Sump Help

[oneradtek]

hey everyone i am upgrading my filters to a sump setup. i have a 75 gallon tank, and i have a 29 gallon tall tank for a sump. My overflow is rated for 550 GPH i am pretty sure, and so is my return pump. I just would like to know how should i go about with my plumbing? i would like to use PVC. Also how should i set up my sump to be most efficient?

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by oneradtek
http:///forum/post/2733952
hey everyone i am upgrading my filters to a sump setup. i have a 75 gallon tank, and i have a 29 gallon tall tank for a sump. My overflow is rated for 550 GPH i am pretty sure, and so is my return pump. I just would like to know how should i go about with my plumbing? i would like to use PVC. Also how should i set up my sump to be most efficient?
First off, if you plan on having both you overflow box and pump draining and returning at the same rate, you are going to need to get a bigger pump and account for head loss (your pump has to push the water upward and gravity is pulling the water down, so it isnt pushing the water upward as fast as it would sideways). Also, you should get some kind of valve for the drain and return. Check out melevsreef dot com. It has some really good examples of sumps and how they work n things.

 

[oneradtek]

ok so im planning on this for now. overflow to 1" pvc with a ball valve going down to the sump. Empties into a filter sock on a hanger. filters into the first chamber with the protein skimmer, then goes threw a series of 3 baffles 3/4 to 1 inch apart for a bubble trap. emptying into the return pump chamber.

 

[oneradtek]

 

[fishfreak1242]

The diagram looks like it should work. If you wanted you could make it a little less complicated and just have it drain into the skimmer section, then have a fuge and then into the return. So you are basically switching the return and fuge. just an idea. Heres a good video that shows how to build a sump step by step that uses a similar design to the design that i was talking about. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxnugJGiT3o

 

[jimmy40741]

If I were you I'd put a baffle in between the fuge and return section if you are going to stay with this configuration. The falling water into your return section could create bubbles and be picked up by your return pump and sent back to your DT.
I set up a sump a couple of months ago with a intake->return<-fuge configuration and put baffles between on either side of the return. My set up is almost exactly the same as yours except I am feeding the fuge off of the return line.

 

[nate213]

I have pretty much the same setup with a 29g sump under 75 DT and same configuration sump with skimmer chamber - return- fuge. The one difference is my overflow (PF-1000) is running two separate 1" hoses. One hose goes direct to the skimmer chamber and the other to the fuge. My baffles are the same as your sketch and so far, I haven't had a bubble problem. My problem is slightly different. See https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/331872/overflow-help

 

[oneradtek]

ok this plan is actually under construction and curing as of now, so this will have to work haha. im saving the fuge for another day/tank. I just dont have the space yet in an apartment

 

[fishfreak1242]

Originally Posted by oneradtek
http:///forum/post/2736414
ok this plan is actually under construction and curing as of now, so this will have to work haha. im saving the fuge for another day/tank. I just dont have the space yet in an apartment

Looks good. Any pics?

 

[oneradtek]

not yet but ill post some today most likely

 

[oneradtek]

hey which compartment should i put my heater in? i was wondering about the return compartment?? i think itd have the fastest moving water, but the heat of the pump might throw it off. Maybe with the skimmer? i just figure my LR area will be too slow or not enough flow idk.

 

[rotarymagic]

Why place the rock into the sump before the skimmer as per the video???? I thought the skimmer was supposed to receive water first to pull dissolved organics out as quickly as possible?

 

[chris17]

The heater would be better off in the compartment with the live rock or the skimmer. If you place it in the return compartment there is a chance that it could become exposed to air. This would happen if your overflow clogged and your pump pumped all the water out of the compartment before you found it. The skimmer would work best if placed in the first compartment to get as much of the dissolved organics as possible.

 

[rotarymagic]

Thats what I thought, maybe that video should be redone...