Flow in Sump?

[bk_market]

Is it better to have a lot of flow in sump or should I keep to minimum?

 

[shifty51008]

3-5x turnover through the sump, you want it slow so that the filters, skimmer ect have plenty of time to do their job.

 

[bk_market]

Meaning that if my tank is 50g. I want my return pump to be at least 250gph without any loss?

Also I was referring to the water inside my sump. It is very quite and calm and detritus collect in some spot. Do I want to put a maxi1200 in the sump to stir the whole thing up?

 

[iamwrasseman]

IMO the sump is where you want the "mess" to stay so usually they are left more unkempt than the display tank . also if you stir up any growing pests then they usually end up in your tank .you could shut it down and siphon out he mess but i would be somewhat careful not to stir up any pesty growths as i already stated .
i have a few algaes growing in my sump along with calurpia and often get my cyno outbreaks in my sump as the lighting is a bit to be desired so it influences the growth in the refuge . i do clean it every three to four months though and haven't had any display tank problems .

 

[hillscp]

3-5x turnover through the sump, you want it slow so that the filters, skimmer ect have plenty of time to do their job.

I have never understood that logic. If you have a 250gallon/hr skimmer it will skim 250gallons in an hour regardless of how fast the water is going by the intake. (Just sayin)

I personnaly like a lot of flow through the sump because it keeps detritus off the bottom, aerates the water, and provides more flow in the tank where the returns are. It also gives my fans a lot of opportunity to cool more water before returning it to the tank.

Gas exchange is good (for pH and O2) and so is evaporation if you are trying to keep your tank cool in the summer.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

I want as much flow as I can SAFELY, QUIETLY, AND COMFORTABLY cycle.

I would think it would be great if you can get the debris to deposit in your sump, so you can easily vacuum it. I would not try and disturb it sending it back to your DT.


I'm running a mag 9.5 on my 75 gallon, when I have heard others successfully using a mag 5.

 

[bk_market]

Is there any trick to siphon the detrius out from my sump. My sump is sitting on the ground so I can't easily siphon it out by doing the normal sucking one end and have it lower than the other end.

 

[Algaenot]

I would also like to hear any ideas/tricks to vacuum debris out of an under-tank sump.

 

[iamwrasseman]

python ? it would work just fine as it uses your sink to create the suction ,doesnt matter if its higher or lower .

 

[bk_market]

python? where do I get that?

 

[Bilk]

+1 :beer:

I have never understood that logic. If you have a 250gallon/hr skimmer it will skim 250gallons in an hour regardless of how fast the water is going by the intake. (Just sayin)

I personnaly like a lot of flow through the sump because it keeps detritus off the bottom, aerates the water, and provides more flow in the tank where the returns are. It also gives my fans a lot of opportunity to cool more water before returning it to the tank.

Gas exchange is good (for pH and O2) and so is evaporation if you are trying to keep your tank cool in the summer.

 

[Bilk]

I would also like to hear any ideas/tricks to vacuum debris out of an under-tank sump.

Well if you have a shutoff for your return and a second valve plumbed in to the same line with a hose barb as I do, you can shut down the return, stir up all the junk in the sump and evacuate the water from the sump and use that as your water change by replacing what you removed.

My sump setup:

 

[skibum9884]

Wow, that is actually an incredibly simple and effective idea!

Thanks!

 

[Bilk]

Wow, that is actually an incredibly simple and effective idea!

Thanks!

You're welcome

 

[Bilk]

Actually I've never taken water from the DT. The water level never changes there. I always found that to be a messy way to do any type of water change. The sump and the plumbing below are designed for this chore IMO I always add the new water to the sump and release it slowly into the DT and that is only if I'm removing that full volume of water from the sump. If it's a smaller change, I leave the whole system running, open that valve and collect some water in a bucket and then add more water to the sump all while everything is still flowing thru the supply/return to the DT. I don't think this is anything new however

PS didn't mean to hijack the thread by the way.

 

[hypnoj]

man.. wouldn't it be great if someone developed a kind of cleaning mechanism that cleaned up detritus from sumps? Like an underwater roombi! I'd buy one.

 

[iamwrasseman]

you can get a python in just about any fish store . they may be easier to find in the larger chain type stores or wallmart .

 

[inigomontoya]

Python is a good idea for the sump. If you haven't heard of them, it is a brand name for what looks like a normal vacuum hose (about 20' long) and siphon, but at the other end it has an attachment for you faucet. You hook that up with an adapter, run water through it from the faucet, which creates a back flow and sucks the water to and down the sink. It means you don't have to haul a bucket or trash can for the old water and allows you to get suction where there is no gravity. Wally world sells them.