DIY sump for 75 gallon

[gadgetguy1288]

hey everyone, im looking into either converting my current wet/dry filter(9.25widex16highx20long, kinda small for what i want) or starting all over, im looking for sumwhere around 20-30 gallons, but i need to know

1. better to start from scratch or recycle what im using

2. how to do it either way.


i want to include a fuge, and i will prolly need to look for a new return pump cuz the one im using is old and its and external.

 

[cracker]

gadget guy,
Hard to say what to use for a sump. We need a little more info. How big is the area under the stand? A 75 has a fair amount space under it. If You want a new internal pump. You will need extra room in the sump for it. I'm thinking the smaller wet/dry with the external will give You as much room as a 30gl tank with an internal pump.Are you familiar with this site?
Melevsreef.com - What is a Sump?

 

[gadgetguy1288]

i have a space that is 46longx16widex21high under the stand. i don't know for sure that i need a new pump, mine still works, but i figured that with a submergable pump ill have more room to play with, and i want as big of a sump as i can get. i have heard of the site have not really looked around on it.

 

[Rcpilot]

You should go to that site. It has all kinds of How Too articles on building sumps/refugiums. It will give you ideas.

I'd just get a 30g long tank and add baffles if I was you. That wet/dry filter isn't big enough.

 

[gadgetguy1288]

one other question(kinda ot)


if im just doing a FOWLR tank do i really need a skimmer?


my tank has been running now for about 10 months and i havent had any problems(aside from crabs grabbing my flame angel after a month) but i wanna make sure i do the change to a sump/fuge before too much time passes.



what i was actually thinking about doing this time was moving all inhabitants of the tank including rock and sand to a spare 75 i have in the garage, and making a builtin overflow and pretty much overhauling my whole system to make a lil bit more stable, but this time im gonna actually order live rock(instead of using base rock), and let it cure in the system before adding anything else. im down to one fish(1 chromis, i had a few other damsels but they made me mad one day so they all went to the lfs) anyways so i dont see any better time to start

 

[BigAl07]

...get a 30g long tank and add baffles if I was you. That wet/dry filter isn't big enough.

I like that drawing however....

you're working on a "compromise" in that particular situation. I am sure I will get some "flack" here but here is My take on it...

#1 Your fuge & your skimmer both work better if they get "raw/direct" water from your display tank. In the current drawing your fuge is being fed recently filtered/skimmed water.

#2 Your fuge benefits from a much slower flow to allow for increased "Dwell time" so that it's more efficient at what you're wanting it to do... Nutrient Export and Pod development.

In response to your "skimmer" actually "needed" that answer is yes but not required. Here is My thinking there.... just because you're not growing corals that require pristine water quality why would you NOT wish to give that same quality of water (equals potentially higher quality of life) to your Fish and other inverts. Even though it's not AS needed in a FOWLR tank IMHO it's still NEEDED.

I agree with RcPilot in getting a 30 tank and just adding baffles. It's easy, cheap and very effective. That's exactly what I have done in my 90g tank but I have added a 2nd tank (custom made at the glass shop) to function as the Fuge.

Allen

 

[Rcpilot]

Al:
You got a PM.

The flow through the refugium my pic could be adjusted. The skimmer is going to have it's own powerhead, so it doesn't care how much flow is coming into the sump. You just put a return pump on the system that gives the water flow you want through the refugium section.

If you just want a sump to skim the water and pump it back in the tank, with a seperate refurium-- then you need this:

 

[Saltwater Noob]

if the skimmer is after the fuge won't it pull the pods and stuff out?

 

[Rcpilot]

Yes and no.

You'd be amazed at how strong those little suckers are. I've seen pods hanging on the side of the refugium in direct line with the outlet on the powerhead. 230GPH smashing down on them and they stick like glue.

If they make their way into the buybble stream in the skimmer, they can get skimmed. Law of averages, I guess. If they are dumb enough to get in the bubbles--it's lights out.

Nobody likes dumb pods anyway. The ones that are dumb enough to end up in the skimmer--well, they had it coming. Darwins law of survival.

 

[BigAl07]

good work RCPILOT! you do good work.

Allen

 

[fishnu]

OK two questions
I have seen some models with the return in the middle.
-One type puts water into both fuge and skimmer from overflow
-Other puts water into skimmer, spills into return, return pumps some to fuge

In either case the fuge is going to get some unskimmed water because the skimmer doesn't skim the entire flow.

I am thinking about putting the return in the middle and having any flow from the return split off 1) back into the skimmer 2) into the fuge 3) as well as the Display tank. One inch PVC with two smaller tubes teeing off running to the fuge and the skimmer.

1) Opinions?

2) What kind of epoxy to attach acrylic baffles to glass tank ?

 

[cracker]

fishnu, I use silicone between acrylic & glass. maybe take same sand paper to the acrylic edges. It will hold just fine.

 

[BigAl07]

cracker you are correct in that it will hold "just fine" but if there is NOT enough gap between the two, the acrylic baffles can shatter the glass tank because of differing rates of expansion. Acrylic "moves" much more than glass and the last place glass can take "stress" is in the middle of a pane. I like to see acrylic baffles in acrylic tanks and glass baffles in glass tanks.

I'm not trying to be argumentative but it's a real and reasonable worry and one that's easily avoided.

Allen

 

[eznet2u]

I like to see acrylic baffles in acrylic tanks and glass baffles in glass tanks.
Allen

I agree. Not only that, but it's cheaper...Just make sure that the glass company cuts it straight and square.

 

[JoJo]

alot of good info in this thread, i wil be using this on my 55g sump.