How do I set the height of the water on specific chambers of my sump?

[djryan2000]

I am making a DIY sump for my 20 gal.**I have the 10-gallon tank.**I want to make a small chamber where the water flows in and the intake / pump of my HOB skimmer to get it out of the display.**Then a refugium chamber followed by a very small return pump section.

I want the return pump section to be very low, so that if I lose siphon on my overflow it will dry out and not overflow the DT.**I want the refugium section to run much deeper to maximize its volume and the first chamber to be fairly low too.**How do I set the height in the chambers with the baffles?

Here is my best guess:

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[MondoBongo]

the height of the baffles determines the height of the water in the sump in the chambers that do not contain the return pump.

in the return pump chamber, the height of the water will be determined by how much you leave in there. this is the chamber where my auto top off sits. so whenever i do my water change i drain and fill, then i use my ATO sensor as the "fill line". i make sure the water level is right at that line, sometimes by scooping some out with a small bucket, other times i have to add a little more back in.

if you're not using an ATO (i STRONGLY recommend you do) then you can draw a line on your sump to let you know where the water level should be in that chamber.

 

[djryan2000]

the height of the baffles determines the height of the water in the sump in the chambers that do not contain the return pump.

in the return pump chamber, the height of the water will be determined by how much you leave in there. this is the chamber where my auto top off sits. so whenever i do my water change i drain and fill, then i use my ATO sensor as the "fill line". i make sure the water level is right at that line, sometimes by scooping some out with a small bucket, other times i have to add a little more back in.

if you're not using an ATO (i STRONGLY recommend you do) then you can draw a line on your sump to let you know where the water level should be in that chamber.

Thank you! I do have an ATO.
For the chamber that water enters and the refugium, is my diagram correct?




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[MondoBongo]

that looks reasonable. you might not need the first bubble trap between the fuge and the dump area, i usually set my bubble traps in between my skimmer and return chamber, or if you're not using an in sump skimmer the last chamber of the sump and the return chamber.

 

[djryan2000]

How do I set the height of the water on specific chambers of my sump?

that looks reasonable. you might not need the first bubble trap between the fuge and the dump area, i usually set my bubble traps in between my skimmer and return chamber, or if you're not using an in sump skimmer the last chamber of the sump and the return chamber.

Thank you. Without the bubble trap is there any way to set the water level in the refugium higher than the drain section?

Also, should I drain the tank into the sump before adding the baffles I know how much water comes into the tank in an outage and then I'll figure out how high it'l be in the sump?


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[MondoBongo]

a bubble trap is typically 2 or 3 baffles arranged in a specific pattern, usually one low, and one high. so the height of the tallest baffle on either side of the fuge will be what sets the water height in the fuge.

if the tank is already you're going to have to disconnect the sump, drain it, and dry it completely, caulk in your baffles, let it sit and cure for 24 - 36 hours, then reinstall it.

 

[Sk8r]

All chambers have the same water level. Pump should be in the last chamber. Also helpful to have two walls just wide enough for the heater, one overflow, second one gapped at the bottom, to make sure a fish that manages to survive the trip down from your tank doesn't go into the pump intake.