Recommended Flow through Sump

Morpheus'Reef

New member
I'm presently running a Mag18 as my return pump on my system -- Total volume aprox. 200 gal incl. sump. Figuring in the losses my total flow from the pump should be around 1200 gph or roughly 6X total system volume. In the past few months I have read a number of post recommending a slower flow through the sump. Do you guys think that 6X is to high? If so what is the recommendation for flow through the sump? I have seen anything from 1X to 4X system volume.
 
I think it depends upon your overall filtration strategy. I am in the 3 - 5 x group. I push about 450 gph turn over in my 120 with about 240 total system volume.
 
Sorry should have been more specific. Right now my sump is laid out with 2 main areas. One area houses the skimmer and gets the bulk of the water from the overflows. The other area is my refugium (approx. 18gal). Flow into the fuge is from a dedicated line that is Teed off of one of the overflows. I have a gate valve that I can use to control the flow into the fuge. Overflow from the fuge goes into the skimmer chamber (actually just past the skimmer where the baffles are prior to the return pump).

By slowing down the flow, I would mainly affect the flow to the skimmer. So is there any advantage to slowing down the water into my sump?
 
You only need to send to the skimmer the rate that it feeds plus maybe 10%. So if it feeds at 500 gph, send about 550-600. If you have a fuge on the opposite end of the sump with the return in the middle, you can split the drain and send about 20X the volume of the fuge through that side.

So in your case it would be about 360 gph through the fuge side and whatever the skimmer side needs through that side.

You may be surprised how little is actually going through the sump. What size drains are on the main display?
 
I am running a Beckett Skimmer driven off of another Mag18 (I know heat issues). So if I understand your suggestion, because of the high rate I am feeding the skimmer, my overall Sump flow is probably ok (or even low).

Thanks for the help.
 
I run two tanks out of my sump (fuge and display). Many people totally disagree with my way of doing things but I have 60x turnover through my sump per hour. I don't have any micro bubbles and my tank does great. I also have a higher turnover in my fuge than most would recommend (15x/hr). But everything is healthy and all inhabitants are not only surviving, but thriving.

Some people say you should only have 4x or 5x turnover in their fuge but then they complain when detrius collects on the bottom. duh?

Have any of you ever been in the marsh when the tide was flowing? It's like a river, definately not the 'low flow' area that most people seem to think it is.
 
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