DIY Surge Tank

Joe Lydon

Joe Lydon

New member
So, I bought 2 chinese powerheads in December, and I'm now down to one. I was talking with Greg and Tethered_Limbs in chat the other day, and I was mentioning that I was interested in an MP40. Well, somehow they got on topic about the surge tank at MCF. I love DIY, so of course I asked questions and started searching how to make them.. Turns out, they are pretty simple to do! I have an Iwaki 70rlt, so creating enough lift to a couple buckets won't be an issue, if I splice into my return. Here is the first run with scrap PVC I had laying around the house. It's 1" pipe, I plan to swap that out for 1.5" once my new bulkheads come in. It's just one for now, but I'm going to run one on each end of the tank.

http://youtu.be/ej7J68MLfzE
 
Oh, awesome project! I'd love to see how you designed it.

On a side note I thought you were going to make a full on wave crashing effect.... Was curious how you were going to deal with the splash and noise..
 
tkh said:
Oh, awesome project! I'd love to see how you designed it.

On a side note I thought you were going to make a full on wave crashing effect.... Was curious how you were going to deal with the splash and noise..
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Setup is really simple. 5 gallon bucket raised above the tank, a siphon tube setup inside and you just feed it water! Once the water level rises above the siphon tube, you get a full flush of the bucket. There are actually people who use the toilet flush balloons to open the drain on the bucket. I really like it! It adds more dynamic to the tank, and the bubbles clear really fast.

Here's the concept.
http://youtu.be/FwmnHf5fARM
 
Joe, it looks awesome, but you need to use tubing with a larger diameter. Right now, instead of a surge, you're getting a flow. More diameter, less time, more surge. :)
 
Funlad3 said:
I did, but I think you might need a larger diameter than the 1.5"! :D
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1.5" will flow 2025gph, empty the bucket in 9 seconds. It's taking over 25 seconds to empty right now. Plus, I can increase flow to the siphon tank and have it dump more often. If I add too much flow now, it has a hard time breaking siphon. I think two 1.5" will do the trick in a 4' tank, I may even add a 3rd to the center and face it forward. I don't think the tank could handle 10-15 gallons of water at once, if I were to use much larger tubes. Time will tell! Maybe I will do a 10 gallon with a 3" drain, just from one side of the tank? It's so cheap and easy to play with.
 
Funlad3 said:
I cede to your math... :D
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It's all fun, Man! :) I didn't even know what they were 2 days ago..lol I am just so impatient, I had to use the scrap materials I had on hand, to test it out! I'm gonna try the 1.5" drains and see how they work. Adjustments are easy to make and only set you back the cost of some PVC. I won't quit until it's just right.
 
You should! Side note.. Just realized the bucket is only filling halfway. It's not breaking siphon all the way. So, what you see in the video is only half force. I will post a 2nd video in a minute.
 
john from reef imports is a master at these pretty sure he made the one at mwcf. ive seen a bunch of these in action work great. but been told some people who used em with glass tanks had the seals blow from the pressure. not sure how true that is just something ive heard
 
Here's an updated video, after fixing the siphon break.. Much more powerful, but I'm still going to get larger drains.

http://youtu.be/v0Ag-pc7dr8

madjoe said:
john from reef imports is a master at these pretty sure he made the one at mwcf. ive seen a bunch of these in action work great. but been told some people who used em with glass tanks had the seals blow from the pressure. not sure how true that is just something ive heard
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I've seen the one on their coral trough, it's a nice setup.. I'm not sure about the seals, I just started learning about these 2 days ago. There are surge setups that literally fill a container and then tip over, I would think that kind of displacement would eventually cause seals to fail.

ColaAddict said:
How often do you clean saltcreep. This creates lots of bubble and saltcreep to top of tank and light fixtures
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Not sure, I just set it up today. My lights have glass between them and the tank.
 
Hey Joe...if you wanna play around with the toilet surges i have a couple laying around you can have for free. they are awesome but tend to be a little loud not the best option in my current home... They were made by Rod a long time ago...just need a tank or like a 5 gallon buckets... he used to sell something called a refusurge (spelling probably off)...basically had like a 20 high with a slanted piece of glass on a 45 angle with cheato on the first half, it overflowed to the sipon part and was a really good use of space as well as surging extra pods and such down into the display.
 
LemontReefer said:
Hey Joe...if you wanna play around with the toilet surges i have a couple laying around you can have for free. they are awesome but tend to be a little loud not the best option in my current home... They were made by Rod a long time ago...just need a tank or like a 5 gallon buckets... he used to sell something called a refusurge (spelling probably off)...basically had like a 20 high with a slanted piece of glass on a 45 angle with cheato on the first half, it overflowed to the sipon part and was a really good use of space as well as surging extra pods and such down into the display.
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I really appreciate the offer, Tim, but noise would be an issue in my house too! It's a small capecod, dunno if I could handle a toilet flush every 30 seconds! lol The siphon tank drains without notice. I just have to wait for my larger bulkheads, and I think it'll be Ok.
 
Ok, I realize how underwhelming it's all been up to this point, but I think I have it now! It rolls over the entire tank, goes from right to left, hits the wall and rolls all the way across the sand bed to the right wall. Success!

http://youtu.be/0KTQ5JcHFO4
 
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