Need Suggestions on sump

[PaulKlug]

This is my first sump i will be creating so i need all the help i can get. This is a 29 gallon tank that is 30x12x18, that i will be using for a sump on my 125 gallon soon to be reef tank. I have drawn a quick sketch of my design so far. I would like it if you more advanced fish keepers would critique it for me so i can improve it before i build it. I have an attached overflow box that will flow into this sump because i could not drill holes in my tank. Here is my sketch so far please tell me how i coudl improve it before i build it.


Also how high should my buffers from the ground be up? My ones with the space between the bottom will be about 2 inches form the ground, is that ok?.

Thank you for any help,
Paul

[Geoff]

that is a kinda small sump for a 125g. i would ditch the idea of a fuge in the middle. how much flow are you going to try and put through that? 2 inches should be fine, but 3 would be better. the distance between the baffles should be the same distance as the baffles are from the bottom of the sump.

i think you should figure out what skimmer you are going to use to make sure it will fit in there also.

looks good though!!

G~

[PaulKlug]

If i can get away with it i would like to use the 29 but i could buy a larger one but i need it to fit under my tank and also be accesible. If i dont put the live rock and plants in the middle what woudl i put there? nothing? But then what would be the point of the sump besides keeping my skimmer and themrometer in it. I have no real experience with sumps and have done a ton of reading on them but still dont quite understand on how to set one up. Also i could use some sugestions on a protien skimmer because my only input has been from a lfs and would like your ideas/sugestions. I was thinking about putting 400-500 gph through it, which i can see might be alot to have the live rock and stuff inbetween the flow. This setup is just an idea if you have a better one please suggest it or just point me in the right direction. You guys rock thanks for helping out us newbies.

Thanks again,
Paul

[aussiereefer82]

Paul check out this thread
http://thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46442

Also look at http://www.melevsreef.com/

This should help you understand a little more.

[Geoff]

that is a sumps only purpose. to hide the uglies. people try to do to much with them, and all they do is make it difficult for themselves. KISS.

as for a skimmer, get the biggest one you can afford. a lot of our sponsors have some great ones. these are what they do, and they are very efficient. they can also mess with thier designs a little if you have some special size requirements. it is good to work with the manufacturer.

G~

[PaulKlug]

Thanks for those links they gave me lots of good information but i still am not sure what i should do with my sump. Above I was told to not add any live rock or plants between the area in my sump. But then what will clean my tank besides the protien skimmer? Or is this all i will need? Or should I add some type of foam or sponge in order to syphon teh detritus and other things passing through that i need to filter which i would need to clean regularly. Also the question about suggestions on the size and type of a protien skimmer if anyone would know. Sorry for all these question i just want to make sure my tank/sump is set up perfectly before starting it up. Plus the research I have been doing really hasnt helped me to be able to relate their situation to mine. Would it be easier for me to just buy a wet dry filter for my tank even though i heard these arent that great for reef tanks. Also if you have any more questions just feel free to ask as i check back on this regularly and could reply back right away.

Thanks again so much

[PaulKlug]

Sorry i posted my last reply while the one before it was not up yet. Thanks for the reply but of course I still have more questions . By getting the biggest skimmer i can afford or fit in my sump this will do all the cleaning my tank will need, besides water changes and the such done by myself. Or am I going to need something else (If so please aware me of it)? Thanks Again

Paul

[Geoff]

that is all you need. the LR handles all of the bacterial filtration. as long as there is good flow around the LR you will be good to go. the hard part is getting the LR open enough to be able to siphon all of the big detritus out. if the flow is good enough then there is very little in the display and the skimmer will remove most of the other if the flow in the sump is reasonable. detritus settles where the flow is the calmest so if you get this to be in the sump then this is where it will settle, which can make siphoning easy.

BTW- a good idea is to raise the sump a couple of inches off of the ground. this will help in siphoning.

G~

[T2K]

I would suggest using bio balls in the sump as well. Have the water flow througth the bio balls.

[mg]

I disagree with the bioballs in the sump. This will only add to the production of nitrates, which we are trying to keep low (below 5ppm) for a reef tank. You will have plenty of biological filtration from the LR alone.

[PufferHead]

I am also questioning the final build of my DIY sump.
This is also going under a 125, and is also approximately 30 gal..
It is 32"x15"x15". I was questioning the placement of baffles and I did look through the "Discussion of the week" ( http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=46442).
I have settled into the idea that the sump for me is just for the increase of total volume for tank stablity, a place for the skimmer to be, and hopefully a place to get rid of particulates.

It seems to me the baffles are for two purposes:
a) Help get bubbles out of the flow.
b) Hopefully let some of the detritius settle out.

I guess the question for me winds up being Why would I need baffles if I do one or both of the following:
1) Add a filter bag on the input lines
2) Add a "sandwich" of filter mat between two pieces of egg crate, in a vertical positioning submeresed? ( NOT placed horizontal like a "wet-dry" )


This would be much easier than trying to fit acrylic baffles on my DIY sump, because if you look at the pic of my sump, the fronk, back and bottom are all one piece of acrylic! ( I squared it between a workbench and clamped piece of wood and carefully heated it with a heat gun. Then I just had to deal with essentially one long seam on both sides). To round a piece of acrylic ( or two) to fit the bottom perfectly could be a very large test of patience.

What problems, if any. would a "wall of filter floss" create?
(Other than the expense of replacing that occasionally.)

[kayaker97321]

Originally Posted by T2K

I would suggest using bio balls in the sump as well. Have the water flow througth the bio balls.

Most of the current reefers are staying away from the bio balls now. Not to bash T2k, but here's why. I some school of thought is that the bio balls reduce the the waste into nitrate, while powerful skimming removed all the protein from the system before it is broken down. Futher on reducing the amount of phosphate from the system. My rule of thumb is remove the waste not turn it in to a different kind of waste.

If I was building a simple sump for your system I would do something like this...
First I would use a large of tank/sump as you can fit in your stand.

The design that Pufferhead has is great I would just add a filtersock to the input.



hope this helps

Tyler

[Geoff]

if you use floss or filter bags you can still run into the same problems that bio-balls cause. these will trap detritus also. of course these are significantly easier to clean than the bioballs but they still should be cleaned on a daily basis for best results.

G~

[PufferHead]

Along with the benefit of helping cut down on bubbles in the sump, doesn't the filter sock do the same thing? Trap Detritius?

[kayaker97321]

Originally Posted by Geoff

if you use floss or filter bags you can still run into the same problems that bio-balls cause. these will trap detritus also. of course these are significantly easier to clean than the bioballs but they still should be cleaned on a daily basis for best results.

G~

I am sure it would except I have seven of them change every night. Then on the weekend wash them.. Sure alot easier that trying to vac a sump....

Tyler