Return pump, better in the middle or side?

90greefman · 08/08/2010, 01:28 PM

So I just bought a 120g rr tank. I am making a sump out of a 40g breeder. Looking for any thoughts and feedback.

My first sump design is simple. Each compartment would be separated with baffles and go in this order from left to right: skimmer, sump, return pump. Both feed lines from the tank would go directly into the skimmer area. Any thoughts or feedback to pros and cons of this would be nice.

My second thought is having my return pump in the middle of the sump, the skimmer would be on the left and the refugium would be on the right. If I did this design my questions are:

1. Is it better to have the feed lines from the tank split up and one goes to the skimmer and one goes to the refugium? Or is it better to have both feed lines from the tank go to the skimmer area.

2. If both feed lines go to the skimmer area then I would put a "T" in my return pump and have it feed my refugium. Is there any benefit of having the return pump feed the skimmer or is it just more work.

Don't have any diagrams but I think these are both pretty common designs most people are familiar with. Any feedback would be appreciated.

90greefman · 08/08/2010, 01:30 PM

I screwed up on question 2.

I meant is there any benefit to having the return pump feed the refugium or is it just more plumbing?

colotl · 08/08/2010, 01:55 PM

I had both. First the return in the middle and know using it on the side. I like the side better. Water gets skimmed the water runs thru my micro algae the back to the display. Less plumbing for me.

90greefman · 08/08/2010, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by colotl

I had both. First the return in the middle and know using it on the side. I like the side better. Water gets skimmed the water runs thru my micro algae the back to the display. Less plumbing for me.

Cool, thank you. From a plumbing perspective I am leaning towards this.

sjm817 · 08/08/2010, 04:03 PM

If you go linear: Drain/Skimmer | fuge | return, you get the fuge to help with bubble filtration and simpler plumbing. You can not separately control flow through the fuge.

If you have a middle return: Drain/skimmer | return | fuge You can control the flow to the fuge with the return T valve. A little more plumbing. The return is right next to the drain/skimmer and bubbles may be an issue.

90greefman · 08/08/2010, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjm817

If you go linear: Drain/Skimmer | fuge | return, you get the fuge to help with bubble filtration and simpler plumbing. You can not separately control flow through the fuge.

If you have a middle return: Drain/skimmer | return | fuge You can control the flow to the fuge with the return T valve. A little more plumbing. The return is right next to the drain/skimmer and bubbles may be an issue.

Good point on the bubbles. How important is it then to be able to control the flow through the refugium. I guess to put it simple, do I want more control over my bubbles or more control of refugium flow? Good points to ponder before I build.

D-Nak · 08/09/2010, 04:02 PM

I'm setting up a 120 RR as well. A diagram of my sump is below. Originally I was planning to make it myself with a 40 gallon breeder, but I ended up cracking it so I ordered a custom-made sump, and the dimensions changed a bit.

The sump is still being built, so I don't know how well it will work. I designed it in such a way that will allow the most flexibility -- adjustable flow through the fuge, adjustable height for the skimmer section, etc.

colotl · 08/09/2010, 05:55 PM

The flow to the fuge will be limited on the draining capability of the 3/4in drain to the return section.
My original fuge just spilled over the entire divider then up and over another section to minimize bubbles from the cascading water.

D-Nak · 08/09/2010, 06:09 PM

I thought about that, but I didn't want to add a bubble trap. If I find that the flow is too low, then I can add a bubble trap. My guess though, is that the 3/4" pipe will be able to handle the flow coming out of the fuge, especially since I'l be throttling the input back a lot via the valve. I can also increase the size to 1". This all goes in line with my need to make the sump customizable.

90greefman · 08/09/2010, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-Nak

I'm setting up a 120 RR as well. A diagram of my sump is below. Originally I was planning to make it myself with a 40 gallon breeder, but I ended up cracking it so I ordered a custom-made sump, and the dimensions changed a bit.

The sump is still being built, so I don't know how well it will work. I designed it in such a way that will allow the most flexibility -- adjustable flow through the fuge, adjustable height for the skimmer section, etc.

That's a nice design I was considering. What are you using for a return pump. I have dual overflows and was going to use a genx pcx40 but it is freaking loud. Needless to say I am returning it. Probably going with an internal return pump now so the possibilities are endless for my sump.

D-Nak · 08/09/2010, 10:41 PM

I had a Gen-X on my old tank and it was way too loud. This time I have a Tunze Silence .040 (792 GPH).

90greefman · 09/17/2010, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-Nak

I had a Gen-X on my old tank and it was way too loud. This time I have a Tunze Silence .040 (792 GPH).

Ended up with the eheim 1262. Absolutely love it.

08/08/2010, 01:28 PM	#1
90greefman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Firestone, CO Posts: 318	Return pump, better in the middle or side? So I just bought a 120g rr tank. I am making a sump out of a 40g breeder. Looking for any thoughts and feedback. My first sump design is simple. Each compartment would be separated with baffles and go in this order from left to right: skimmer, sump, return pump. Both feed lines from the tank would go directly into the skimmer area. Any thoughts or feedback to pros and cons of this would be nice. My second thought is having my return pump in the middle of the sump, the skimmer would be on the left and the refugium would be on the right. If I did this design my questions are: 1. Is it better to have the feed lines from the tank split up and one goes to the skimmer and one goes to the refugium? Or is it better to have both feed lines from the tank go to the skimmer area. 2. If both feed lines go to the skimmer area then I would put a "T" in my return pump and have it feed my refugium. Is there any benefit of having the return pump feed the skimmer or is it just more work. Don't have any diagrams but I think these are both pretty common designs most people are familiar with. Any feedback would be appreciated.

08/08/2010, 04:03 PM	#5
sjm817 On Yer left! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 18,777	If you go linear: Drain/Skimmer \| fuge \| return, you get the fuge to help with bubble filtration and simpler plumbing. You can not separately control flow through the fuge. If you have a middle return: Drain/skimmer \| return \| fuge You can control the flow to the fuge with the return T valve. A little more plumbing. The return is right next to the drain/skimmer and bubbles may be an issue. __________________ - Scott

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08/08/2010, 01:30 PM	#2
90greefman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Firestone, CO Posts: 318	I screwed up on question 2. I meant is there any benefit to having the return pump feed the refugium or is it just more plumbing?

08/08/2010, 01:55 PM	#3
colotl Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 648	I had both. First the return in the middle and know using it on the side. I like the side better. Water gets skimmed the water runs thru my micro algae the back to the display. Less plumbing for me.

08/09/2010, 05:55 PM	#8
colotl Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 648	The flow to the fuge will be limited on the draining capability of the 3/4in drain to the return section. My original fuge just spilled over the entire divider then up and over another section to minimize bubbles from the cascading water.

08/09/2010, 06:09 PM	#9
D-Nak Registered Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 5,797	I thought about that, but I didn't want to add a bubble trap. If I find that the flow is too low, then I can add a bubble trap. My guess though, is that the 3/4" pipe will be able to handle the flow coming out of the fuge, especially since I'l be throttling the input back a lot via the valve. I can also increase the size to 1". This all goes in line with my need to make the sump customizable.

08/09/2010, 10:41 PM	#11
D-Nak Registered Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Bay Area, CA Posts: 5,797	I had a Gen-X on my old tank and it was way too loud. This time I have a Tunze Silence .040 (792 GPH).