Wow you've got some monster tilapia in there <g>. I'll have to study your setup more in detail, looks like a lot of really neat ideas. I really like your cheapo bead filter, have to try that...
Mostly, I was looking for ways to get the poop out of the main 90 gallon aquarium w/out setting up a siphon disaster waiting to happen. I've made a custom overflow box and have the return water flow flowing towards it with a large airstone right below it, which kinda works in getting the poop out of the main tank. Definitely looking for better ideas to accomplish this,
I'll shoot you a video of a 90 gallon glass tank I have about 25 Rocky Mountain Whites in. I have an overflow system that takes suction from the bottom. Water goes in at the other end. Active fish makes sure the stuff gets moved towards the overflow & out. Very little solids stay in the tank.
Saw your Rocky Mountain Whites, beautiful! I've heard of them but have never seen them yet; are they particularly aggressive? Hard to keep?
Yes, saw the intake at the bottom, but what happens during a power failure? Does it siphon the water out? Or, if not, how did you arrange it to break suction after a power failure? That's the part I can't wrap my head around;
The overflow is at the top. The top is open at that T used in case anything clogs up. If there is a power failure it simply drains to the level where the pipe comes through the glass.
Ah, "through the glass", so it's a drain not a siphon; well, I'm not quite ready to start drilling holes in my tank, so I suppose I'm still looking for a design that has a siphon tube starting at the bottom of the tank, comes over the top and goes to a sump below that will break suction if power fails, I've thought about using a 12 volt valve that will open up during a failure; thanks anyway
Loop seal? new term for me, kinda like a sink's p-trap?
In the (admittedly) rough sketch below, using such a loop cause the water to siphon out when at level "A" but stop when at level "B"? If so you've taught me a new trick!
Close, no cigar.
The 1st loop goes over the side of the tank.
The top of the 2nd loop has a T and vent. It must be lower than the side of the tank and the level of this T sets the water level.