Large sump layouts - please share

[nightOwl]

I am in the process of planning my next tank and looking for some layout ideas for a large sump. Sump will roughly be around 60L x 36W x 20H. Tank will be around 320 gallons (72L x 40W x 26H) - peninsula style- bean animal overflow on one end.

I was thinking I wanted the following sections in the sump:
-filter sock section (2 possibly 3 sock holding capacity)
-skimmer section (Reef Octopus or Nyos Skimmer)
-return section
-refugium section


Please let me know if you have any suggestions on things to incorporate into the design. Probe holders is one thing I am thinking of adding upfront. I also want the sump to have some type of rim around the top to keep splashing to a minimum. I plan to keep the water top off remote instead of adding to the sump.


If you have pictures or suggestions please share.

Thanks

 

[d-man]

Fine. I have a 3 section sump
Skimmer, live rock, return. That is all. Granted my reactors will all be in the skimmer and LR section.

 

[nightOwl]

Fine. I have a 3 section sump
Skimmer, live rock, return. That is all. Granted my reactors will all be in the skimmer and LR section.

What type of reactors are you running? I have several Two Little Fishes Phosban 150 from old set up I had forgot I might need to use.

 

[Socaltoaz]

Royal Exclusiv Dreambox. You can see my build thread. Page 20 or so and forward:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2477486

 

[nightOwl]

Royal Exclusiv Dreambox. You can see my build thread. Page 20 or so and forward:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2477486

Socaltoaz - Just finished reading through thread...when you said large sump you meant it. Very nice looking piece of work. Thanks for sharing!

 

[nuxx]

Ours has 5 sections:
Drains
Skimmer
Fuge
Equipment/MarinePure Blocks
Returns

The Fuge is be far the largest area, then the skimmer and equipment sections being about 30% smaller and the return and drain sections being big enough to hold pumps.

Sump is around 200 gallons and is 8 feet long.

 

[nightOwl]

Ours has 5 sections:
Drains
Skimmer
Fuge
Equipment/MarinePure Blocks
Returns

The Fuge is be far the largest area, then the skimmer and equipment sections being about 30% smaller and the return and drain sections being big enough to hold pumps.

Sump is around 200 gallons and is 8 feet long.

nuxx - you have a pic?

 

[d-man]

I have my CaRx, biopellets, and a TLF550 for GFO. My manifold has 1extra port on it in case I want to add anything else.
It measures 96x22x22 I believe.
I used left over wood, resin and BlueMax from my build. Then cut 2 viewing windows in it(1 at skimmer section, other at return)

 

[nightOwl]

I have my CaRx, biopellets, and a TLF550 for GFO. My manifold has 1extra port on it in case I want to add anything else.
It measures 96x22x22 I believe.
I used left over wood, resin and BlueMax from my build. Then cut 2 viewing windows in it(1 at skimmer section, other at return)

d-man - sounds like a nice DIY project. Please post pictures if you get a chance.

 

[SPotter]

:wavehand:

 

[nightOwl]

:wavehand:

Steve,
Post a picture...lol.

 

[SPotter]

this was taken right after I set it up last year.

 

[nightOwl]

this was taken right after I set it up last year.

Steve,
any difference i the the top and bottom areas? Are you running any reactors?

 

[SPotter]

When I set the system up, the top tank was all live rock...approximately 300lbs. I have now cut that down to about 200lbs and half of it has macro growing in it with two grow lights over it. the bottom tank is really the sump where all the drains from the display and frag tank empty. I run the Natureef Reactor that's fed by a maxijet pump from the tank and I feed a Nextreef Xl reactor that I run about 1.5 cups of Rowaphos. That's fed by a jebao dc3000 pump and the reactor sits outside of the sump on the right side. I'll try to get an updated picture of it for you tonight. Not sure if you have the room to do something like this but Im really happy with it. Its a baffle free set up!

 

[nuxx]

nuxx - you have a pic?

Here you go...

Runs a bit high, but just need to make sure my siphon breaks are working lol

 

[Mike Hart]

I did a Vivid aquarium sump 72x24x24 for my 420 tank...well built...4 sections...can see my sump pics on my build thread on the NJreefers.org site (420 tank in my sunroom) drain dowm into a refug area to a large area for skimmer and carbon filter over weirs to return area...

 

[Greg 45]

Steve where did you get the blue sumps from . Looking to make sump bigger.

 

[SPotter]

Steve where did you get the blue sumps from . Looking to make sump bigger.

Hey Greg...I got from Pentair in Florida and shipping is free!

http://pentairaes.com/fiberglass-tanks-value-buy.html

 

[Mike Hart]

here is a pic of my sump

 

[sfsuphysics]

No pics handy of mine, but the sump (tank) volume is 270 gallons, not anywhere close to full of course. 2 chambers at one side about 24" x 18", and the third is 3' x 6' and maybe 1/3-1/2 full.
First chamber is just where tank drains to, if I feel like putting on filter socks I'll do it there, I'm kind of iffy on the use of them, in fact I use them mostly for bubble prevention, although I found a way to cut the bottom off one of those 32 ounce plastic deli containers and it seems to be tapered just enough to catch the bubbles and prevent "spritzing" (aka what causes salt creep), that flows into my skimmer chamber, currently on a pedestal to get it the right depth, and that chamber goes into the last chamber, where I have a ball of chaeto about 3 feet by 1 foot, I have a pump blowing back at an angle to keep the chaeto from floating around in the chamber, and near the other end is a return pump.

Originally I had the first chamber as return & skimmer, but it just got too crowded in there, and I had a hard time dealing with salt creep, so I switched around the chamber order and that seems to be good for now.