1 tank 2 sumps
- Thread starter Lost1130
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StrikerKratos
New member
Is the cryptic section for filtration with like, sponges and whatnot? If so, it needs to be ridiculously big. Better off with just an algae scrubber and a protein skimmer IMO.
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Looks fine. As long as your flow through your sumps is gravity flow to your return pump you can do several sumps/refugiums. (I would not use additional pumps to move water around but if you want to complicate you setup feel free to do so 
). You also do not need to have all you water flow through all the sumps/refugiums. There's not a problem with doing so but if you had a DT with two overflows one could go to an intermediate sump/refugium and one to the final sump where the return pump is located. Here's a video of one of the more complicated setups I've done:
https://youtu.be/ZwrMDTGfYKo
As far as how much space you need for sponges keep in mind they only grow to accomadate the available food. As your corals and algae grow the sponges will grow. And much of the growth will be in your DT in and around the rockscape. In unlit sumps that are only a 1/6 or 1/4 the volume of the DT I see sponges only cover part of the available surface area.
). You also do not need to have all you water flow through all the sumps/refugiums. There's not a problem with doing so but if you had a DT with two overflows one could go to an intermediate sump/refugium and one to the final sump where the return pump is located. Here's a video of one of the more complicated setups I've done:https://youtu.be/ZwrMDTGfYKo
As far as how much space you need for sponges keep in mind they only grow to accomadate the available food. As your corals and algae grow the sponges will grow. And much of the growth will be in your DT in and around the rockscape. In unlit sumps that are only a 1/6 or 1/4 the volume of the DT I see sponges only cover part of the available surface area.
victor_c3
Premium Member
Keep in mind that large particles of detritus combined with high flow will cause the sponges to get their pores clogged. Sponges really like lower flow than corals - that's why they grow hidden in the rocks and away from power heads.
With that in mind, I'd plum the sponge tank after the sump. If it were my tank, I'd install a 'T' on my return line followed by a gate valve. Adjust the gate valve so that only a little portion of the flow returning to the display is pumped into the sponge tank.
With that in mind, I'd plum the sponge tank after the sump. If it were my tank, I'd install a 'T' on my return line followed by a gate valve. Adjust the gate valve so that only a little portion of the flow returning to the display is pumped into the sponge tank.
JZinCO
New member
sump def. "a pit or reservoir serving as a drain or receptacle for liquids".
By definition the sump is the container holding the lowest water. Defining it this way is useful for conversation and tank planning because in order to remove water from a sump you have to overcome gravity. If you're using gravity to remove water, than you have (non-sump) tanks arranged in a series.
That being said, why not just a larger sump? Or have two sumps, (i.e. two tanks plumbed in parallel)? It would be easier to control the flow to/from your 'cryptic' sump.
By definition the sump is the container holding the lowest water. Defining it this way is useful for conversation and tank planning because in order to remove water from a sump you have to overcome gravity. If you're using gravity to remove water, than you have (non-sump) tanks arranged in a series.
That being said, why not just a larger sump? Or have two sumps, (i.e. two tanks plumbed in parallel)? It would be easier to control the flow to/from your 'cryptic' sump.
ok so the main tank water goes from overflow to the middle sump where my cryptic section and rock and bigger particals will be treated instead of return it will flow to the lower sump where it will be treated by skimmer uv gfo sulfur reactor and so on to my display refugium and then pumped back up to the main tank only adding the middle sump for cryptic section and rock aptasia to grow and thrive and be able to keep it out of main tank and display refuguim if you look at the pics it show the flow of the water through the tanks as for size of tanks I have a 150 g display tank my rufuguim is 120 g and the cryptic and rock tank is 40 g this is being designed as my dream tank in my refuguim I want to have fish I cant put in my main tank so this is like having 2 tanks in a way want my refugium to be open to look at not closed in a closet for only my eyes not doing this as a cheap way of doing this as I'm putting a lot into this
JZinCO
New member
Yeah, I dunno. I just think it would be trickier with two channels to the sump (lets call the direct line A and the display->cryptic-> sump is line B), which could be thought through.You have to make sure that the flow to your sump, especially when the return pump is off, is much faster through A than it is B or else you end up with the cryptic tank overflowing.
Also, you now have less wiggle room for sump holding capacity.
I really think there are 3 better ways of doing this.
1) I don't see why you can't split your return and have two independent instead of interdependent drain lines (I do this).
2) Or, to enhance sump holding capacity, run the cryptic tank parallel with the sump (i.e. run two sumps, one cryptic)
3) Run all the tanks in series. If you want to slow flow in the cryptic area, then dump from DT to crypto to sump. In the crypto put your return next to the drain in a baffled-off area. That will direct most flow through the tank quickly and the main portion of the crypto will be a low flow pool.
Also, you now have less wiggle room for sump holding capacity.
I really think there are 3 better ways of doing this.
1) I don't see why you can't split your return and have two independent instead of interdependent drain lines (I do this).
2) Or, to enhance sump holding capacity, run the cryptic tank parallel with the sump (i.e. run two sumps, one cryptic)
3) Run all the tanks in series. If you want to slow flow in the cryptic area, then dump from DT to crypto to sump. In the crypto put your return next to the drain in a baffled-off area. That will direct most flow through the tank quickly and the main portion of the crypto will be a low flow pool.
my big refugium will hold 20 galons over the baffels if return is lost wont have flooding as display tank only goes down 10 gallons so the cryptic sump would ony drain to main sump 15 gallons as the middle sump has baffle s 2 and holds water 2 so I would have and extra holding capacity if 10 gallons over what is needed in emergency
JZinCO
New member
That's good but was my minor pump. You have to make sure that your system can handle differential flow rates and 'tricky situations' as I stated.
For example, I can imagine a plumbing scenario in which the DT -> crypto drain outlet is submerged in the crypto.
Pretend for a moment that, because you don't like the waterfall sound in your internal overflow, your standpipes are close to the height of the weir. If the return were to turn off, the drain from DT to crypto could act as a siphon and pull water out of the crypto, into the main tank, then down the overflow into the sump. That means the sump has to handle that volume in addition to the already drained DT and crypto overflow volume. This potential problem is easy to avoid but is possible in this scenario and not in the other 3 scenarios I gave.
It's simply just much easier to run two independent lines off of the sump. At any rate, you should sketch out your plumbing if you want good advice from the forum.
For example, I can imagine a plumbing scenario in which the DT -> crypto drain outlet is submerged in the crypto.
Pretend for a moment that, because you don't like the waterfall sound in your internal overflow, your standpipes are close to the height of the weir. If the return were to turn off, the drain from DT to crypto could act as a siphon and pull water out of the crypto, into the main tank, then down the overflow into the sump. That means the sump has to handle that volume in addition to the already drained DT and crypto overflow volume. This potential problem is easy to avoid but is possible in this scenario and not in the other 3 scenarios I gave.
It's simply just much easier to run two independent lines off of the sump. At any rate, you should sketch out your plumbing if you want good advice from the forum.
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I don't see anything wrong with your original plan Lost1130. I know from experience at least some of the cryptic sponges that grow in our tanks are perfectly happy with higher flow rates than common knowledge dictates. It's not flow or detritus per se that these cryptic sponges don't like it's light and the associated algae that these cryptic sponges aren't designed to deal with like sponges that grow in light.
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