Sump Design

[JeffMo]

Here is my sump design so far. The sump is a 15 gallon tall (20L X 10W X 18H). I'll have a 600 gph overflow and for the return pump I'll have an Ocean Runner 2500 (@ 4.5 feet of head). Also, the skimmer I have is a hang on, so I need to make sure the first area has the water going tall enough, so the hang on can reach the water. I have the baffles set at 2 in apart. Do I need them that far apart, or can they be closer and still not get bubbles passing through them? Also, the reason for the 4th baffle being lower than the previous baffle is so I'll have more water available to the pump and need to replace evaporation less often. What do you think? Any problems you might see.

Thanks!

 

[rustybucket145]

I would stick with the 2 inches between the baffles, that's usually a good number.

One issue that's going to arise with your shorter baffle is the ability of the chaeto or other fuge plants to easily float over to the return area. You could combat this by placing a piece of eggcrate against the last baffle and have it as tall as the tank. This eggcrate will keep chaeto and other stuff contained even if you choose to fill the section all the way up.

Next.... The 4 inches you have in the overflow chamber seems like a little much to me in this situation. I would move it back as much as possible, having it just wide enough for the pipe from your overflow to fit in it. And if you have to have a skimmer pump in it make sure there's room for that. I would give any extra room to the fuge area.

 

[JeffMo]

Good suggestions rusty

Good suggestions rusty

How do you place eggcrate against the last baffle? Do I silicone it to the baffle? I would assume that's the case. Could I make the last baffle even smaller (right now it's 11" high) to 7" (again to help with top off rate) and still use the eggcrate to keep unwanted things away from the pump? Also, does anyone happen to know the dimensions of an Ocean Runner 2500 so I can see how much room I need for the pump?

Thanks again

 

[rustybucket145]

Not sure about silicone and how well it would bond to the eggcrate and glass or acrylic baffle. I would put the eggcrate (cut to size) on the left side of the baffle and then add the sand and rocks to the fuge and it should hold the eggcrate in place. Or you could silicone in another strip of glass/acrylic at the top of the tank directly above your last baffle. Then drill a couple of holes in this top baffle and simply zip tie the eggcrate to it.

Yes if you use the eggcrate you could drop the level of the baffle quite a bit but I wouldn't go much under 7" and I would only let the water get that low in extreme circumstances. The waterfall from 11" to 7" is going to cause quite a few microbubbles.

 

[JeffMo]

Thanks again rusty! Another question for you, in respect to the tubing that comes from the overflow, does it stick down into the water of the first baffle? If so, how far down? Is there a certain level below the water's surface it should go?

 

[rustybucket145]

I usually try to get the pipe at least a couple of inches below the surface. Some people seem to have had a great deal of success by putting a T on the end which would redirect the flow and bubbles to the sides of the chamber giving the bubbles a little more time to dissapate.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention that most people overlook is the use of valves and unions in your plumbing. Whenever you have to clean pumps or if you ever have to break down the system they can be an absolute lifesaver. They add a little to the cost of the plumbing but will pay for themselves the first time you ever have to remove a pump or move the tank. Here's a diagram of where valves and unions should be in an average sump setup.

 

[ralphie16]

i just built my sump around the ocean runner 2500. You need a hair more then 4" in the return zone for it to fit. Mine is touching the glass but its still dead quiet. I wanted the Eheim but it was almost an inch wider and i wanted a bigger refugium section.

I have a little different final baffel. I have a glass baffle about 2 inches off the bottom (like the middle baffle of the bubble trap) and its only about 4 inches high. I have eggcrate in front of it that reaches from the bottom all the way to the top. This way the algae stays in the refugium section but pods and other crap get sucked into the return pump. Pods swept up in the current will get fed write to the return pump, otherwise if the baffle went all the way to the bottom, they would have to go over that last baffle, which means less pods find their way back to the tank.

Thats my setup, FWIW.

 

[JeffMo]

Thanks ralphie

Thanks ralphie

Ok, I've been debating this 600 gph overflow situation with a guy at an lfs. I've found an overflow on ebay that says it won't lose siphon in a power outage (for hours), then when power comes back on, it will continue to siphon again, without breaking. The guy at the LFS has a 600 gph overflow also. He says that his will lose siphon in about 1 minute or so if the power goes out. He says that without some sort of aqualifter, etc... to restart the siphon, there's no way that the ebay overflow could keep siphon for that long. I disagree with him. What do you guys think? Am I wrong?

Here is the ebay one

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120084486377&ssPageName=MERCOSI_VI_ROSI_PR4_PCN_BIX_Stores&refitem=110079640062&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widget