Look over my sump plan please

[Saltcoholic]

For my sump/refugium, I am using a Walmart 10 gal all glass tank with acrylic baffles glued togehter with DAP Aquarium Silicone. I think the acrylic was 3/16 thick, I forget - got it from Home Depot.

It's pretty sturdy. Been up for almost 3 weeks with no problems so far.

I don't forsee any problems, acrylic baffles wont even shake when I wiggle them so I think the bond is permanent and strong.

[aka_bigred]

I settled on the same setup as you Brian. I'll be Tee'ing the return to give adjustable flow into the fuge w/out getting too much flow as is possible with the fuge-in-the-middle designs. Keep in mind I haven't had my setup running yet, but from all my research, I decided this style should theoretically be better IMO.

I got my glass from Ace HW, and it's officially 1/8". If you really want 1/4" try calling around to picture framing shops. I found a place in Maplewood that could get me 1/4" glass when I modified some All-glass tank covers to fit my wider Oceanic tank, and they did a really nice job with it.

I was a little concerned with 1/8" baffles at first too, but it's really not holding much weight when you have the sump full. The pressure is equalized on both sides so there's not much un-countered force. As long as you watch and keep it topped off so you aren't draining down the drain/skimmer side too much, it should be fine.

The only flaw with this design (actually most) is that the fuge will keep a constant water level and your drain/skimmer & Return compartments will lower from evaporation. When you start getting water levels too low on the return side, that puts more strain on the glass & silicone because the force is nolonger equalized. I decided I'd be putting in an auto topoff anyway so It shouldn't be a big deal, but it's something you'll want to keep an eye on.

HTH!

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by bigreddastud

I got my glass from Ace HW, and it's officially 1/8".

That's where I got my glass too. They said it's 1/8", but it's an awfully thin 1/8"

I was a little concerned with 1/8" baffles at first too, but it's really not holding much weight when you have the sump full. The pressure is equalized on both sides so there's not much un-countered force. As long as you watch and keep it topped off so you aren't draining down the drain/skimmer side too much, it should be fine.

I guess my biggest thought/fear was nocking a pump or something into it when doing maintenance.
Thanks


~Brian

[Twins Guy]

anemic-are you measuring the inside diameter (ID) of the pipe or the outside diameter (OD)? those tanks-unless custom-are all built with a 1" drain bulkhead and a 3/4" return bulkhead. the top and bottom of 1" drain bulkhead will accomodate 1" ID PVC. i believe the lower end of the durso has a 1.25"->1" reducer. dursos work best (most quietly) with this reduction of pipe diameter at the bulkhead-it should reduce the # of bubbles in the lower tube running to the sump. likewise the return bulkhead will accomodate 3/4" ID PVC.

also i liked your idea of having the refugium offset out of the majority of the waterflow but i don't know that 600ish gph thru a 12" sump will generate THAT MUCH turbulence. there is definitely something to be said for slow flow thru a fuge.

silicone doesn't bond great to acrylic-as in you wouldn't want to build a tank of acrylic and rely on silicone to keep it together but really the pressure on either side of your baffles will be nearly equal so they'll stay put. even oceanic puts in their reef-ready overflows with silicone. silicone on both sides and you'll be golden.

tg

[clownfishcrazy]

Here is a couple pics of my ghetto sump:

[clownfishcrazy]

[clownfishcrazy]

[Twins Guy]

devin you're so ghetto

[trodder]

I am using the same sump/refuge setup as you have proposed. I also am using a glass tank (45 long) with acrylic baffles siliconed into place and it is a very strong hold. I recommend you keep the fuge where it is because it is easier to control the flow into the fuge that way and it is easier to impliment IMO. I certainly would not want my fuge in the middle getting 600gph of flow, or anyhting near that or your fuge would become worthless. The water needs to be in there long enough for any macro to absorb elements out of the water. Also it allows you to use your skimmer more efficiently...what I mean by that and correct me if my way of thinking is wrong... but if you have less flow in your skimmer compartment i.e. some of the drain water diverted somewhere else like a fuge, then you have a better chance of skimming all of the water that drains into that compartment before overflowing the baffles into the return compartment... you may even cycle almost all the water more then once to really skim it before going into the retrun compartment if you have a strong enough pump on the skimmer. I don't see any problem with how your baffles are setup as far as eliminating bubbles.... I was concerned when I set mine up that it would be a problem and that I may have to put a filter sponge in the baffles to help stop bubbles but I did not have to. I was worried about using a sponge because it is just another way of getting a nitrate factory started if you don't clean or replace it often enough. Realisticlly you could do without the 3rd baffle from the left on your skimmer/return side because the bubbles are forced to rise up above the first baffle, then they have to be forced back down below the second...bubbles typically only go up. that is how it is setup on the fuge side since there is not a lot of flow. On the skimmer side though I did use three anyway as a precautionary because if the flow was great enough it is possible for the bubbles to escape the second baffle however very unlikely...that kind of flow would also have to be ridiculously insane as long as the baffles are spaced out enough for the amount of flow that you are intending to have go through there...

HTH. If you like I can try and get a pic of my setup and post it for you.

[AnemicOak]

Thanks.

So from reading your description you did a baffle setup on the fuge side too? A few people have said I should try to incorporate a way to place a carbon bag into the sump if needed. Any ideas? Good idea?

I was originally going to just have a drain & return section on this, thinking there was no room for a fuge, but most folks have said the fuge doesn't need to be huge for my setup. True?

Which section would I put heaters & stuff in on this thing?

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Twins Guy

anemic-are you measuring the inside diameter (ID) of the pipe or the outside diameter (OD)?

I was measuring the OD

Never said I was a plumber

I measured the ID of the PVC I have for the return. It measures 7/8", so I guess that's a 3/4" pipe? Kind of like a 2x4 not really being 2x4.

[AnemicOak]

Bought some acrylic at HD so I'm all set for baffle material now. Just didn't feel safe with the 1/8" glass.

[aka_bigred]

The problem with acrylic baffles in a glass tank is that the silicone doesn't adhere as well to them vs glass. I'd suggest getting 1/4" glass if you are uneasy with the 1/8" before you used the acrylic.

If you do go acrylic, lay a THICK bead of silicone and let it cure very well.

One other trick I found was using masking tape to make perfect edges on the bead of silicone. Just tape 1/2" from the joint (or whatever thickness you like) and caulk as normal. After you smooth the bead, pull off the tape right away before it starts setting, and you get professional looking caulking.

Not that big a deal on the sump, but I'll definitely be doing it when I caulk in my corner overflow in the drilled main tank!

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by bigreddastud

The problem with acrylic baffles in a glass tank is that the silicone doesn't adhere as well to them vs glass. I'd suggest getting 1/4" glass if you are uneasy with the 1/8" before you used the acrylic.

Yeah, I was unsure about acrylic at first. Plenty of folks have posted that they've used it and it's been just fine so I thin it'll be ok.

[trodder]

keep in mind all overflow boxes (acrylic) are glued to glass tanks with silicone