Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
I've been getting a number of requests for info on my sump design.
This isn't the "only" or "best" sump design, but it incorporates some features that I've never seen anywhere else.
This is a picture of my sump.
It's a 75 gallon aquarium that was drilled in four different locations. It's covered to minimize evaporation and maximize heat retention. It can be uncovered in the summer to have the opposite effect. Water flows from the two returns (at top left) to the pump intakes (bottom right).
Two bulkheads were installed at the bottom right for pump intakes.
Two bulkheads were installed at the top right and left. (One is an emergency overflow drain and the other connects to a refill hose.)
I realize that several notable people in the hobby recommend locating your skimmer directly where water from the main display aquarium empties into the sump, but I think my design is better.
Water returning from the main aquarium falls into a 10 micron filter pad. (Note that it needs cleaning in the picture!) The water then overflows into my refugium area filled with Chaetomorpha and a few spare pieces of rock. (The return seen below the cleaning magnet is from my skimmer.)
Any excess food that goes down the drains feeds my amphipod and worm population (in the refugium) before it's removed by the skimmer. In addition- pods crawl into the filter basket and eat any valuable food items they can find. The Chaetomorpha acts as a food and bubble trap. It's crawling with "bugs". There are two baffles and I have eggcrate/light diffuser in there as well. This prevents big chunks of Chaeto from clogging my pump intakes- but once in a while a small piece makes it into the main aquarium and the fishes fight over it. If you look closely you can see where the auto-feeder is located above the main pump intake. The funnel isn't visible but you can see the PVC tube that directs the food into the pump intake. I hope this helps someone.
Now then- I need to go clean that filter pad!
This isn't the "only" or "best" sump design, but it incorporates some features that I've never seen anywhere else.
This is a picture of my sump.
Two bulkheads were installed at the bottom right for pump intakes.
Two bulkheads were installed at the top right and left. (One is an emergency overflow drain and the other connects to a refill hose.)
I realize that several notable people in the hobby recommend locating your skimmer directly where water from the main display aquarium empties into the sump, but I think my design is better.
Water returning from the main aquarium falls into a 10 micron filter pad. (Note that it needs cleaning in the picture!) The water then overflows into my refugium area filled with Chaetomorpha and a few spare pieces of rock. (The return seen below the cleaning magnet is from my skimmer.)
Any excess food that goes down the drains feeds my amphipod and worm population (in the refugium) before it's removed by the skimmer. In addition- pods crawl into the filter basket and eat any valuable food items they can find. The Chaetomorpha acts as a food and bubble trap. It's crawling with "bugs". There are two baffles and I have eggcrate/light diffuser in there as well. This prevents big chunks of Chaeto from clogging my pump intakes- but once in a while a small piece makes it into the main aquarium and the fishes fight over it. If you look closely you can see where the auto-feeder is located above the main pump intake. The funnel isn't visible but you can see the PVC tube that directs the food into the pump intake. I hope this helps someone.
Now then- I need to go clean that filter pad!
