Whats the rule for Sump size vs Tank size

J

jamesk

New member
I am limited on space under my tank and I am forced to use 2 sumps unless you think I can get away with a 30 gallon sump on a 200 gallon plus tank. I don't want to drill and plumb the 2nd 30 gallon sump but I am fairly confident I will need to to accommodate for overflow and I am figuring I need at a minimum of 1500 ghp for a FOWLR. Any one in South Orange County have experience in drilling acrylic sumps I could use a hand. I have the bulk heads, hole saw and drills just scared to start drilling and hopeful I could just use the one sump and one 800 gph overflow box.
 
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The way my Stand is supported I can only get a 30 gallon on each side of the bracing. 96x18 and already own the 2 sumps/wet dry filters
 
you want to try and do 1/3 of the tank size. i have a 50 under my 150 and 60 under my 90 i just mounted my ballasts to the top of my conopy. i would buy an acrylic 60 at least for anything over 180 .
 
Already tried a 60 gallon and it is to long and hits the middle brace that is why I was going with the 2 sump system. As I can see here I will need to drill and plumb the 2 sumps
 
I think they are 35 gallons each I went with them because they fit my skimmer. Is drilling that big of a deal, I have everything that is needed. I got a hole saw that is rated for acrylic. Is drilling and plumbing multiple sumps common?
 
Thanks everyone for your input still looking for someone with more experience drilling than I have. If they break they break I am just trying to minimize my risk by having someone who has done it before help out.
 
drilling acrylic is pretty easy, i run the bit in forward and the run the whole saw in reverse, helps keep the acrylic from chiping and cracking, would be willing to help out if you would like
 
Drilling acrylic is really easy. Good tip: put the face of the acrylic that you are going to drill on top of some plywood you don't care about. That will brace the acrylic and minimize the chance of cracking. Even if the acrylic does crack, it can be fixed! It's a wonderful substance : )
 
Thanks for the tips. Where is Fontana in respects to very South Orange county off the 5? Fairly new to California and not sure of all the towns. In fact your replies have given me a bit of confidence and will attack it this weekend. The forward and reverse is a great idea.So was the plywood and drilling from the inside. What is the fix if I do break it?
 
your about an hour away from fontana, if it cracks you can repair it with aquarium silicone or i belive weldon and remember if your using 3/4" bulk head its the 1" hole saw
 
2" BULKHEAD AND 2 1/2 HOLE SAW IS WHAT IM USING THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP. I DRILLED A CARDBOARD BOX TO TEST. IF I LOOSE MY NERVE I MIGHT DRIVE OUT TO SEE YOU IN FONTANA.

THANKS
 
2" bulk head use a 2 1/4 hole saw if you use a 2 1/2 it might leak . not sure where yet but i will be in oc on sunday for the better part of the day
 
If it cracks you will use WeldOn to repair it. Any plastics store will have it, probably Home Depot or Lowes but not sure. Silicone does not adhere to acrylic. You won't crack it. It's very easy to drill. Key is to not warp the acrylic, which is why you lay that surface flat on a piece of wood and drill from the inside out.
 
Did you consider removing the center brace while you put in a 60 gallon sump and then replacing it? There are a few projects including one by Melev where they use some offset supports under the tank while they place the new sump in. Once finished, they replace the support. That would prevent any excess drilling and provide you with a bit more space
 
As Scissor said, there are no rules. If you want to run a 30g sump on a 200g tank, go for it. It will provide a little bit less total system volume and therefore stability, but not that much...

I ran a 30g-ish sump on a 180 FOWLR tank many years ago. This was pre-Euro Reef, and the needlwheel invasion, and my skimmer was a double airstone Sanders, but it fit in that sump and everything worked fine.

Why do you need 1500gph on a FOWLR...? I don't think even a 200g SPS reef needs this much sump flow through...?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13569327#post13569327 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tangreefkeeper
wow..i must be crazy then.. im running a 120 refugium/sump on my 220
Click to expand...

Hey, tang, the bigger the better...! :rollface:

And I thought were talking only a sump...? If a fuge/sump, then I think that 30g is too small indeed. But for strictly a sump with a skimmer and heater, etc.. 30g would work...

In Europe, they tend to use smaller sumps with much slower sump through flow rates. I've seen so many European tanks in the 240-350 range with 50-60 gallon-ish sumps with an Eheim 1262 return, which is 900gph before head... And their corals are gorgeous...

Some of these huge American return pumps (closed loops aside) are kinda laughed at over there... (They call them "Muscle Pumps" in reference to American Muscle cars)...
 
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