20L sump/fuge build

[gotwake89]

Just bought a 20L from pet supplies plus in their $1/Gal sale and will use it as a sump/fuge for my 75G. This is my first time building one so I'm looking for some input. I'm looking to build a 3 stage skimmer>fuge>return setup, but haven't decided on the dimensions for each stage. the tank dimensions are 30 1/4" x 12 1/2" x 12 3/4". My questions are as follows:

1. I haven't bought the skimmer yet, about how large of an area would you recommend making the first stage to fit most skimmers?

2. Is 2 baffles between each stage ideal, or would more or less be more appropriate? also, any recommendations for baffle heights? This is one schematic I've found:

3. I've seen people have filter sponges between stage 1 and 2, as well as between stage 2 and 3. Wouldn't a sponge between the fuge and the return deter pods from reaching the DT? Also, is there any special means of mounting these filter sponges, or do you just kinda jam them between the baffles?

4. besides the skimmer and filter sponges, do you recommend i design specific areas for other filtration?

 

[cd823]

Following this as I am looking to do the exact same thing....

 

[YamahaF934]

Me too. The only problem I see is the water in the return section will not be higher than the water in the fuge.

 

[gotwake89]

Yes that's true. I think that's just a error in the schematic. The water should still be high enough for the return pump

 

[gotwake89]

I'm thinking of decreasing the size of the skimmer area to 8" to have more room for the fuge. For example, if I were to get this skimmer:
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-octopus-nwb110-4-pinwheel-in-sump-protein-skimmer.html
it says the dimensions are 10" x 6.75" x 19.75" so I'm thinking it would probably fit fine in an 8" x 12" area

 

[gotwake89]

bump

 

[Benson0219]

Just make sure that the sump can handle the back flow when the pump is off. The tank is not very tall. I think the water level in the fuge area will be taller thank 8 or 9 inches. I tried the same setup but change to a 29 gallon tank because it was taller.

 

[gotwake89]

This is the design I ended up going with:

The first chamber is 9", the second is just over 12" and the third is 5", with 1" gaps between the baffles.
Found this great glass shop near me that gave me the glass pieces and cut them for me for $40. Secured and sealed the baffles with silicone gel. Will water test tomorrow after it dries.

 

[glweek]

can you update the schimatic to the materials and distances for your build i would love to do it the same way you did!

 

[gotwake89]

I actually never drew a schematic, I just knew the measurements I wanted. I found it was easiest to just write on the outside of the glass with a dry erase marker and line up the glass. I just drew up one roughly really quick though:

I don't know what the glass is called or how thick it is. I just took the tank to the glass store and said, "I don't know anything about glass, please help me".:wavehand: I just gave them the dimensions of the pieces I needed and they cut them for me.

I don't have the silicone tube anymore since I used pretty much the whole tube, it wasn't very big though and it was just standard silicone gel. I had to fill up each chamber with water a few times to find where there were leaks because I had missed a few spots. I used xbox games and books to support the baffles until the silicone dried. There is about an inch gap from the bottom on the two baffles that aren't attached to the bottom.

I haven't been able to run it with a pump yet because I am still building my new stand. The water seems to flow properly from chamber to chamber though when I fill it in the bathtub. I plan on adding some egg crate and filter pads once I'm done with the stand. I'll have more pictures soon as well as a build for the stand.

 

[twistedfinn967]

How did this design work for you? This is EXACTLY what I'm doing, right down to the skimmer you referenced. I just drilled my 75g for the overflow and drilled the return, time to do the sump...

 

[gotwake89]

as i said in my previous post, i haven't been able to comprehensively test it yet because I'm still building my new stand but I'll be starting a thread about the stand build in the next couple of weeks and I'll also update here once all the plumbing is hooked up. for now what i can say is that after a rough test in the bathtub the water seems to flow properly from chamber to chamber

 

[twistedfinn967]

I need to figure out my baffle height. For some reason, trying to figure that out hurts my brain!

 

[gotwake89]

the height of which baffles? keep in mind the drawing I made is not at all to scale. it doesn't have to be perfect either, the main objective is just that water flows in the right direction, so just make sure that the height of the baffles you want to flow over are lower than the previous one. in mine i have the height of the baffles containing the fuge both at 8" because I wanted the velocity of the flow to slow a bit (well at least not speed up) so that chaeto wouldn't be blasted over into the pump chamber, but i've seen people have the second one lower instead of the same height. either way, i'll probably still put a bit of eggcrate after the fuge so chaeto doesn't clog up the pump. also, make sure you leave enough room above the top of your baffles in case you shut off your pump. if you leave enough of a gap at the top you'll leave yourself a bit of a safety buffer so that your sump doesn't overflow onto the floor and instead just overflows into the next chamber. When i was looking for plans for mine i saw a lot of pictures of all kinds of different designs and baffle heights that all seemed to work fine. and even if you don't like how a certain part flows once you are done, you can always just scrape off the silicone and redo it

 

[twistedfinn967]

I'd like to get the most usable volume of water and still have enough buffer for a power failure or when I shut the pump off. Hopefully I can figure it close enough the first time. The thought of having to re-do things doesn't appeal to me...

 

[gotwake89]

ok, well if you have any questions just let me know

 

[glweek]

in your 5" return chamber why do you have that last baffle?

 

[twistedfinn967]

ok, well if you have any questions just let me know

Thanks. Hopefully this coming week I can start it. I'm on midnight's at work so it'll be a toss up...:hmm4:

 

[gotwake89]

glweek: the last baffle isn't entirely necessary if you are trying to maximize space, i've seen builds without it. however, just as the initial baffles, it will cut down a bit on bubbling. Also, it provides a bit more resistance so water will slow more in the fuge and spend more time in contact with the chaeto (remember that flow is inversely proportional to the area it flows through, so the last baffle creates a narrower area that the water has to flow through, thus decreasing the flow). It also creates a potential space where I could stuff filter pads if I wanted to (which I probably wouldn't) or create an eggcrate platform, etc. Also another obstacle to keep chaeto out of my pump. mainly for the flow though.

 

[WOrchid]

Very nice.
I have seen more sump design with the return in the middle as opposed to an end. Besides additional plumbing is there any benefits to either design?