Critique needed please.

[jimbirm]

I am looking for some design input for the following.

The stand that my tank (45 gal) sits on has insufficient space for a decent sump/ref underneath. Fortunately my tank is adjacent to another room, so I basically want to run my plumbing through the base of a wall to a sump on the other side.

The design I am contemplating is as follows.

I am going to build 2 overflow boxes for each side of my tank. They in turn would drain into a collection tank (approx 10-12 gallons, leaving enough room for my tank to completely drain into them from the water level of the overflow boxes) underneath one side of my stand.

From there a Mag 9.5 would push the water through the wall and up approx 4-5 feet to my sump. Then in the first section of my sump a NW200 would skim, followed by a refugium then to the return in which another mag 9.5 would be placed to return the water down 4 feet, through the wall a foot and back up 4 feet to my tank.

What do you guys think?

Critiques highly welcomed and any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[reefnetworth]

if you are adding a sump in an adjacent room, i would go with the biggest tank practical. maybe another 45g or a 29g. one drain, one return. keep it off the floor and on a DIY stand, about half the height of your display. 950 gph is more than adequate to circulate two 45g. (sump of course will have less for power out/water changes) have baffles for bubble traps and DSB for nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia. (nitrogen cycle) and planted macro's along with PS, heater, etc. REEF-ON!!!

 

[jimbirm]

I am actually using an old armoire that used to hold a 36" tv, so the dimensions of my sump will basically be 30"x 20" x up to 24" high (with plenty of room left for the skimmer).

You think I should go with only one box, huh?

 

[RichConley]

Any way you can put a drain through the wall directly to the sump?

THe way you have it set up is a flood waiting to happen. You'll never get the two pumps balanced.


That being said, the Mag9.5 is about the most wattage hungry pump in that gallonage range. There are much better choices (eheim, ocean runner, etc)

 

[manderx]

so water gravity drains to a sump on the floor under the tank. then is pumped to another sump that has all the filtration, which then pumps back to the tank?

won't work, one of your 2 sumps will run dry since you can't get the 2 pumps to move exactly the same amount of water. best you can probably do in this case is gravity drain from the filtration sump back to the bottom sump, then pump back up to the tank. you can do some baffles in this bottom sump to keep the clean water separated from the dirty water, though put a few holes in the baffles so that they can correct each other for the differences in pumps and not run anything dry.


edit: dang, took me too long to write...