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12/05/2010, 06:41 PM | #1 |
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How to configure sump
I'm starting my first saltwater tank which I bought used. It is pre-drilled and came with a sump that is designed to be used in a wet/dry configuration with bio balls. I'm going to have live rock and a protein skimmer so I wont be doing the bio balls thing.
My question is how to setup the sump. The drain from the tank goes through a bulkhead on the side of the sump into the first of three sections. It is about 6 inches wide and I plan on putting the heater in here. This overflows into a large middle section which is about 1 foot square. The bio balls used to go in here and there are rails along the side to support grates that keep the bio balls off the bottom. This section drains into the final section via a 2 inch gap at the bottom of the divider. The final section will house the return pump and is about the same size as the first section. I figure I need to pass the water through some kind of mechanical filtration before it hits the skimmer. I was thinking of just putting a layer of filter floss in the middle section and putting the skimmer in the final section next to the pump. Im pretty sure the Aquac Urchin will fit either in there or the first section. Does this sound like a reasonable approach? My original thought had been to do the mechanical filtration via a filter sock on the inlet hose but since the hose connects to a bulkhead this is infeasible. Thanks in advance for your wisdom! Dave |
12/05/2010, 06:50 PM | #2 |
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I usually wrap some filter floss around egg crate. I would put it in the first section. I cut the egg crate to the exact width of the first section, so when its wrapped with filter floss it fits snug
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12/06/2010, 07:08 AM | #3 | |
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Quote:
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12/06/2010, 07:30 AM | #4 |
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12/06/2010, 01:15 PM | #5 |
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you don't need any type of mechanical filtration before the skimmer, but if you do use it, make sure it can be easily accessed for cleaning.
If you're handy with acrylic, you could add an extra baffle before the return pump and turn the middle section into a refugium.
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insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009. |
12/07/2010, 12:43 PM | #6 | |
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Quote:
Thanks for all the help. I'm actually considering putting some LR rubble in the middle. Would this qualify as a refugium? Why do I need an extra section though? For example could I put the skimmer in the first section (intake), and the skimmer in the middle along with some LR rubble, and the final section housing the return pump? In this configuration why do I need an extra baffle as you propose? |
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12/07/2010, 03:43 PM | #7 |
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I may be misunderstanding you, but it sounds like the baffle on the end of the middle section is a bubble trap that don't doesn't go all the way to the bottom. If you put live rock in the middle section you'll need to take some precautions to keep pieces of rock from getting sucked into the pump intake. Adding a complete baffle before the bubble trap and return pump will cause the water in the refugium to overflow into the return pump chamber from the top instead of passing through the bottom. Below is a picture of a refugium with the baffles installed as I'm describing. If the extra baffle was not added before the bubble trap, the sand and rocks would be getting sucked into the return pump. I have a 40 gallon breeder set up as a "display refugium" next to my 90 that uses a similar design. In my tank, the protein skimmer sits in the first chamber where the drain line empties.
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insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009. |
12/09/2010, 12:22 PM | #8 | |
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Quote:
b) regarding your comment "If you put live rock in the middle section you'll need to take some precautions to keep pieces of rock from getting sucked into the pump intake." This isn't an issue because there is a horizontal layer of egg crate near the bottom of the middle section that would prevent the LR from getting into the third section. c) I managed to draw a crude diagram of the sump layout: Those balls in the middle would be the live rock. The skimmer isn't depicted. I got this set up last night with one problem: The overflow from stage 1 to the middle stage is fairly tall - maybe 5 inches and the water is pretty loud. I figure I have two potential solutions: 1) make the overflow shorter by drilling some holes in the baffle 2) reduce pump flow with a ball valve on the output. I think the pump is overpowered for this tank - it moves a LOT of water and this is a FOWLR tank so I don't need the same flow as a reef. Reducing the flow over the overflow should reduce noise. Any thoughts? Thanks again! Dave |
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12/09/2010, 03:12 PM | #9 |
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Here's my sump:
Chambers from Left to right - Drain/Skimmer, Refugium, Return Make sure your baffle prior to the return chamber has a bubble trap (over, then under baffle), as you can see on mine. This forces the air bubbles up, and prevents them from going through the pump, which will chop them up and spray micro air bubbles into your tank. The over/under baffle will also prevent sand/rocks/etc from making it into your pump chamber. Egg-crate will not do the job, not only that it will not support the weight of your live rock. The diagram you posted above is a poor design. I would not recommend it. Reducing the flow by throttling the pump is not ideal. It will also not reduce noise in the overflow. The best way to reduce the noise is a durso style standpipe which reduces the distance which the water falls.
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Steve Current Tank Info: 58 Oceanic/20g Sump/250w XM 20k/2x39w T5 True Actinic 03/2010 Reef Octopus NW Cone Skimmer Last edited by sslak; 12/09/2010 at 03:17 PM. |
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