Surge device

grantman · 01-05-2006, 01:05 PM

Has anyone ever been to the Marine Aquarium near Virginia Beach, Va. I don't know if that is the exact name of the place but they have a reef tank setup. It looks like it is a 75 gallon with a sump underneath and a surge device above it.

I was thinking of duplicating this system on my tank but I have some questions.

1. How many gallons need to surge to make a difference in my 125 gallon six foot long tank?

2. My sump is actually behind my tank about 2 feet. I was going to put the surge tank above the sump and have the water enter the tank at an angle. Will this limit the effectiveness of the surge?

3. Will I have to increase the amount of water surging to make up for the fact it isn't coming straight down?

4. Where does the surge enter the tank? At the one of the ends or in the middle?

Basically the system will pump water into a holding tank and a siphon will be created when the water reaches a certain level and then the water will drain into the tank. I sat there for 45 min just watching the surge device do its thing. It was so cool.

FastFish720 · 01-05-2006, 03:05 PM

1. How many gallons need to surge to make a difference in my 125 gallon six foot long tank? Don't hold me to this but I think if you dumped 3-5 gallons it would make a difference.

2. My sump is actually behind my tank about 2 feet. I was going to put the surge tank above the sump and have the water enter the tank at an angle. Will this limit the effectiveness of the surge? I'm actually sure

3. Will I have to increase the amount of water surging to make up for the fact it isn't coming straight down? I don't think so because the water pressure is still the same

4. Where does the surge enter the tank? At the one of the ends or in the middle?
This is a personal preference, but I would opt for the ends.

On a side note to all of this, a surge device is going to add a ton of microbubbles to your system. Not that microbubbles are bad, they natural occur in all reefs, but it doesn't make photohraphy too easy. Also I am not an expert on this, but I thought I could add some assistance.

WilyGuy · 01-05-2006, 03:11 PM

Is that the one where the surge is setup like a toilet?

I remember seeing one like that, the water gets siphoned out (pumped out) of the tank into a holding tank and then when it reaches a certain level, it floods it back into the tank. Pretty cool idea, I thought about setting one up, but didn't know if the wife would go for a toilet hanging over the tank...:rofl:

grantman · 01-05-2006, 03:34 PM

The holding tank can be anything that holds water and can be drilled. I wasn't planning on using a toilet tank though

.

Geoff · 01-05-2006, 09:46 PM

suge devices are neat, but containing the displacement wave can be problematic. reverse surge devices are better for this. instead of a wave entering the tank. there is a wave leaving the tank. these also create significantly less bubbles.

G~

grantman · 01-06-2006, 02:18 PM

I have never heard of a reverse surge device. Can you point me in the right direction.

Geoff · 01-06-2006, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grantman

I have never heard of a reverse surge device. Can you point me in the right direction.

Here are some links:

1

2

there was a thread that Galleon did about one of these. unfortunately one of the server upgrades wiped out all of the pics for it, it is hard to follow without the pics.

G~

grantman · 01-07-2006, 11:08 PM

Would a surge weaken the tank over time? With so much water moving I am begining to wonder what forces are put on the tank seams.

Geoff · 01-08-2006, 08:55 AM

good question, do not know. i would also think that a RCSD would be better for this than a regular one. this way the sudden surge is inward instead of outward or towards the same side of the aquarium repeatedly.

G~

Doug1 · 01-08-2006, 09:16 AM

I would think that the pressure changes from a surge would place additional strain on a tank over time. Given the noise and splash potential, best bet to do one of these would be a custom design inwall with a wet room behind, I believe if I were to do one it would be based on a custom acrylic tank built with this app in mind

FWIW the toilet reference comes from the use of a toilet style flapper valve in some of the systems as well as the sound

grantman · 01-09-2006, 07:34 AM

Thanks for the replies I am nixing the idea for my situation.