Seeking advice on sump / refugium placement

ekovalsky · 11/17/2006, 12:07 PM

My tank (77w x 28d x 30h) will be atop a 36" tall stand and located in a wall niche in our game room. Only visibility and access will be via the front. I am planning on using a small closet in an adjacent hallway, which shares a section of the wall behind the tank, for the sump and most equipment. This will minimize noise in the game room and also provide more space and easier access, compared to putting everything below the tank itself.

Should I elevate the sump within the closet to reduce head pressure on the return pump ? It would be easy to place it on a stand 2' - 3' above ground level within the closet. I am still working on the plumbing plan, but the system concept will be low flow through the sump -- just enough to supply an external recirculating skimmer via one overflow. Second overflow will be located higher and go directly to the sump, acting as a safety should the primary get clogged. Most tank circulation will be via two closed loop systems, the main one going through an OM 4-way and the secondary one going through an in-line chiller.

Since I want to keep one or perhaps two mandarins, I am also thinking about having a dedicated refugium for copepod propagation located above the tank, with return directly to the display tank via gravity. Since the skimmer will be external, most of the sump volume could be used as an additional refugium for macroalgae, DSB, additional LR, etc.

Electricity here in Arizona is expensive during the day, but basically free at night. As I plan on using 750-1200w of MH & T5 lighting, I'd like to minimize the number of pumps and heat transfer (also noise) to the water so the chiller isn't running all day. At night the heaters can operate for very little. We keep the house at 75-78 degrees year round. Chiller will located in an 8' x 10' pantry past the equipment closet, so its heat will not directly warm the system.

It has been a long time since I've had a reef tank, and I'm trying to plan this system correctly from the start to avoid difficult and costly changes later on. If you see any mistakes with my concept, or have advice / suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks

11/17/2006, 12:07 PM	#1
ekovalsky Premium Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 335	Seeking advice on sump / refugium placement My tank (77w x 28d x 30h) will be atop a 36" tall stand and located in a wall niche in our game room. Only visibility and access will be via the front. I am planning on using a small closet in an adjacent hallway, which shares a section of the wall behind the tank, for the sump and most equipment. This will minimize noise in the game room and also provide more space and easier access, compared to putting everything below the tank itself. Should I elevate the sump within the closet to reduce head pressure on the return pump ? It would be easy to place it on a stand 2' - 3' above ground level within the closet. I am still working on the plumbing plan, but the system concept will be low flow through the sump -- just enough to supply an external recirculating skimmer via one overflow. Second overflow will be located higher and go directly to the sump, acting as a safety should the primary get clogged. Most tank circulation will be via two closed loop systems, the main one going through an OM 4-way and the secondary one going through an in-line chiller. Since I want to keep one or perhaps two mandarins, I am also thinking about having a dedicated refugium for copepod propagation located above the tank, with return directly to the display tank via gravity. Since the skimmer will be external, most of the sump volume could be used as an additional refugium for macroalgae, DSB, additional LR, etc. Electricity here in Arizona is expensive during the day, but basically free at night. As I plan on using 750-1200w of MH & T5 lighting, I'd like to minimize the number of pumps and heat transfer (also noise) to the water so the chiller isn't running all day. At night the heaters can operate for very little. We keep the house at 75-78 degrees year round. Chiller will located in an 8' x 10' pantry past the equipment closet, so its heat will not directly warm the system. It has been a long time since I've had a reef tank, and I'm trying to plan this system correctly from the start to avoid difficult and costly changes later on. If you see any mistakes with my concept, or have advice / suggestions, please let me know. Thanks