Return pump

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
I’m not sure there is a rule. I don’t like too much or I end up with a river rapid through my sump kind of defeating the purpose of a refugium. Maybe 3-4 times an hour. You want to have a gate valve on the return so you can control flow.
 

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Back to the original question I've heard a minimum of 4 turnovers per hour like imforbis stated. To calculate that add up the volume of the display, refiugium, sump, and so on. Then look at the pump specs at the height the water is being pumped back up to the upper container. Don't use the max rating as that is for pumping 0 height or at the same height.

Just as a reminder on setting up a sump:

1) insure and test that no floods occur with power outage. Upper container should stop draining before sump floods.

2) Insure and test that no floods occur and normal operation returns when the power returns.

3) and the one I forgot in my first setup LOL. Insure and test that no floods occur for drain/overflow failure (blockage, siphon break etc). The sump should run dry before the upper container floods.

And keep in mind (that should you add) an automatic top off will pump in water during a drain failure. So this is like 3 above. A drain failure, upper container level rises, sump lowers, ato kicks in and so on. Have some kind of sensor that turns off the auto top off before the upper container floods.

my .02
 

2quills

Well-Known Member
I feel it has a lot to do with the size and design of the sump. If it's a small sump in relation to the display tank than you dont want more than 3-4 times the turn over rate. A larger sump can get away with more flow.

Too much turnover on a smaller sump though usually means more noise, more bubbles and more salt creep.
 

Mark666

New Member
I feel it has a lot to do with the size and design of the sump. If it's a small sump in relation to the display tank than you dont want more than 3-4 times the turn over rate. A larger sump can get away with more flow.

Too much turnover on a smaller sump though usually means more noise, more bubbles and more salt creep.
It'd be a 75 gallon with a 20L sump
 

lmforbis

Well-Known Member
20L, so approx 5 gal, or 20 gallon? 20L would be way too small a 20 gallon long would be good.
 
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