Opinions needed

[latino277]

Hello Everyone...

I am currently moving my Tank across the room and have decided to make a few updates. First I'm going to try a BB setup (long story... for another thread), and I'm going to Upgrade my Sump/fuge from a 29g to a 55G. The below pic is what I think my setup will look like... Please let me know what you think!

thx in advance to any comments (Good :smokin: or Bad :mad2: )

 

[latino277]

This Pic might look alittle better?

 

[alten78]

ill be going through the same thing in terms of the sump so ill be tagging along...

quick question though, what else are you using for current in the display?

 

[latino277]

Well right now I have a LG 4-mdqx-sc on a closed loop, the mag 7 return and 2 Zoo Med Powersweep 228.

I will be replacing the 2 powersweeper with 1 Tunze 6100 on a 7095 controler... If needed I will add another Tunze 6000.

 

[latino277]

if I did my math right... that puts my turn over rate at 33x/h

 

[outta names]

Just my opinion but with a 125 I would go with at least a mag 12. That's what I have on my 72 (mag 12)

 

[latino277]

Hmmm... that is interesting... That was my original thought but i was told not to put that much through my sump??? Let me see if I can dig up that thread?

 

[latino277]

Sorry, Can't Search....

 

[outta names]

Not to put that much what through your sump? I am not sure what you are talking about but I have a 30 gallon sump and all is fine with my mag 12 so I would say with almost complete certainty that a mag 12 would be fine in a 55 gallon, probably even a mag 18.

 

[latino277]

I was told not to put that much flow through the sump (this was on one of my old theards....) My original thought was to go with the Mag 12. I think in may have to revisit this. THX.

Does anyone one else have any thoughts on how much flow should go through a 55g Sump Fuge?

 

[alten78]

i would shoot for 500-600 gph through the sump, but yes you dont want too much going through there.

Definately not a sump expert so take it fwiw...

 

[outta names]

Alten not trying to call you out but he could have way more then 500-600 gallons going through his sump. I am not a sump expert either but I do know 5 people with 100+ gallon setups and all of them have mag 12's or greater and they haven't had any problem's with to much flow. We are trying to duplicate the flow of the ocean.

 

[LFSmarineguy]

In respect to the return pump size used in your setups. You don't want all/ most of the flow coming from your return pump for two reasons. One: If the water is shooting through your sump at lightspeed it's not doing any good because it is in contact with the filtration system for a very short amount of time. IME you want in the neighborhood of about 12X an hour from the return pump (this depends greatly on your tank configuration). Two: In the event of a return pump failure you want a lot of flow remaining in the tank with closed loops or PHs. It takes a very short period of stress for SPS and other corals to decided to give up. Even if it isn't getting filtered, flow is better than no flow.

 

[outta names]

Weather your water is coming in to your sump at "light speed" or not your protein skimmer is still going to be sucking in as much water as it possibly can at all times, so I don't see how this would affect filtration. As for the pump failure I suppose your are right but who really wants power heads stuck all over there tank? Why not just keep a couple of PH's around in case there ever was a pump failure?

 

[alten78]

no prob, was off on my gph The external overflow is rated at 700 gph, maybe im missing something here but if you have a larger pump than what the overflows can handle aren't you going to flood the display?

 

[latino277]

Hmmm good points going around... Let me clarify my setup a bit.

I will be running a closed loop powered by a LG 4mdqx ~ 800 GHP also I will have at least 1 Tunze 6100 in a deco rock. I think my flow in the tank will be enough... even with out the sump/fuge.

Now for the fuge section. it will be feed directly from my Skimmer. My Skimmer will be directly feed from my over flow. so I will be able to slow down the flow to less than 200 gph through my fuge section...

that will leave about 600 -700 gph (assuming I'm using a mag12) going through my sump/live rock rubble section... now is this too much for for this area of my sump?

Again thx for all the help.

 

[latino277]

that is a good point. The overflow is rate at 700GPH Max... but I can always get another overflow with more flow if needed?

 

[outta names]

Yes alten you are correct about the overflow. I am not trying to start anything with anyone so please don't be offended by my opinons, with that being said I don't think 600-700 gph going through a 55 gal. sump is too much flow. I have around 1200 gph going through my 30 gal. sump and have had no problems with it.

 

[latino277]

Well I just ran the Head Calulator on the main page of this site (I Said HEAD!!!!! ) and the Mag 12 will put out about 800 gph with my setup. I will have ~150 -200 coming into my sump from my skimmer and ~600 - 700 comming in from the overflow. so that will be ~750 -900 gph going into my sump/fuge. I think i could run the same over with the mag 12...

the big ???? is should I?

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

latino,
Here's my take on it and some of what I have that you may be able to use.

#1. Make a section in your sump that all of the water skimmed from you tank will flow into. From that water, let it feed your skimmer with the output of the skimmer going into the next sction. Any resdiul water in the "skimmer sump" can overflow into the next area of your sump.

#2 The second area of the sump can be full of your live rock. You show an area that flows from your skimmer to a refuge but there's nothing in it. UES it for something.

As far as flow goes, there's a million different theroys. as for me here's what I use that works. I have two seperat sumps. Water is skimmed from the tank and flows into a 30 G sump. My skimmer sits in that sump and the out put of the skimmer and resdiul of teh sump flows into a 90 sump. The skimmer output goes directly into a LR area, then into a frag grow out area which can double as a refuge. The output of the skimmer sump flows directly into the grow out area. From there it goes into a retunr pump area where I have two Iwakia 30's as return pumps.

For a while, I did have one large pump for a return from the sump that flowed 4000 + GPH and I didn't seem to have any problems within my sump. I have a ton of stuff growing in the LR area and my frags are doing great. My tank is a 400 G tank by the way.

Good luck with your setup.