Sump and Pump Size

[Wardogbunnies]

We are in the process of transfering everything from our 65 gallon reef tank to a 150.

How do I figure out what size sump to go with? The cabinet dimensions are 46L x 21.5W x 23H. I am planning on ordering the Via Aqua 4900 pump, which pumps 1321 gph.

Any economical sump suggestions?

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Go with the biggest sump you can find that will fit in your stand. Used tanks make good sumps, you can glue in some baffles and off you go.

You want a return pump that will give you 3-5 times the volume of your tank turn over per hour. So you will want something between 450gph and 750gph flow through the sump. Make sure you atleast roughly calculate the head pressure you will have to pick the correct pump.

 

[ONEMANBAND]

Why not just use your 65 gallon as the sump?

 

[Wardogbunnies]

Thanks for the pump info! What is "head pressure?"

The 65 is too tall for the cabinet. I'm trying to convince my husband that we can build our own using an old tank. I just can't see spending $300+ on a "resivoir."

 

[ONEMANBAND]

Any aquarium will work that fits in your cabinet, a longer tank is preferable to a taller tank (think i gotta get my hands in here) Just make sure its big enough to catch your water from the main tank when the power goes out. Head pressure is just the effect of gravity pressing down on your pump return line in your case 23 inches plus howerver tall your stand is, most likely 4 or 5 feet of head pressure. I would go with a little less pump on that 150, maybe something like a Mag-7 or oceanrunner 2500 or eheim 1260.

 

[Fiziksgeek]

Every pump will have a rating for gph (gallons per hour) and max head. If, for example, you had a pump that was rated at 1000gph and max head of 10ft, it means the pump can move 1000gph with no head pressure, and will move no water at 10ft of head.

I forget the exact details, but I believe every 1 ft of vertical piping is equal to 1ft of head, 10ft of horizontal equals 1 ft of head, every 90 degree elbow equals 1 ft of head. Something like that. There is a head loss calculator on the RC homepage.

In my tank, the return is about 4ft above the pump and has 1-90 degree turn. So I have about 5 ft of head.

You will need to calculate the head pressure in your system, then find a pump that puts out betwee 450 and 750 gph at that head pressure. Also remember that the overflow has a limit on the amount of water it can handle too. So if your drain has a 1" bulk head, your are limited to about 600gph.