Sump design- What do you think?

[Reggae Fish]

Ok. I'm rethinking the external pump and thinking about going with my original sump idea. Love to hear some feedback.

Thanks,
Justin

 

[DrBDC]

I would have the return from the middle with the skimmer on one side and the fuge on the other. Have the drain split so that most goes to the skimmer and some raw unskimmed water goes to the fuge.

 

[Reggae Fish]

Doesn't the cheato require quite a bit of movement. I was thinking that I would dump over my skimmer output into the cheato and then it would go into the return. If I put the return in the middle, the skimmer would be dumping onto the return creating lots of bubbles, correct? and if I kept the skimmer output in the same area as the skimmer, the cheato on the other side would get very little flow.

 

[kentrob11]

I agree with the doc....

 

[DrBDC]

You should have about a 20X turnover in with it. But that's based on the fuge size only. i.e. in mine I have to move about 2000 gph due to size. It would really depend on the return pump you use too. Remember the water is only going down there to be skimmed and to feed the cheato. If the skimmer feeds at 300 gph, anything over about 350 is actually cutting down the efficiency of the skimmer. You can even go a little less and some will just be sent through more than once. If there is a certain skimmer you plan to get someday for it, you could size it for that skimmers feed gph ahead of time though so that you're not upgrading pumps AND skimmer when you make the move. i.e most needlewheels if set for recirculation can be fed directly from the overflow or just a maxijet so the return pump can be tiny. But a beckett or downdraft skimmer will feed 1000 gph+ so a pretty big return pump can be used.

Did that make sense?

 

[Reggae Fish]

So, would the fuge go on the side in which the drain comes from or the opposite side? Should I not have the output flowing over into the return area...

Could you make a suggestion on where the baffles should be regarding where the openings should be and approx. how tall or short? I have a very hard time picturing things in my mind so that is why I do drawings?

 

[Im Lon 2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8510254#post8510254 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DrBDC
I would have the return from the middle with the skimmer on one side and the fuge on the other. Have the drain split so that most goes to the skimmer and some raw unskimmed water goes to the fuge.

Question. would that be the same thing, if you where to take the setup how he has it, and run the skimmer output to the Pump side?

 

[DrBDC]

No, just feed some of the raw tank output, not a lot. It would require a split on the tank drain pipe. If you fed the skimmer over to the fuge it would end up being the same as the first drawing since it would only feed the fuge clean water.

You would only need a single baffle on the fuge side and let it slowly overflow to the middle with the return pump. On the skimmer side you would want some baffles to help with micro bubbles. That side would only need to be big enough to set the skimmer in. Think ahead on that for possible future dream skimmer and checkout thier footprint sizes. Maybe even ask someone who has one so that you're sure to make it big enough.

Here's a drawing.

http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/sumps/g/sump_model_g.html

If the tank has 2 drains I'd just put one to the fuge side and 1 to the skimmer side. Then if the skimmer feeds i.e. 300, look for a 600 gph pump. or if the skimmer feeds 800 look for a 1600 gph pump. The needlewheels reportedly do awesome with a direct drain feed instead of drawing from a chamber.

 

[Reggae Fish]

So you are saying run the actual drain tubes into the fuge chamer and the 2nd one into the skimmer chamber? What if the sump has the 2 drainpipes on one single side? (like the megaflow sumps?)

 

[Reggae Fish]

So are you saying like this? Not using the drainpipes like the megaflow and just go directly into the skimmer and the other into the fuge. Should the dividers be like this and come from the top with openings at the bottom or from the bottom going up?

 

[DrBDC]

Bottom going up on baffles on right and then I'd do a 3 baffle on the left. Skimmers shouldn't need that much room though.

 

[rodd1rj]

I would make the skimmer section 10" and the fuge section 18"

 

[Reggae Fish]

What about this? How high should the baffles go on an 18" tall sump with a G2?

What is the purpose of the 3 baffles on the left and should they all be the same height

 

[Im Lon 2]

went it be better to make the skimmer a recirc mod and then feed the skimmer from the tank instead of letting it drain into the sump then pump into the skimmer?

Like this

 

[Reggae Fish]

I've thought about doing that but I'm just trying to figure out the sump so I can get it made first. Recirc. is down on the list.

 

[Im Lon 2]

If you want to do the mod make sure you still have room in the section of the sump if you turn the pump side ways. Are you going to use your G2 that you have now?

 

[Reggae Fish]

That is why I was doing a larger print in the sump so I have more options, which I might still do. I just don't understand how these baffles work exactly.

I'm going to use it for the time due to the restriction of cash flow with all the other things I have to get for my new setup. 2nd Tunze, Sump, AC Jr., and new damn RO/DI, etc... so I'm trying to space stuff out. I will probably try the recirc. mod before I switch skimmers. Might do everything I need it to???