Help with sump design

[Markw31]

I am new to the saltwater community and want to start out the best I can.
I have researched sump designs and there are so many that I new some help.
I have a 125 gallon, tall. I have a 55 gallon aquarium I want to build the sump in. I want to do it right so if anyone has a design that has worked best or a schematic, which would be great, I would appreciate it. And are skimmers needed? And what else could I possibly need? For the most part my wife says I can spend what I want on it. Thanks!

 

[mchammer]

Sump designs are a personal preference. There is no right or wrong way of doing it. You need to answer a few questions first. 1. do you want corals or just fish? 2. do you want a skimmer? (you don"t need a skimmer but it is highly recommended especially if you have corals) 3. Do you want a refugium? The answers to those questions will help you decide what type of sump you need.

 

[thor109]

Thats like asking should I feed my kids fruits or vegetables. The possiblities are endless.

 

[D-Nak]

For the most part my wife says I can spend what I want on it. Thanks!

If that's the case, I would have my sump custom built to fit into my stand, using an off the shelf sump as a master design, tweaking as you see fit. The key here it to get an understanding of how the sump functions, that way once you know what you want, you can have it custom built.

For starters, take a look at the Royal Exclusiv Dreambox (do a Google search, this site doesn't allow linking to the site that has the most information and photos about them). To me, this is the top-of-the-line sump. They can be completely customized. While you're at it, take a look at their skimmers too. You'll need to have VERY deep pockets.

If that's not in your price range, you can basically take what you've learned about the Dreambox, and either build your own with your 55 gallon tank, or have another company build you a similar sump.

 

[Markw31]

I do want to do fish and coral. And if a skimmer will help the health of the coral fish then I want one and that goes for the refuge as well.
As far as you Thor, if you have kids then you would undertake that you want your kid to eat both so that's why I want what is best for my fish and coral. So as far as your comment goes it is neither helpful or appreciated.
Dnack thank you for the information. I saw some builds on there but still don't know which to do

 

[Donkeykong]

I strongly suggest getting a Skimmer, STRONGLY. They are not a "requirement" but I think they should be for all newbies. A good skimmer will help out when you accidentally feed to much or get to excited and buy 5 fish at once and all the other little, sometimes not so little, mistake we all make in the beginning. As for the Sump, If you have any decent LFS near you I suggest going down there and looking at some of the off-the-shelf models, not to buy but to just get a hands on feel of what a sump usually has. There are so many ways to make a sump and depending on your needs and tank/stand setup what worked great for one guy may not work at all for you.

Here is a few points
I like to have where the water comes in at as a separate section with baffles, this allows most large partials to settle in this section, it is easiest to clean up in this section since there is nothing in there and it keeps all that out of the pumps and equipment later on in the sump.

Skimmers footprint, I have seen guys build sumps with the minimal amount of space around there skimmers to save space, but remember water has to be in that section for a reasonable amount of time for the skimmer to process that water and if you funnel all the water thru a narrow section it speeds up. Also you will need to remove the skimmer for regular cleaning and maintenance so you want some room to work in.

Refugiums need a slower flow than the rest of the sump to get the most benefit. Most prefabbed sumps have the fuge as just a section in line with everything else so the total flow of the sump is the flow of the fuge. This normally is fine but if you want to run a higher return pump or just want to be anal cause you can, an option is to make the section off to one side with higher walls then everything else. This allows the fuge to be larger then if it had low walls like everything else. what you can do to provide flow is to either T the flow into the sump and have a small pipe with a ball valve going to the fuge, that way you can adjust the exact amount of flow or have a separate pump pushing water into that section and then it will just overflow back into the rest of the sump.

Just a couple of Ideas I have either run with or have thought about after having built my sump.

 

[Markw31]

Thank you donkey kong. That is very good info. I saw some builds with the refuge having a smaller pipe to it. Last thing. I saw some with the skimme in the first bay where the water comes in and some in the last bay where it exits. Whih is better?

 

[Donkeykong]

For the skimmer the biggest concern is making sure that it is in a section that does not fluctuate in water depth. The last section were the return pump is also located in is usually the section that goes up and down with water evaporation and top off water. Skimmers perform differently at different water levels and if the water level is constantly changing it will be hard to dial it in. I have read the opinion that having the skimmer before the fuge is bad because the skimmer cleans the water to much and there is nothing left for the fuge. But if that was true why have the fuge at all if the skimmer cleaned it that good. So I dont see a problem with having it before or after, one thing to keep in mind, if it is close to the fuge light from the fuge can spill over and cause algae to grow on or even in the skimmer. I have seen people use black acrylic for the fuge section so the light is better contained, it isnt necessary it just makes keeping the sump clean easier. Also you want to have a bubble trap between the skimmer and return pump, since some skimmers will produce a little bit of micro bubble and you dont want them pumping into the display, they will not cause harm but they dont look good in the Display

So the short answer
Make sure that the water height is constant and have a bubble trap after the skimmer.