Help with setting up up 40 long as sump

greenreefer

greenreefer

Active Member
I have a 40 long that I want to use as a sump for my new 125. The 40 has no chambers. I'd like to put a octopus 200 in it and a fuge. My tank has just 1 corner overflow. Looking for baffle help. Where, how many, dimensions of each, can I use window pane glass from Lowes or is something else better. I think I'd like 3 chamber and a couple of drip/trickle trays for carbon and phosban when needed. I was thinking about chamber 1 have drain from tank, skimmer and trickle trays, chamber 2 fuge, and chamber 3 return pump and heaters.
 
matt b

matt b

Active Member
I am using a 40g breeder for my 180 and plan on getting a MSX 200 skimmer. I am not using a refugium. I want to have extra room fo my skimmer, heater, ect. IMO with that skimmer and not overstocked you dont need a fuge JMO. This is how I am doing mine. Put each baffle atleast a inch apart and the one in the middle atleast one inch above the bottom. And have the hight of the baffles on the sides of the level you want the water level in the sump. That glass should be fine, But I am having a glass shop cut me the baffles with 1/4 inch glass. And then just get a tube of aquarium safe silicone from your LFS to glue them in place.
 
greenreefer

greenreefer

Active Member
I really want a fuge chamber that is seperate from my skimmer. Anyone know how deep the chamber for the skimmer should be (for an octopus 200)?
 
matt b

matt b

Active Member
Originally Posted by GreenReefer http:///forum/post/2746932
I really want a fuge chamber that is seperate from my skimmer. Anyone know how deep the chamber for the skimmer should be (for an octopus 200)?
Which octo 200? The extreem or NW? And if you want a fuge then do something like this. And make the baffle on the left the same as the two on each side of the right.
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Originally Posted by MaTT B
http:///forum/post/2746899
I am using a 40g breeder for my 180 and plan on getting a MSX 200 skimmer. I am not using a refugium. I want to have extra room fo my skimmer, heater, ect. IMO with that skimmer and not overstocked you dont need a fuge JMO. This is how I am doing mine. Put each baffle atleast a inch apart and the one in the middle atleast one inch above the bottom. And have the hight of the baffles on the sides of the level you want the water level in the sump. That glass should be fine, But I am having a glass shop cut me the baffles with 1/4 inch glass. And then just get a tube of aquarium safe silicone from your LFS to glue them in place.
Certainly you don't have to have a refugium. But don't think a skimmer makes one unnecessary. No sir.... nu-uh!.
There are many benefits to having one. As well there is still plenty room to have your goodies in the sump/fuge compartment. IMO, you are making a mistake by not adding one in the start, and will be adding one eventually.
I'll be glad to help you with baffle height and spacing. I just don't have the time tonight. Go to the search function and search for sump fuge sump/fuge etc. You can select my name as a user name if you like and see some of the threads we have done these on. However, you will find many threads about these, as there is lots of stuff posted here with many knowledgeable reefers.Heres one in a 30 gal. Post up measurements of both tanks involved.
 
matt b

matt b

Active Member
Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
http:///forum/post/2746975
Certainly you don't have to have a refugium. But don't think a skimmer makes one unnecessary. No sir.... nu-uh!.
There are many benefits to having one. As well there is still plenty room to have your goodies in the sump/fuge compartment. IMO, you are making a mistake by not adding one in the start, and will be adding one eventually.
I'll be glad to help you with baffle height and spacing. I just don't have the time tonight. Go to the search function and search for sump fuge sump/fuge etc. You can select my name as a user name if you like and see some of the threads we have done these on. However, you will find many threads about these, as there is lots of stuff posted here with many knowledgeable reefers.Heres one in a 30 gal. Post up measurements of both tanks involved.
I just think people get to caught up in refugiums. I mean they are good for pods, helping with nitrates and so on. But IMO a healthy reef should NOT need help with nitrates. I have had one in every tank I have had and and just dont think they are so great. I might put a little clear container with some holes an put cheato in it and give it some good flow and light but just dont see the NEED if you have a good skimmer, do water changes, and are not over stocked.
 
