Designing a sump.

[Marcom12]

I cannot seem to find any Basic Guidelines to sump design. I understand every tank is different but is there not and ideal baffle spacing? or maybe how far off the bottom to put a baffle? or how high to make the baffles? i have spent all night doing searches and cannot seem to find a basic guide.

Thanks in advance

 

[ramseynb]

I don't think you'll find any guidelines. Check out melevsreef.com. He has some good articles about building sumps. The most important things with a sump IMO is making sure the chamber for your skimmer is the right height, making sure you have enough room for overflow water when you turn your pump off and making sure you don't have any single points of failure (like a filter sock section that overflows when the socks get clogged).

 

[Dantique]

just make sure that your skimmer section is deep enough? you can raise your skimmer up if needed but you can't lower it.

 

[oldhead]

What I did was pick my skimmer first. You need to do this for two reasons, The height of the first baffles and the size of the first compartment. After that choose your return pump. This will dictate the size of the last compartment. The baffles before this section can be the same as the first. Any space between the the two can be used as a fuge.

 

[Marcom12]

thanks everyone.... is the standard bubble trap just one inch between the panes?

 

[mkj]

typically 1" is enough unless you have massive flow through sump.

 

[gonereefing654]

Melees reef can custom make baffles for you sump cut to your spec.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

Make your skimmer and tank drain 8-10" min. Most skimmers require about that depth.

 

[Reef_Pilot]

http://gmacreef.com/reef-aquarium-sump-tank-design/

http://www.melevsreef.com/articles/simple-sump-assembly

http://www.melevsreef.com/articles/make-a-sump-using-a-20g-long