Help, need max avail space for Sump/Refugium

[Nammy]

I'm looking for some ideas how I should divide my Tank to make a sump/refugium.
I have a EuroReef Skimmer, Mag drive 12,. The tank is a 29G, specs 30"L x 12"W x 18"H.
The tank is not drilled and I would like to keep it that way.

How can I maximize the available space in the tank.
Pics, drawings would be greatly appreciated..

 

[elliotklinger]

Did you mean your main tank or is that 29g going to be sump/refugium for your main tank?

 

[Nammy]

I'm using a 29g for the sump/refugium.

 

[Nammy]

Here is my idea

1. The intake with baffles would be to the side which would take up about 4" of the space.
2. I could put the skimmer and returne together.
3. I could keep LR under the skimmer. These two together would take about 12".
4. Have about 12" for refugium.

 

[Ocean Man 1]

i dont know if this is really true but when reading about sumps i read somewhere that it is best to have the skimmer first in the sump(or before the refugium) as the refugium grows good bacteria and nutrients. or something like that.

im not sure how right that is, correct me if im wrong anyone.

check out www.melevsreef.com, there are heaps of sump ideas.

sorry i couldnt help u further.

 

[elliotklinger]

How about photographs of your skimmer in 29g for size reference. I'll draw up a plan for you when I see it. I never owned an euroreef skimmer so I am not sure of size.

What size of PVC pipe you're going to use for the sump?

 

[Nammy]

Thanks guy's

The foot print the skimmer requires is 9"x 9" (bare minimum)
Here is the skimmer.

The pvc will be 4". This will alow for my filter sock to fit in. The overflow pvc is about 1.5".

 

[elliotklinger]

I think your design'll be fine, just have the incoming pipe dropping into skimmer's area and it'll overflow over refugium. Outgoing PVC at other end to return the water. Maybe do 10" space for skimmer- might be small but skimmer can still do it's work and approx 3" space for PVC outgoing pipe.

All you would need is 2 pieces of spacers and 1 extra pump for outgoing flow. As you illustrated on the right, this is exactly what I would do but forget about extra 3 spacers as shown on left.

 

[Nammy]

How about this

 

[Flobajob]

I would be concerned about the volume of the return pump section. Since that is where the water level drops when you get evap, your pump may run dry unless you have an auto-topoff system installed.

 

[Nammy]

Yup, that's my concern too. I do have an auto top off from a 5 gal bucket. However I don't know what else to do.
Maybe I should leave a 2" cap at the back of the refugium so the water can flow between the intake and return.

 

[Nammy]

Not Cap but Gap...

 

[elliotklinger]

Looking good, let us all know how it turns out. I know it can be a bit tricky when trying to utilitize a large scale skimmer in small tank intergrated with refugium- may require some serious planning but so far, your design should work fine.

 

[ddenham]

drill your sump for an external pump, and mod your skimmer to be a reciirc and external, fed by a part of the tank drain, then the sump is all fuge.

 

[Nammy]

ddenham - Can't do that, everything must stay inside the sump/refugium. The last bit of room I have left inside the stand is for auto top off in a 5 gal bucket.

 

[AngeloM3]

Your second picture is the way to go......

if you keep your skimmer in the return section... you will constantly be adjusting your water level in the skimmer.... as the water level in the return lowers or raises

and i would make the return section as big as possible... that way you dont need to add top-off water as often

i have a similar tank... same design as your second picture....
its a 20g L (30x12x12)... skimmer section is 10" wide, fuge is 7" wide and return 10" wide... the rest of space is used up by baffles

 

[sjm817]

I would use a much smaller return pump, like a mag7. Have the output of the skimmer as far away from the return as possible. If you aren't too far along, a 30G makes a better sump since it is 36" long.

 

[Nammy]

The 36" tank is too long. I think I will go with the second pic.
What I plan to do is leave a 2-3" gap behind the refugium to alow free flowing water between the overflow and return.
What do you guy's think?