Do Sumps Leak often?

[baktabiznis]

Im thinking about starting a new 75 gallon reef setup w/sump. Till now i have been strictly HOB. I rent the second floor of a house and would hate for a leak to happen with a sump, I actually already have had a leak with my HOB skimmer and the landloard was cool about it. I lost about 10gallons while on vacation

, right onto the rug and dripped downstairs (hated that call). Do leaks happen more often w/ sumps then with hob filtration? Is there any precauctions i could take so when im not home or away the system will cut off? i have read about controllers with leak sensors but idk if they will really work well. Im debating because i really want to go rimless and would hate to have to hang stuff on the back (thats a waste of money).
Should i just go for it and be cautions or stick with hob till i get my own home. thanks for the help

 

[JimmyR1rider]

You're adding another tank so there's always a chance. They don't usually have issues but like any manufactured piece of equipment it is able to fail.

My advice would be decide the route you're going to go and buy the correct piece. Don't try to save a few bucks making something work that wasn't designed for your exact application.

If you're buying a premade sump I like the aqueon pro flexes because they're quiet. Only downfall is they are made of thinner acrylic so handle it with care and lift it by the bottom, not the sides since they will crack easily with torsion. Other than that they're great sumps. Have used a couple in my home tanks and have installed many. They're dead quiet and the model 3 has a nice sized return chamber with having a decent sized fuge area.

Eshopps sumps are built heavier with thicker acrylic but tend to be pretty noisy unless you put a piece of PVC down from the bulkhead into the filter sock to discharge the water under the sumps water surface, then you have to pull it out every time you change your filter sock. The AQUEONS you can have an Armani suit on and change the socks without getting the suit wet.

Also custom king on here makes really nice custom acrylic sumps and will design it with you and build it to that exact design.

If going DIY with a glass tank the main advice I'll give you is use glass baffles that way you don't have to worry about the silicone not sticking forever. Also remember to leave room between the baffles and inside of the tank glass for expansion. Glass actually absorbs water throughout the years and will expand slightly. I always left 1/8" - 1/16" on each end to allow for this. Use enough silicone to seal it really well and you'll Have no issues.

If you don't allow for this expansion room there's a chance throughout time with the baffles constantly pushing against the glass after all the panels expand a bit that the pressure cod contribute to a failure.

That's really the main guidelines I always went by. Good luck with your decision. In my honest opinion a sump is worth the small risk. It'll increase your water volume a bit and give your more room to easily accommodate reactors and other equipment you may want to use in the future.

 

[lnevo]

A controller with a leak detector can shut things off and alert you. Aside from leaks it can help alert on many other issues, be your ATO, automate tasks (feeding mode, water change mode, etc.) it can be a good piece of mind, but definitely an investment in time and $$. As you've seen accidents can happen in any configuration.

 

[baktabiznis]

Thanks for the replys. Think um goibg to go with a sump but skip the rimless tank this time around

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Reefs

 

[homegrowncichlid]

My sump is another all glass tank, and of all the tanks I've kept since junior high, only 2 have leaked, both were because the table they were on weren't flat (or settled over time/weight), causing the bottom to crack.


Also had a 3rd incident when the overflow pipe was clogged with seaweed, causing the water to over flow.

 

[Klewis]

You're adding another tank so there's always a chance. They don't usually have issues

Also custom king on here makes really nice custom acrylic sumps and will design it with you and build it to that exact design.

If going DIY with a glass tank the main advice I'll give you is use glass baffles that way you don't have to worry about the silicone not sticking forever. Also remember to leave room between the baffles and inside of the tank glass for expansion. Glass actually absorbs water throughout the years and will expand slightly. I always left 1/8" - 1/16" on each end to allow for this. Use enough silicone to seal it really well and you'll Have no issues.

If you don't allow for this expansion room there's a chance throughout time with the baffles constantly pushing against the glass after all the panels expand a bit that the pressure cod contribute to a failure.
.

Please guide me to the Mr Wizard or Bill Nye Science Guy experiment to prove this theory of glass absorbing water. If this was true our tank would leak from every where from saturation. The only reference I could find is volcanic glass some minute amount over 1000 years. The reason you leave space on the sides are for easier placement with reduced friction and space for the silicon to fill.

My opinion is you won't go wrong with a sump just make sure your return pump is matched to the overflow rate and leave room in the sump for when you lose power. Other than that it has as much of a chance of leaking as your display tank, maybe less because it won't have the full volume inside.

 

[lnevo]

:hug:

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Water is in fact porous. Therefore it will absorb water and expand ever so slightly. If the glass when you build it is against the other panels it COULD not saying it will but COULD cause something to fail. Whether it be the baffle or tank.

Instead of being an a hole there are other ways to go about things.

Ask bill nye he'll tell you the same.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygroscopy