Criticize my sump/fuge plumbing design please!!!

[zanemoseley]

Ok I've decided to buy a 20gal all glass for a sump and I already have a 10gal for a fuge, I'm gonna have a 700GPH Lifereef overflow and a mag9.5 for return and to feed the fuge, I'm planning on feeding the fuge 100GPH or so, there will be 1" PVC for the bulkheads, 3/4" for the return line and check valves for easy cleaning and breakdown

 

[skirrby]

i think it looks good. im no expert though

 

[zanemoseley]

btw the sump will run with 5.5" of water and the fuge will be full, here's something someone replied about in another forum
"Looks great! Don't let the return from the Fuge to the Sump exit underwater. It might get airlock and back up. (or drill a hole in the 90)"
I think he thought I was gonna run the sump full though, will it be ok to have the fuge return line exit under the water of the sump?

 

[speed123]

this is off the subject what are the benifits of having a set up like this....this is the first i ever heard of it...i'm new to the reef world.....diagram looks goo though.

 

[triggerfinger]

I dont see a problem with it.. It looks like a well thought out design and should serve you well...:happyfish

 

[triggerfinger]

But I do see what the person was saying about your return from the fuge.. if the return is totally submerged, their may not be enough air moving through it to keep the water lvl at a constant.. In other words.. it would be a good idea to stop your return a little above the the water line in the sump..

 

[zanemoseley]

do you have any idea of a way to do that without making the falling water loud, also I was planning on having the tube from the overflow submerged is this also gonna be a problem or not so much b/c of all the pressure of the overflow

 

[speed123]

to avoid water falling noise you can use an sponge from the tip of the waterfall on down....the water will just flow through the sponge

 

[zanemoseley]

how bout if I were to take to return all the way to the bottom of the sump but drill holes all over the pipe so the water would come out of those little holes

 

[hirock]

I didn't notice the size of the drain line going into the sump. A word from experience, just make sure that you make your drain line is large enough to handle everything that is thrown at it. Make it large enough to handle the accidental snail or crab either falling into it, getting sucked up or perching ontop of the vent.

 

[broomer5]

zanemoseley,
The drainline from the fuge back to the sump can be submerged in the sump side. It will not get "airlocked" as someone else mentioned.
I don't understand what this air lock is anyway.
Water will fall through the 1" bulkhead fitting, through the 1" drain, into the sump. No problem. This is the way I have mine set up. These is no airlock issue to worry about.
The one thing I would do differently from your original design is this.
On the line feeding the fuge.
It MUST empty out into the fuge "above" the fuge water level.
Since the fuge is run at a higher elevation than the sump - if this line is allowed to enter into the fuge water - when you lose power your fuge water will siphon back to sump.
Just as we need a siphon break on our display tank returns - we also need a siphon break on the fuges return.
This I know from experience and dry/wet run testing.
Other than that - you may find that the overflow drainline is too far under water. It's true that if it's underwater, it most likely will be less noisy - but it may slow down your overflow rate some. You can still have it underwater - just have it barely under.
Here's what I was talking about with the fuge level and the fuge return emptying out "above" the fuge water level.
Looks good to me otherwise

 

[dacia]

What kind of pump do you plan on using as the return from the fuge to the sump? I see that you will use the magdrive 9.5 to return to the main tank.

 

[krishj39]

Your plan looks good. I have a very similar setup on my tank. I have a 20g sump, a 10g refugium, and a mag 9.5. The main difference is that I don't have my fuge connected to my mag 9.5 because I wanted all of that flow to go to the main tank. I had an extra smaller pump that is in my sump that feeds just the refugium. While it takes up a small amount more space in the sump, I believe it ends up being the more simple solution. Messing with ball valves always sucks, IMO. I have a diagram on my home comp that shows how I set mine up. I'll post it when I get home from work.

 

[zanemoseley]

Ok so here's what I've got so far from the post so correct me if I'm wrong. The fuge feed line can be slightly underwater by say 1/2" to reduce noise but not too much to reduce back syphon. The overflow from the fuge can also be barely under water. The overflow from the display can be underwater but drill holes in the portion under the water.
Kip or broomer can you explain to me why it is necessary to drill holes in the tube from the display overflow.
Also how would this work for the fuge overflow pipe if I had the PVC go to the bottom of the sump almost but drillled holes on the PVC on a lot of the pipe even some that is out of the water so that the return water could seep out of the holes if needed

 

[jeepboy]

What size is the display tank?

 

[zanemoseley]

75gal

 

[zanemoseley]

well I just bought all plumbing supplies and black sil-o-flex for making a spraybar, I also bought a 20H AGA for the sump, now I need bulkheads and need my tanks drilled, any more input on on the fuge return above

 

[zanemoseley]

come on I wanna know about the fuge return

 

[lazzybunch]

I'm not Kip or Broomer, but I live near Kip and I bought some lights from Broomer
The return from the fuge to the sump will be fine under water. You could drill holes if you want, but it shouldn't be necessary unless you are running a high amount of water through your fuge, which you probably wouldn't want to do anyway. I have 2 1" drains in mine per Broomer's design, just to be sure. As for your drains from the main tank, you may find it necessary to drill holes in it if you run it all the way to the bottom of the sump. This is to relieve back pressure and allow your drain line to keep up with the overflow (drill the holes in the part underwater). What size drain lines are you using? I have 1" drain lines going to the bottom of the sump and have no problems with it keeping up.

 

[jauringer]

this may have already been mentioned, but you need baffle between your Euro-reef and your return pump. you will have micro bubbles galore if you don't.
you may want to add another union on the return line and the overflow line to make it easier to get the sump out.