1st setup sump Q

[bosscrab]

Can anyone tell me what the water level and baffle height shoud be inside the sump.
)<((((">

[luke33]

hey boss, not many responses huh. This is a very open question. My suggestion would be to ask people if this will work. Ask us what you have planned as your design and people will reply with comments and suggestions. Hope this helps : )

[reefshadow]

Depends on display size and sump size. You want to leave enough space in the sump to contain all overflow from the display in case of an outage or return pump failure, and calculate baffle height based on how full you plan to run the sump.

Have fun!

[rreddick]

Look in the DIy section here, some good data on Sump design. But as Reefshadow said, two factors mainly com into play, the at rest volume (when all water has drained back when return pump and skimmer pump are off) I would ensure you have at least 1/4 of the tank volume left at this point, and running volume level. Factors include discharge height of the skimmer, bubble trap design, do you want a sponge tray, etc. A seperate section for a Ref that is lower flow. There are alot of design options.

So check out the build threads, get some ideas and bounce them off of us and I am sure you will get all the help you need.

Ron

[bosscrab]

Thanks for the input . does this look like it would work? I have a 75g display and a 30g that i want to make into a simple sump. The display has no bulkheads or overflows yet.
)<((((">

[rooroo]

I made my baffles 12" high in a 20H. I figured out the gallons per cubic inch in my tank and in the sump so I would be sure that I had enough room in my sump. FYI: 1 cubic inches = 0.0043 US gallons

[bosscrab]

Am I right that the water should flow down past the rock frag first before the skimmer?
)<((((">

[zoomfish1]

Yes, then baffles. Most put the skimmer in the drain section also.
then return pump, then baffles, then a refugum if you want one in with the sump. Anyway, this is how mine is set up.

[SaltyDr]

How big is the footprint of your skimmer. You have 18 inches which might be a little large (depends on skimmer). The larger the "return" section, the less frequent you will need to top off. There is a lot of great info at melevsreef.com. If you can, incorporate a refugium - you'll be glad you did.

[bosscrab]

So the return section should be bigger than the skimmer section?
)<((((">

[zoomfish1]

No. The return section only needs to be large enough for the return pump to fit in. The drain section would need to be big enough for some rock rubble and the skimmer. Refugum would take up the rest. It should be the largest section.