes over-under-over, so any bubbles wont pass the under part, then i have a small area for growing macro algae, that will help keep nitrates down, and will help act as a place for tiny little critters to breed away from predation. after that is my skimmer, and last is the return pump. the sump stays full , the only place water level changes is the very last chamber, you can see where i wrote water level on it with a marker, so i can see how much evaporates... hope this helps, ask anything else youwould like to knw.


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