Sump is getting crowded

[Emma1234]

Hi,

I'm looking for suggestions on what I should have in my sump and how best to organize.

I have the following items in my sump: chaeto, skimmer, a canister that I put Chemi-Pure plus into, a heater, and a return pump to the display tank.

Here is a picture of my sump



I also have a sponge (picture below) that is not currently in the sump because I'm not sure where I have room for it. It won't fit on the side compartments with the other items I have.



Would it be a good idea to put the sponge and the chaeto in the middle compartment together? Or would putting both the chaeto and sponge in the middle compartment cause the flow of water to be too slow?

Or is better to go with either the sponge or the chaeto? If so which one should I go with?

Am I correct in thinking that it would not be a good idea to put the Cheato in the side compartments with the return pump or the skimmer because that might clog up them up or disrupt the water flow.

Any other things I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[homer1475]

Lets see where to start....

The reactor, is it not an external pump? It looks like it to me, Get that out of the sump and mount it to the wall to the side or back, just somewhere you can access it easily. That will give you a ton of space back.

Now with that space back, put your return, and reactor pumps where your chaeto is, and T off the return line with a ball valve to feed the last section where you can put the chaeto. Now it will actually have room to tumble and grow. You can throw your heater in the skimmer section so it has plenty of flow around it.

The sponge, I personally, would throw in the garbage. Sponges have a tendency to get clogged up with detritus. As that detritus sits in it and breaks down, they become nitrate factories, unless you clean them a couple times a week.

If you want to catch that little floating debris(the reason I assume you want to use the sponge), get a hand full of filter socks. The ones with the draw string as it looks like you have no room for a holder. Just tie them onto your downpipe. Also remember these are just like the sponge though, they need to be changed and cleaned several times a week. I change mine about every 2 days.

Basically change up your sump so it runs, downpipe/skimmer/heater | return/reactor pumps | and the last section just your chaeto with possibly a nano PH so you get the chaeto to tumble, and some rock rubble or marine pure block(if it will fit).

Just my .02$, but that's how I would run that sump.

 

[Emma1234]

Thanks Homer1475. Those are some great suggestions. I can't move my current pump to the middle compartment because it's too big. But I'll see if I can get a pump that would fit and then t the return hose like you suggested. Any suggestions on a small pump that will work with a fifty gallon tank and 20 gallon sump. I moved the reactor to the outside and tossed the sponge. I know what you mean with the filter to replace the sponge. That should work Any and all suggestions are appreciated.

 

[homer1475]

Love my waveline DC return pump. Fairly cheap and is only about the size of a soda can. Did a quick search on google, seems everyone is sold out of the DC2500 pump except one place, and at 55$(think mine was 108) I would jump on it right away. http://www.saltysupply.com/waveline-apex-ready-dc2500h-water-pump.html

 

[Emma1234]

Great. I will. Thanks!

 

[SFish]

To be honest I have way more crap then you do. The suggestions above are good ones though.

 

[AlSimmons]

I like to keep things simple. Here's an older picture of the 10 gallon sump I have underneath my 20 gallon DT. The skimmer has been upgraded, but everything else is still pretty much the same 8 years later. (and still going strong)
If I had a 100 gallon DT and a 40 gallon sump I wouldn't set it up any differently.