Normal sump loop
Surface water crosses the weir, descends the tuned full-siphon main drain to a submerged sump outlet, passes through sump stages, and is pumped back high.
Reef Warden · interactive system cutaway
See how a reef system moves water.
Rotate a source-backed SVG model, hover or focus on real components, and trace the normal and power-off paths through a modern sump-based aquarium.
Herbie-style drain topologyConceptual · not to scale
Projected SVG model
Rotate. Inspect. Follow the water.
Drag horizontally on the model, use the view controls, or press the arrow keys when the model is focused. Hover, tap, or use the component list to inspect a part.
MODEL VIEW
Normal saltwater loopDry emergencyIntermittent RO/DISkimmer recirculationDisplay circulation
Component index
Every labeled part has a real system role.
Keyboard and touch users can use this list as the stable alternative to the model hit areas.
How to read the system
Four paths. Four different jobs.
The drawing separates hydraulic circuits instead of implying that every blue line carries the same water in the same state.
Emergency path
The higher unvalved standpipe and its above-water sump outlet stay dry in normal operation. The line is dashed and never animated as normal flow.
Local circulation
The display wavemaker and protein skimmer each recirculate water locally. Neither is the return loop.
Freshwater top-off
A separate finite reservoir adds RO/DI water intermittently to the variable-level return chamber through an above-water outlet.
!
Power-off reserve is a field test, not a promise from a drawing.
When pumps stop, water drains until the display weir and high return outlet break the paths. The sump must hold that drain-down volume with margin; this conceptual model deliberately assigns no volume.
Technical basis
Sourced, bounded, and explicit.
Manufacturer manuals and educational references define the illustrated topology and equipment behavior. The model is intentionally generic where exact product dimensions or performance would otherwise need to be invented.