Originally Posted by
joeyfine
http:///forum/post/3253713
how big of a sump pump would i be looking at? the sump pump page says a good rule of thumb is bigger is better but i think i need a more accurate statement. a 40 gallon tank would require what size pump?
IMO, it is very simple, wwhatever size tank you want to use, will work for a sump/refugium, or whatever you want to call it. Basically, you will want to create an area for your sand,chaeto and whatever you want in your fuge and an area for your return pump. If you want to add a protien skimmer in there,you will have to create an area for that.
Personally, I like to run the water thru the skimmer section first, then thru the fuge and to return pump. This keeps the skimmer from pulling out pods and such before they reach your display. (There are alot of nice setup examples in the DIY forum of this site)
For the return pump, the size you need is dependent on what size hole you drill in the tank, head space of the return line and how many bends you put in it. For example, I have a 1 inch drain line(1" equals 600gph) I had to get a Mag drive 9.5(950gph) to return the water at the same rat with 3ft of head space and 2-90 degree turns.
You can google calculaters. ther is a very good one where you put in all the details and it will tell you how many gph you need.
Hope this helps! Amy