Sump Design -- Which one would work better?

sellout007

sellout007

New member
I am going to make my own sump for my 40g stretch Hex tank since I think a 10g is not going to be large enough. So I am debating about two designs.



sump-a.jpg


In this design the water is split between the skimmer section and the refugium section. It will come in where the black circle is. I would put a ball valve on the fuge side wich would give me the option to control the water flow through there. The water would flow through the two red sections. The skimmer section will stay at a constant lvl (10" water lvl) and the fuge will lower with the return section to help with avoiding constant top off every night.


sump-b.jpg



This is more conventional. Water enters at the black hole into the skimmer section (10" water lvl). Flows into the fuge wich will lower with the return section to aid with top off.


In both designs the Skimmer/Fuge sections are 9"x9" and the return is 6"x18". Overall sump dimensiosn are 15"x18"


Thoughts? Suggestions?
 
It just dawned on me, why not make the fuge as big as possible and let the return be small since they will both lower as one.

Here are the new revised photos.



sump-a-1.jpg





sump-b-1.jpg
 
I would recommend the first design. I have read that it is better to not have the skimmer flow into the fuge. I recently made a sump/fuge out of a 20L and I realized that I would like more room in the sump. So that is why I would not shrink the size of your return in the bottom image. The return will catch all the water when you power of pumps and the more room you have there the longer you can last between water top-offs. These are just a few of the pearls I have learned in the past few months with my first sump.
 
Also make sure that your skimmer section is large enough for the footprint of the skimmer you are planning on using. I ran into that with my first design.... built it up and realized that I needed 1.5" inches more for my skimmer :( Live and learn I guess :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9138214#post9138214 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ataylo13
I would recommend the first design. I have read that it is better to not have the skimmer flow into the fuge. I recently made a sump/fuge out of a 20L and I realized that I would like more room in the sump. So that is why I would not shrink the size of your return in the bottom image. The return will catch all the water when you power of pumps and the more room you have there the longer you can last between water top-offs. These are just a few of the pearls I have learned in the past few months with my first sump.
Click to expand...


I have read that people dont like having their skimmer run into the fuge because they think the skimmer would take out all the nutrients feeding the fuge. Which IMO is not true at all and even if it did then I wouldn't care ad the fuge is only there to take out what the skimmer misses anyway. So no biggie there.

As for teh return section, it will lower with the fuge. Meaning that they are tied together. So when water evaporates, the fuge and the return section will lower at once. Hence providing me with more time between top off's. Thats why I went with this design.

And I have tripple checked the skimmer size! I would cry if that happend. ha
 
i think you should have your return be the onlyl area that lowers when you have evaporation.
then you can pack some live rock in your fuge for added filtration and somewere for misis to feal safe. they can then lay eggsthat hopefuly make it to your top tank
also a top off is a must. premium aquatis sells kent top off float valves. i have a 5 gal bucket above my return portion that drips into my tank as water evaporates. this way my salinity remains constant and i only add water once a week
lastly you want atleast 2 walls or bulk heads before the water makes it to the return so the bubbles from the skimer don't make it to the top tank one that water goes over folowed by one it that it flows under the bubles don't get to the display.
 
IMG_8632.jpg


IMG_8635.jpg


in mine the water flosw over then under then over again

that float valve is just on some pvc i atached to the botom of the bucket i think the hole project to build the top of cost $20 +/- well wotth it to have the extra time and constant salinity
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9138375#post9138375 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scottflanagan
i think you should have your return be the onlyl area that lowers when you have evaporation.
then you can pack some live rock in your fuge for added filtration and somewere for misis to feal safe. they can then lay eggsthat hopefuly make it to your top tank
also a top off is a must. premium aquatis sells kent top off float valves. i have a 5 gal bucket above my return portion that drips into my tank as water evaporates. this way my salinity remains constant and i only add water once a week
lastly you want atleast 2 walls or bulk heads before the water makes it to the return so the bubbles from the skimer don't make it to the top tank one that water goes over folowed by one it that it flows under the bubles don't get to the display.
Click to expand...


A few problems.


1) I can still add LR rubble into my fuge. The reasons for the return/fuge lowering at the same time is more so of a safety precaution. If I forget to top off, or cant get to my tank for a few days I wont toast my pump/tank.

2) I have no room for an auto top off. Not an option right now. Very limited space underneath my stand, and no ugly apparatus's outside of the stand. I had both of these on my 240g when it was up and running so I have the parts lying around if I decide to use them.

3) I wont have that much water flowing through the sump so I don't think micro bubbles are going to be a huge issue. In one of the designes the bubbles would have to travel through the entier sump and still stay submerged to get into my tank. I am fairly confident that the bubbles wont be an issue. So I am leaving out the baffles in this design.
 
I was planning on doing something close to the second picture you had shown... except with a slightly larger fuge.

Need any acrylic ?? :D
 
I can understand why you would want both to drain... but that defeats the purpose of a refugium in my opinion. By allowing that the beneficial organisms will freely flow into your tank and will not have a safe haven to breed in. May be best to not have a fuge if you need more time between top-offs. BTW I base most of my sump knowledge off of Melev's designs.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9140447#post9140447 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jjjimmy
I would look through some of these...

http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

They are all good and proven designs. It is quite possibl that you could find one here that is close to what you are looking for and then just have to make a few mods.
Click to expand...

Melev's designs are great.

I personally like Sump E that has return in middle, keeping the skimmer and fuge at opposite ends.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9140506#post9140506 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by PSam
Melev's designs are great.

I personally like Sump E that has return in middle, keeping the skimmer and fuge at opposite ends.
Click to expand...

i love his sumps and want to get one from him but the size i want he states he wont ship on his site? to big to ship? everything can be shipped hehe.

i need a big sump for my 240 and like i said i like his designs
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9140499#post9140499 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ataylo13
I can understand why you would want both to drain... but that defeats the purpose of a refugium in my opinion. By allowing that the beneficial organisms will freely flow into your tank and will not have a safe haven to breed in. May be best to not have a fuge if you need more time between top-offs. BTW I base most of my sump knowledge off of Melev's designs.
Click to expand...


The whole point of a refugium is to have those critters breed and make their way *into* the main display tank for corals/fish to eat. Thats why the refugium is there, to provide food for your tank. o)
 
Melev's site is great, and I spent all night looking at his designs. The problem is, his smallest design is still MUCH larger then I can make mine.

I have an 18x15 area that I have to work with. That is my *entire* stand capacity. 9x9 of that needs to be given to my skimmer.


That leaves me with not alot of room to work with. If anyone has any ideas completely different from my own Id love to see some drawings. But keep in mind my skimmer section.
 
Im in the same boat sellout, I have a space that will hold a 16X14X12 sump.... Im thinking about doing one of his designs and just shrinking it down if possible...
 
Yeah its tough, because shrinking his designs down means I will have a very small fuge and return.

I think if I went with one of my first two designs and didn't have the fuge drain with the sump I have about a 5g return. Thats not horrible, but its not great either.
 
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