Should I Cover My Sump (covered sump)?

[kylewest]

I've had a 120 gallon tank setup in my office for 3-4 months now. I'm loving everything about it except the noise and "salt creep" (I think that's what it's called when you open the cabinet then need to wipe down all the salt that has splashed up out of the sump. I think I can solve / reduce both with a sump cover.

Tank: 120 gallon reef
Sump: Eshopps RS-200 (http://www.eshopps.com/?page=RS_200)
Skimmer: Octopus XS-200

So ...

1. Is covering your sump a good idea? I know that I need oxygen / water to meet but am thinking that a non-air-tight lid plus the skimmer will take care of that.

2. Is there a company that makes covers for these sumps or do I need to design it myself?

Thanks for helping the newb,

Kyle

[Allmost]

hello,
if your main tank is open top, and u have a right size skimmer, u should be fine. maybe make a hole on the lid, with a computer fan on it !

Id go with acrylic, cut a hole for ure skimmer to stick out. I dont think there are any "sump Covers"

also, why is there salt creeps ? what is causing the splash ? try to lower that as well.

[kylewest]

Thanks.

The main tank has a glass lid on it. No canopy, Radion lights hanging from the ceiling.

The sump is acrylic so I figured the lid would be as well. I'd need a hole for the skimmer, another for the skimmer air intake, another for the return line, and one last one for the ATO tube.

Salt creep was mostly (I think) from the skimmer output. It was splashing quite a bit. I added a ~4inch piece of PVC to the output. That has slowed the water down enough that it gently flows into the sump rather than shooting out into it (think garden hose vs. just opening the spigot). I don't think it has had any effect on the flow.

Kyle

[Allmost]

Originally Posted by kylewest

Thanks.

The main tank has a glass lid on it. No canopy, Radion lights hanging from the ceiling.

The sump is acrylic so I figured the lid would be as well. I'd need a hole for the skimmer, another for the skimmer air intake, another for the return line, and one last one for the ATO tube.

Salt creep was mostly (I think) from the skimmer output. It was splashing quite a bit. I added a ~4inch piece of PVC to the output. That has slowed the water down enough that it gently flows into the sump rather than shooting out into it (think garden hose vs. just opening the spigot). I don't think it has had any effect on the flow.

Kyle

your skimmer should not splash water. post some pics of the sump, you can make the salt creeps stop., I think you shold do that before installing a lid.

[kylewest]

I think I have solved the skimmer splashing water issue, or at least greatly reduced it. I don't know where the other water is coming from though.

Tank:



Sump (notice all the water up around the top):



Closeup of Skimmer output (hard to see, but no splashing.):



Input (water from tank). The water hits those black foam filters to cut down on the splashing noise then into the filter socks.



Closeup of water almost out of the sump:



Salt on the cabinet door:




Thanks again for taking the time to help me out.

[Allmost]

ahh I see. hard to say, but I think its coming from the micro bubbles in the filter socks popping and splashing salt water ...

is the glass piece that the bulkheads for drain are drilled in sitting flush with tank ? if you, place a piece of glass from there, to your skimmer, and see if that stops it. so you will have the right side of the sump open for air exchange.

very nice and clean looking tank by the way

[kylewest]

Thanks for the compliment. Working on getting it looking good inside too ... only four fish and four coral right now. No rush though ... nothing good happens quickly I hear.

Yes, that piece on top is flush. I had a piece of acrylic doing exactly what you said but it was too thin and ended up bowing so much I thought it would fall into the sump. The water and salt is pretty evenly spread throughout the cabinet (4' x 2') so maybe those micro bubbles are getting airborne?

I will keep trying to determine the root cause but to cure my curiosity: generally speaking is covering your sump a good or bad idea? I'm assuming the latter since most of the pictures I see are of uncovered sumps. If that's true ... is lack of water / air contact the primary reason?

Thanks again.

Kyle

[erock68]

You could always add an elbow to the skimmer, to make the water flow downward, instead of straight out. This will reduce the splashing.

Also, what is the temp in the room, as compared to what you keep the tank at (is it air conditioned)? It may be a bit of condensation, forming on the glass too.

Very nice setup, by the way!

[kylewest]

Originally Posted by erock68

You could always add an elbow to the skimmer, to make the water flow downward, instead of straight out. This will reduce the splashing.

I didn't want to do that since there would be a good chance of the outlet being under water and if I understand correctly, that's a no no.

Originally Posted by erock68

Also, what is the temp in the room, as compared to what you keep the tank at (is it air conditioned)? It may be a bit of condensation, forming on the glass too.

Room is 75ish, tank is 77-78.

Originally Posted by erock68

Very nice setup, by the way!

Thanks!

[jeffachan]

Originally Posted by erock68

Also, what is the temp in the room, as compared to what you keep the tank at (is it air conditioned)? It may be a bit of condensation, forming on the glass too.

Wouldn't any condensation be fresh water (same idea as producing drinking water when stranded in a raft on the ocean)?

[mcgyvr]

Originally Posted by jeffachan

Wouldn't any condensation be fresh water (same idea as producing drinking water when stranded in a raft on the ocean)?

Unless its water splashing up then it could be saltwater hence salt creep/how salt will accumulate in areas of the sump,etc.. above the water line.. but in general only the fresh water evaporates/condenses and there is no salt in it..
Hence why your auto top off water (what you need to do to refill a tank due to evaporation) is only freshwater and not saltwater..

[Hal]

[QUOTE=kylewest;20446688]I didn't want to do that since there would be a good chance of the outlet being under water and if I understand correctly, that's a no no.QUOTE]
You can get the problems of having a submerged output if you provide an air path. In this case,drill a small air hole in the top of the 90 degree elbow.

[homer1475]

Does the water just gush out of the bulkheads into your filter socks? It might be a PITA when changing a sock, but I would add a small piece of pipe onto the end of the bulkheads so it was slightly submerged. It will stop the splashing sound, and from water splashing back out.

Also it looks as though your stand is tight to the wall? Even if it isn't I would still drill a hole in each side of the cabinet and add a couple small PC fans. You would be surprised how much evaporation can condensate on the walls of your stand. Exhausting that humid air can help a ton.

[nereefpat]

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