Sump Design

[pcavazos76]

Hello, I designed a sump and I'm womdering if you guys can give me some feed back. In the refuge I have a 2.5" pcs of glass angled to try and create a cricle motion in the refuge, let me know your thoughts. I'm aslo wondering if it would be a good idea to have the refuge on the far right and the return in the center.


Thank you,
Paul

Sump Design.jpg

[rage]

Sump

Normally you'd have the set of 3 baffles just before return chamber, they are called bubble trap for a reason.

Unless you change the design and make the center chamber the return, then what you have is fine. What you'd want to do is make the center chamber smaller, you don't need that much width for return, just enough to hold your pump.
You want to make the right chamber/ the fuge wider so you can do more things with it. Just remember, if the return is in the center chamber, it pumps water back to the main tank, there may not be enough water to overflow into the fuge. You want some water to flow thru the fuge but not neccesary a lot of flow, depending what you keep there.

[pcavazos76]

Thank you, I'm going to redo this diagram and add it to this page.


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[pcavazos76]

Let me know if this one is better.


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[rage]

I have a PM refugium, R24 I believe, and it looks pretty much like that.
The chamber for the purigen is a good idea but it's more work. Some people just throw a bag in the sump somewhere. Some say the bag may leak and you get the stuffs everywhere. I don't use it so I don't know.

Looks like you make the sump out of a 20G long. It's ok but if it was me, I would make it out of a 20G high, it takes less room in your stand. Plus the height will give you more spare capacity and not overflow when electricity goes out.

[pcavazos76]

Thanks for the info I may double bag the bags for the purigen.


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[bobfig]

what kind of tank is this going on?

[pcavazos76]

A 40 gallon breeder, I'm doing a reef tank, many softy.


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[bobfig]

Let me know if this one is better.


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i like this one better but just leave the last wall out as it shouldn't be needed and move the foam to the other side closer to the fuge and making that opening maybe 1.5-2" wide.

another idea is maybe use a 29gal tank for just more water volume in the sump.

[pcavazos76]

Thanks bobfig, so it's better to have the flow to pump come from the bottom and not from the top?


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[rage]

A 40 gallon breeder, I'm doing a reef tank, many softy.


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There is not a lot of room under the stand of a 40G. It must not have a center brace for you to fit a 20G long under but just barely. You won't be able to have anything else in it either.

I have a 125G, 6' long and I have:
. A sump, PM R24, (24" long)
. A 20H, (24" long) used for water top off.
. The ballasts for my MH.
I have a BRS carbon/ GFO reactor but can't fit it in.

I just want to point our that you want to watch the space you have and to me the Auto top off may even be a more important item to have. I used to have to add 1-2 gallons of fresh water every day manually and that had become a pain.
For a 40G breeder you won't lose that much water but you still have to top it off. If you wait too long to top off, the salinity will change a lot and it affects your live stocks.

[rage]

Thanks bobfig, so it's better to have the flow to pump come from the bottom and not from the top?


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That is a good point, if the flow from the middle chamber falls into the return chamber, you may have air bubbles that your pump picks up and sends to your main tank. You don't want that.

[bobfig]

well what im figuring if you use a foam that would filter out the bubbles before they get to the pump. also if the water falls from the top can cause bubbles, so i figure having it come from the bottom would minimize the risk.

the thing you also have to consider is the chamber where the pump is in is where the watter loss from evaporating is going to be coming out of. so if that chamber is too small it can have you refilling everyday.

[pcavazos76]

Thank you rage, under the 40 breeder I don't have a middle brace. I have maybe 8 or 9 inches once my sump is all to one side.


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[pcavazos76]

Okay Ya I don't want any bubbles.


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