Plumbing help please

[Thespammailaccount]

I have a waterbox 70.2 cube 24” x 24” x 24” 70 gallon total water volume 50 gallon display and 20 gallon sump. I want to attach a 30-50 gallon tank to it as a display fuge that has a DSB which will act as a remote DSB. I bought the waterbox because it told me which equipment to use and how to set it up. How can I do this? How do I plumb this? I want this safe and do not want to drill the waterbox. Can I add a tank to this tank and share the sump?

 

[T-J]

Sounds like you can just pump water from the current sump into the fuge. You could drill the fuge and have the return lines then flow back into the sump.

 

[HD_Reefer]

Something like this? You'll need a strong pump.

 

[Soren]

@Thespammailaccount Does your current display drain to the sump through the bottom or the back side? This could make a big difference in which solution works best.
It looks like the Waterbox 70.2 Cube drains through the bottom, so it will be difficult to make the addition with a complete loop cycle like my planned setup. It is probably best to just have both tanks connected to the same sump to link the systems.

@HD_Reefer +1 if display drains through bottom, but maybe just use two separate return pumps (one for each tank).

 

[Thespammailaccount]

Something like this? You'll need a strong pump.

Can I add a second pump or will it mess it up? If so do I put a ball valve on each return line?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Can I add a second pump or will it mess it up? If so do I put a ball valve on each return line?

You can add a second pump. Just be sure that you account for drain back to the sump from both tanks. No need for a flooded sump if the power goes out. Give me a bit and I will draw out how my 2 frag tanks share a sump. Super easy to do and uses 2 return pumps.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

You can add a second pump. Just be sure that you account for drain back to the sump from both tanks. No need for a flooded sump if the power goes out. Give me a bit and I will draw out how my 2 frag tanks share a sump. Super easy to do and uses 2 return pumps.

Crude, but here ya go. Red is full siphon and orange are emergency drains.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

You can add a second pump. Just be sure that you account for drain back to the sump from both tanks. No need for a flooded sump if the power goes out. Give me a bit and I will draw out how my 2 frag tanks share a sump. Super easy to do and uses 2 return pumps.

If I use one return pump will the drain back be the same level as it is with the one tank or still more because there will be two tanks?

 

[Eagle_Steve]

If I use one return pump will the drain back be the same level as it is with the one tank or still more because there will be two tanks?

It will be more, as the volume from the second tank will and its plumbing has to be added in.

Being as you are doing remote dsb/fuge, the flow it to it can be pretty low. This means you can have the return slightly higher up in tank and possibly even half of the return nozzle above the water. This would severely limit the amount of drain back from that tank. Almost instant siphon break on that side.

The drain has to factored in also, but with slower flow, you can set the water in the overflow to a height very close to the drain and not worry about noise or creating a vortex that sucks air. This also will allow for less water to drain in the event of a power outage or a dead pump.