greenreefer

greenreefer

Active Member
That was helpful, thanks
Anyone ever tried using the baffle area as a place to put carbon and/or phosban? I was thinking that if I made the spacing between more like 2 inches and 2 inches off of the bottom that there would be a decent amount of space for a media bag and gravity would force all of the water through the bag. Any thoughts?
 
greenreefer

greenreefer

Active Member
One more...Is there any advantage or disadvantage to running a sump in one direction (from tank to skimmer to fuge to return) versus sperate tracks (spliting the drain from tank and feed one into skimmer and one into fuge and then letting both overflow to center return)?
 
greenreefer

greenreefer

Active Member
Okay here are two designs I'm considering. The first one had 1 input into the skimmer chamber, the second has an additional input into the fuge chamber. The green and orange colors would be where I'd stick media bags with carbon and phosban.
What to put in the fuge. I have a ball of Chaeto which I want to add. I have LR + LS that I can, but I'm not sure. I know I don't want to do the DSB thing, so don't know if there should be a shallow bed or nothing at all. Considering mangroves, what do they need to grow (other than light and water)? Do they get stuck in the sand bed or seems like I've seen some kind of floating styrofoam holder???
 
greenreefer

greenreefer

Active Member
not sure why I can't get anyone to post now...I went with the second design, still looking for advice on no sand bed versus shallow in fuge and some info on mangroves
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
I have used the baffle area as a place to run filtration media, foam, carbon, whatever. It works just fine, however I have found that a phosphate reactor is a much better approach. I sili'ed in a strip of glass near the bottom of a baffle going down, then used eggcrate to hold the media bags in place.
The differences between a flow through design and a flow to center design are largely personal opinion/preference. There are many thing involved with these. As I stated before, do some researching here and you will find these topics over and over again posted up.

There is a lot involved in properly designing a sump/ fuge. More than just throwing some baffles in there and pushing water through. correct me if I am wrong, but I think you said you had a 2500 GPH return pump? That's a lot of flow through a sump/fuge. Not saying it wont work, I'm sure it will. But you need to think about managing that flow in a quite manner.
 
greenreefer

greenreefer

Active Member
I think you confused me with someone else. I'm not sure what pump I'm going to use yet. I have a mag 7 and the pump that came with this setup (not sure of brand or model) or I could buy something else. With this setup I'm wanting a submersible. Think a Mag 7 is enough?
Anyone keep mangroves? What about sand bed depth in fuge?
 
sman

sman

Member
My fuge depth is about 11in. And I also run a mag 7 on my setup a 90 with a 26 gallon sump/fuge.
 
greenreefer

greenreefer

Active Member
I think I'm leaning towards no sand bed in the fuge, but I'm still looking for info on mangroves.
Here are pics of the sump I made and the plumbing minus the skimmer and retrun plumbing/pump.






guess I didn't get a great full sump shot. I'll work on that.
 
greenreefer

greenreefer

Active Member
I did go with the center return chamber, so the layout is left chamber is skimmer and main entry point from display to sump, 2 baffles, then center return chamber, 1 baffle, then right fuge with secondary entry point from display. it's the lower design in the previous post with two designs.
Here are some pics I took today too.







 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
Originally Posted by GreenReefer
http:///forum/post/2749363
I think you confused me with someone else. I'm not sure what pump I'm going to use yet. I have a mag 7 and the pump that came with this setup (not sure of brand or model) or I could buy something else. With this setup I'm wanting a submersible. Think a Mag 7 is enough?
Anyone keep mangroves? What about sand bed depth in fuge?
You can always do a remote DSB if you wanted to.
I'd shoot for 10X through the sump. But if your tank only has one drilled OF, and it looks like it does, then the mag 7 s fine.
Is that plumbing the drain? If so the hose barb 90 will not work at all. Likewise you need yo increase the diameter of the drain and use no tight bends,45 fittings are fine, but try not to make them back to back. i would go with 1.25 out of the drain, (each drain if it has 2) then if it splits off you can go smaller, but still no tight bends and keep it as large as you can.
Your sump looks like it might be OK, but there are some issues thet you might have, bubble management, backwash, did you calculate for it? I preffer more baffles to control the flow myself.
 
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