Basic sump design question

[jepuskar]

Hello, I am planning on having my drain, skimmer, etc all in one chamber with just one set of baffles before the return pump. Is there any drawback to doing this?

I ask because I see many designs with 2 sets of baffles in between the skimmer department. The only thing I can think of is it keeps the water level constant.

Thanks,

Jason

[GroktheCube]

The extra set of baffles is just for people who want to run a refugium section in the sump. In the 40B under my 120, I only have two chambers with one bubble trap (a set of three baffles, over, under, over) between them.

[SGT_York]

one is all you need. two baffles just give you a stair step approach or let you add a refugium separate from the skimmer.

[GroktheCube]

Here's my 40B sump with only a single set of baffle.

I apologize for the mess, I just finished putting things back together following a teardown to deal with ich a couple days ago, and I haven't made it all look pretty and organized yet.

[IPT]

Is there a general rule of thumb for the spacing of baffles and/or height it needs to be for water to flow under? I know the volume of water going through the sump will have an impact too (I'll be running an Eheim 1262 in a 40B). I've never used baffles before just a wall to separate the return from the rest of the sump.

[jepuskar]

Thanks everyone for the feedback and pics. I went to Lowes last night and had some glass cut. The glass thickness is 3/32. My sump is 15g, 12" H x 12" W. I'm not to comfortable with this thickness....any thoughts? Too thin?

J

[ca1ore]

I think you can go complex or simple with a sump. Here is the most recent one I made. Just a single piece of 1/4 inch glass.