Changed my Sump

[Deep Reef]

After almost 2 years in this hobby I found my sump wasn't working the way I wanted. I had the return coming in on left, flowing through a bubble trap into the center pump area. The right side for cheato and additional live rock. My return pump was to provide flow to this area. I found my return pump couldn't do that and still give me flow in the main tank. The right side was also the only place I could fit my GFO reactor. The output from this reactor was killing the cheato. I also was getting bubble algae due to low flow. Something had to change. After looking at my sump, I figured I could turn it 180 degrees and solve my problems. Well yesterday I jumped in and made the switch.

It took the whole day. But now my water returns into the left where the skimmer takes out what it can, then into the center section with live rock and my cheato, which can remove more impurities and finally into the return where I will have my reactors. You don't see them in the photo as I ran out of time yesterday. They will be installed today. This is much better flow.

 

[gemini aquarius(t)]

Nicely done! Looks like that was the way the sump was designed to run!

 

[Deep Reef]

I just got lucky that the chmbers at each end were fairly close to the same size.

 

[rovster]

Why not get a bigger pump? Just curious because I just started mine and it is exactly as you had it. I did oversize my return though. Either way, glad it's working out. It's nice to have that nice and big return area. That's my biggest concern with mine. Without the ato, I would run dry in a day and a half!

 

[Deep Reef]

I thought about a bigger pump, but that would run about $200 and I might still have a problem with the end sump. This way I have full flow running through my skimmer, cheato and finally the return areas. It also provides a place for reactors where I won'impact the growth of the cheato as the other flow did.

 

[Deep Reef]

Also a larger quiet return pump then the eheim 1262 is not that easy to come by and I wanted to keep the pump submersible.

 

[rovster]

I origionally had a 1262 planned, but that pump as you know is not beefy enough. I ended up with a WB 3000.

 

[Deep Reef]

Rovster looking at the curves from salt supply, it looks like you would have to run a wb7000 to get more output the the 1262. Ymmv

 

[rovster]

Oops, sorry, mine is a WB 5000.

 

[Deep Reef]

just didn't want to see you put in less power...gl

 

[02tahoelt]

What happened to the after pics?

 

[Deep Reef]

That was the after pick...