Overly Sophisticated sump?

[Cheezefrog]

I've been doing research heavily for the last several weeks, yet I haven't found what I'm looking for. I am trying/attempting to try and design a 15"x15" sump. I haven't seen many complex setups for a 10g sump setup, however I really have hit a brick wall. Although it seems merely impossible now, I thought at the beginning it'd be fairly easy, but I really am trying to go for a Wet/dry/refigum system.

Basically, a floss filter/purigen/carbon/standard screen filter/skimmer and of course a refigium.

Again I'm working with a small area, no more than 18x18 but I'm trying to squeeze as much phases in as possible on such a small scale, any recommendations, rather custom or store bought, inspiration/WOW shots welcomed:lol2:

 

[reefscape15]

I am also trying to maximize use of a 10g tank for a sump. I know ill be running a skimmer, fuge, and carbon reactor. My main objective is to maximize fuge space. I decided to make a corner type overflow drain/bubble trap, and I have just enough room between the acrylic and the glass to house a NAC3.5 skimmer.

This is as far as I got

 

[Cheezefrog]

If your running things on the side like a calcium/carbon reactor, is it still necessary or even necessary at all to have a Wet/Dry filtration with a refugium/fuge skimmer setup?

I'm trying to debate, but more so importantly what I said above, limited space, if its not necessary to have something like a floss/carbon/bioballs/purigen, or if this would be somewhat cumbersome while running cal. carbon reactors on the side then I may eliminate the wet/dry filtration all together, I just didnt see a harm in not having it, nor have I seen it done very often, at least logically even on larger setups; so any information on this would be fantastic as I'm no professional, just a big hobbyist


I was contemplating on just having a similar setup you have with that corner baffle bubble displacer, and then just throwing the refug. skimmer in and calling it a day. Again this is for a 29g tank, although I really am going for overkill here, since I already have the reef octopus 110 skimmer going into it.

 

[MBIETZ]

You could do a horse shoe style sump the overflow and return at the same end but divided. You could block off the smallest space possible for a skimmer the return can go into this same chamber to save space then the rest can be the fuge. This style will reduce micro bubbles pretty well as long as the overflow chamber is further past the return section. I had a sump like this but i no longer have pics and sorry it is hard to imagine what im talking about without a pic.

 

[reefscape15]

good idea!

good idea!

You could do a horse shoe style sump the overflow and return at the same end but divided. You could block off the smallest space possible for a skimmer the return can go into this same chamber to save space then the rest can be the fuge. This style will reduce micro bubbles pretty well as long as the overflow chamber is further past the return section. I had a sump like this but i no longer have pics and sorry it is hard to imagine what im talking about without a pic.

Got it finished. Corner overflow drain/bubble trap, the skimmer section is just big enough to house a NAC3.5 with only a half inch to spare. The return section is as small as possible, leaving a 9ishx8ish fuge section in a 10g tank

 

[Pheeshes]

Don't you want the bubble trap after the skimmer?

 

[reefscape15]

You want the bubble trap before the skimmer to try and eliminate bubbles from entering the skimmer pump. The skimmers are designed to run on a consistent feed of water and air, which already happens through the venturi/pump. There shouldn't be any air leaving the skimmer, all the bubbles are supposed to stay in the skimmer body and scrub the water

 

[ohclereef01]

So we don't care about all the bubbles coming out of the skimmer going into the return pump / into the main tank?

Sent from my Samsung - Note II

 

[Cheezefrog]

Sorry for the repost but: If your running things on the side like a calcium/carbon reactor, is it still necessary or even necessary at all to have a Wet/Dry filtration with a refugium/fuge skimmer setup? I.E. Bio balls/filter floss/purigen/carbon/mesh screen.

 

[reefscape15]

I don't believe that wet/dry filtration, like the older trickle down style sumps are needed. This will be the first tank I've ever used a sump on. I've only either had just a hob skimmer or just a hob fuge. Both ways worked good for me. This tank I will have both a skimmer and fuge, and also plan on a carbon reactor in the future.

If ur skimmer is pumping out micro bubbles from the drain line, its probably getting too much air or the flow is too high through the skimmer. They are designed so that all the bubbles should stay in the skimmer body and travel to the collection cup. The water that is leaving the skimmer should have no bubbles in it

 

[reefscape15]

Double post

 

[S14Swap240sx]

is there a reason why the return side has an angled baffle?

what was the idea behind that?

love that bubble trap!

 

[reefscape15]

I wanted the outlet of the fuge to be near the bottom hoping that it would provide better flow through the whole area. But to keep the water level higher I had to add the last baffle. It was a little bit of an after thought tho, that's why it ended up angled. Also it kind of screwed me on my return pump size, so now ill have to run 2 smaller pumps. Oops!!!

 

[S14Swap240sx]

redo while you can! i made some changes to mine last min and was happy i did

 

[alberthiel]

Got it finished. Corner overflow drain/bubble trap, the skimmer section is just big enough to house a NAC3.5 with only a half inch to spare. The return section is as small as possible, leaving a 9ishx8ish fuge section in a 10g tank

Nice ...seems quite intricate but like the area left for the fuge .. good luck with it.

 

[Cheezefrog]

I just about had my system all in, I had similar 5 gal tanks like the one above that I was going to craft together, I managed to get a hole drilled in it for a refugium drain, however I thought I had lucked out, when I was putting it in my cabinet I bumped the PVC pipe and it cracked...I was trying to bridge two tanks together because my reef octopus skimmer is so huge for this biocube..

This however, is something(not in a specific order) but what I was trying to achieve with a wet/dry fuge setup.

This is not my design so I take no credit:

The media compartment with the air diffuser is something I ahh'd over, haven't seen this done much with filtration systems. Yet...I was told at the local aquatic store yesterday sumps/refugiums are pointless

I guess my main question has been is it necessary to go overboard on filtration steps? I didn't know if it was possible to "over" filtrate a system? As in filtering the elements/minerals out so heavily that it becomes almost a nu-sense for a tank? Specifically a smaller tank