Please help with 55 gal ref/sump in basement

[javajoe]

Ok... its time.
I just finished upgrading my lights, and I bought about 200 pounds of live rock from my wifes hairdresser for $150.
I have a 55 gallon long tank in my living room, and another in the basement that i want to use as a sump/ref.
i need help with 2 things.
1- where to place dividers, etc for the sump/ref.
2- how to deal with getting the water to the basement and back up again.
any help, especially with diagrams, photos would be greatly appreciated.
oh- we're not using all 200 pounds for the ref/sump- using the rest for a 65 gallon hex seahorse tank.
thanks in advance...
Joe

 

[nm reef]

Javajoe...I just completed a DIY sump & added it to my existing refugium(even made the refugium larger). The sump design was simple...I used a 29 gal aquarium and set dividers to allow room for my skimmer and return pump. I had comtemplated this project for a very long time and looked at lots of design ides.....what I went with was relatively low tech...but its working fine.
I'll attach a pic of the sump below...if you have additional questions on placement of diveders ask away(bdjr@3lefties.com).
For the return pump you'll need one large enough to pump back from your basement....probably larger than the MagDrive 1200 I use...again ... try a search of on-line vendors for pumps....there are several quality pumps available to meet your needs....to get the water from the display to the sump you'll either need built in overflows or a hang-on syphon type...I use LifeReef overflows...each can handle about 700 GPH...the options are limitless...depends on your imiganination and your budget. I'd be glad to answer specific questions and help all I can....feel free to contact me directly if you'd like. Heck folks here helped me so I'd be glad to help another member all I can....best of luck developing your project.

 

[jedimaster]

Well first off your gonna have to decide wheather to drill your tank or get an overflow. I think drilling would be the best option, as most overflow can fail(although not very likely)Then its pretty strait forward from there the wate then has to be pumped back up with one heck of a powerful pump. You may want to look into a submersable pump from a hot tub or whirlpool. as you'll hve to cover about 10-15 feet of head height. I don't know of any powerheads or pumps off hand that will do that. As for the dividers it all depends what you intend to put into your sump. My sump has three compartment. one large for a DSB/refuge one for equipmnt and one for bubble capture. If you want to se my sump design goto my website. the link is in my sig

 

[javajoe]

Thanks guys...
I cant drill the tank, as it was made from tempered glass, so i am going to go with the in tank overflow box.
I think i'll have the water come in on one end, have a section to eliminate all the bubbles, and then have another small section for my skimmer. then have a large section for the refugium- w/ a DSB and lots of live rock, then a final section for the pump.
i'll keep posted and probably be back with more questions.....
any more / other ideas are still welcome... i wont actually be building this for a week or so...

 

[broomer5]

Couple Q's for ya Javajoe
Are you planning to place the 55 sump/refugium directly under the 55 display tank, or off to the side in the basement ?
What is the distance from the top rim of your display tank to the floor in the basement ? ( estimation in feet or inches )
Do you have any plans for the spraybar arrangement - single or dual ?
Knowing this will be helpful making decisions.

 

[javajoe]

Had planned on putting the tank directly underneath, but am flexible-- is there a reason one is better than the other?
As for distance, I have not measured yet-- both tanks are on stands.
spraybar arrangement-- what is that? (this is why im not planning on putting this all together for a couple weeks... )

 

[dburr]

I coverted my 55 into sump/refug and it's in my basement.
I did 2/3 refug 1/3 sump. My overflow is teed off in the basement w/ ballvalves in place for adjustment. One side goes directly to the refug, the other to the sump. The refug then spills over to the sump.
I run a magdrive 9.5 (950 GPH) back to the display tank directly overhead. I used 3/4" PVC for my overflow, I wish I used 1" or 1-1/4". I only have 400 GPH at about 10' head. If I got a bigger pump, my overflow wouldn't keep up and my tank would "overflow".
I made a spray bar with Loc-Line, also it has ball valves for adjustment.
I have air line connected to a barb I put in my overflow at the highest point and I have that connercted to my prizm skimmer. The skimmer doesn't skim, but it does a h3ll of a job pulling water and any air that gets caught in my overflow. My DIY overflow has always restarted in power outages. Knock on wood. HEHE
So far this has worked out great. I have never had a problem.
Sorry, I have no pics.
HTH, good luck.