Baffle Height Based on Skimmer or Volume?

[Djturna4thakidz]

I am currently constructing a sump for my 50 gallon cube DT. The sump is a 20 gallon tall tank (24'Lx12"Wx16H). The first chamber is going to be for the protein skimmer, the second the return. The protein skimmer's optimal water depth is 7"-8". Should I make the baffle 7-8" to accommodate the skimmer or should I make them 10" to increase the volume of water in the system seeing as the sump is not very big?

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Im going to have at least one other pump for reactors in the chamber with the protein skimmer, does this make a difference in the baffle height. Should it be higher for more volume for more pumps or does this not matter?

 

[BrettH]

You need to make sure the baffles are tall enough so that the skimmer will operate correctly. You can always raise the skimmer if the water level is too high by putting some egg crate under the skimmer, but if you make the baffle too short such that the water level is too low for your skimmer, you have no way to fix it.

You need to also consider how much residual overflow from the main display tank will flow into your sump when the return pump is off. Make sure your sump has enough capacity to handle this. i.e. if you have a 20 gallon sump and 10 gallons is its normal operating volume and your display has residual overflow of 8 gallons, then you should be ok assuming you are not putting a lot of other equipment in your sump that will take up the remaining extra 2 gallons of capacity.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

I have read that some people believe that the skimmer chamber is for the skimmer and you should not have to raise it up. I think I am going to go with 9", this will give me plenty of volume so my skimmer works but also flexibility to move the skimmer up or down.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Also can support the amount of water if the power goes out

 

[perkint]

What if you change your skimmer due to failure/breakage?

I would design the sump around maximising the volume whilst still being able to take the overflow from the tank and having the number of chambers i needed. Sorting out the height of the skimmer is an easy and cheap job that (IMO) shouldn't need to be taken in to account on sump design. Except making sure it is at least deep enough!!

Tim

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Ok thanks

 

[tidus10]

What if you change your skimmer due to failure/breakage?

I would design the sump around maximising the volume whilst still being able to take the overflow from the tank and having the number of chambers i needed. Sorting out the height of the skimmer is an easy and cheap job that (IMO) shouldn't need to be taken in to account on sump design. Except making sure it is at least deep enough!!

Tim

+1, dont build the sump around any equipment, just make sure its big enough of a footprint to fit. then build it around maximized volume and then worry about equipment

 

[thejuggernaut]

I think there are 3 criteria.

1. Making sure that the section is deep enough (plus a little extra, in case you need to change skimmers) to run the skimmer you plan on using. Raising the skimmer up is a no brainer.

2. That the sump can handle the total volume of water when your return pump is shut off.

3. That the running water height differential is minimal between the skimmer section and the return section. If they run an inch or two different, then you can cut down on allot of noise. If it has a 3" or larger fall, then you can start getting a waterfall noise when you turn the flow rates up.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

How can I determine how much water volume will be added to the sump in a power outage? I dont want to make the baffles too high and not be able to handle it.

 

[RocketEngineer]

If the outlets of the returns are near the surface, I use 1" of tank drain as a good starting point.

So for my setup, I have a 125g tank that is 72" X 18" and a sump that is 36" X 18". Easy enough that means for every inch of tank that drains, I need two inches of sump to accommodate it. Add one inch of sump for the plumbing itself and as a cushion.

If your sizes aren't that easy, take the volume the display drains (Length X width X water height drained) = cubic inches of space you need in the sump. Once you have that number, you should be able to figure out how much room this takes up. Keep 1" of sump left for cushion and unknowns.

 

[Djturna4thakidz]

Thanks!!! Mine is that easy, tank 24x24, sump 12x24. So if I have a 10" baffle leaving 6" of space. I have the spout 1-2 inches below surface. That's 2-4 inches plus 1" for piping and caution, that equals 3-5" and puts us at 13-15". At least 1" below the rim. Should I error with caution and just do 1" below surface? To avoid stress of watching the water ride right to the brim