Plumbing two tanks via AWC

[RaymondsWorlddd]

I currently have an IM 50ext that’s been set up for a couple of months. I was thinking of setting up a Fusion Pro 10 on the little table and have them plumbed together via the versa dosing pumps since I have extra pumps on there.

The 50g has a protein skimmer, UV sterilizer, CaRx, chaeto reactor, second reactor.

Thoughts?

I was thinking maybe doing 10-20mL/min continuously? Or should I do it in intervals

 

[Rtaylor]

Best way would be to plumb them together almost like a sump. 50 drains into 10 which drains into sump. Sump returns to the 50….

The risk in using pumps is if 1 stops working or the flow rates don’t match exactly you could overflow the tanks.

 

[ReeferAl]

You could also simply have them share the sump. Either requires that the 10 gal have an overflow of some sort to the sump, which I assume you're trying to avoid? I agree though that the dosing pumps is a risky proposition as noted by the OP.

 

[RaymondsWorlddd]

Good points. I was a little worried about that but then I started to wonder how is that any different than people actually doing continuous AWC?

I was hoping it would be as easy as using the dosing pumps haha. I even thought about using a floats switch that if triggered (when the water level is too high), the pumps would stop. But then it starts turning into something complicated. I think I’ll just have to have two separate tanks

 

[Lochekey]

If you are willing to consider one float switch in the 10 gallon tank to keep it from overflowing you could then put a small "overflow" box in the 10 gallon for the return pipe back to the main system so you can never accidentally draw the 10 gallon tank down, worse case scenario it will just draw some air. This would also give you a place to install the float switch that would not be so unsightly.

 

[RaymondsWorlddd]

If you are willing to consider one float switch in the 10 gallon tank to keep it from overflowing you could then put a small "overflow" box in the 10 gallon for the return pipe back to the main system so you can never accidentally draw the 10 gallon tank down, worse case scenario it will just draw some air. This would also give you a place to install the float switch that would not be so unsightly.

You’re saying to have a pump in the rear chamber that is triggered by a float switch to return water back to the 50g if it is overflowing?

 

[Lochekey]

Sorry didn't realize your 10g was an AIO and no that is not what I meant. Let me try again.

So if you have one dos pump set up to move water from to 50g to the 10g, have a single float switch in the back back of the 10g that is capable of stopping the pump from the 50g to the 10g if it is triggered thus preventing the 10g from overflowing. Then the dos pump from the 10g to the 50g could have its suction side hose set in the overflow chamber at a point that when it draws water down past an acceptable point it air gaps and stops drawing water so that it can never pull too much water out of the 10g.



Thinking about your idea of a safety pump controlled by a float switch would be a viable alternative as well.