Reef Sanctuary - View Single Post

road2runner · 04-22-2008, 01:47 PM

Hey guys,

I currently have a 30g saltwater tank that i has been running for about 2 and a hlaf years now and i have had sucess with my clown fish, blue damsel, lionfish, pink tipped anemone, and about 30 lbs of live rock. I have decided in the past little while that i would like to convert this tank into a reef tank with various corals (soft or hard corals im not sure which yet). I have also decided to add a sump to my system. I plan on using a 20g tank at about 3/4 of its capacity for the sump. I have a design in mind which i have drawn out (crudely haha) on paper at home. It is a pretty basic design consisting of a syphon design from the tank to the sump, with a ball valve to control the flow of water to the sump, into a sponge pre-filter and manilla filter. Then i plan to have a baffle like setup for the water to flow through. From there, it goes into the main portion of the sump where i will have live sand and such, as well as carbon, my skimmer, heater, as well as more live rock. From there it flows over a baffle into the return side of the sump where it will be pumped back into the tank. I will be adding a check valve on the return line as well.

I have a few questions about the sump setup and such and i would love feedback and criticism in fine-tuning the design of it before i actually proceed with the bulding of the sump. I will try and post a picture of the design.

What kind of pump do i need for return to the tank? around 300gph? more? less?

Do i need a light above the sump? If so what kind and how bright and all that jazz.

What kind of media do i need in the sump, other than carbon, sand, and live rock?

Thanks for all the help

John

04-22-2008, 01:47 PM	#1 (permalink)
road2runner Tunicate Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada Posts: 9 View Gallery Karma Komment	DIY Sump For 30g Reef Tank Hey guys, I currently have a 30g saltwater tank that i has been running for about 2 and a hlaf years now and i have had sucess with my clown fish, blue damsel, lionfish, pink tipped anemone, and about 30 lbs of live rock. I have decided in the past little while that i would like to convert this tank into a reef tank with various corals (soft or hard corals im not sure which yet). I have also decided to add a sump to my system. I plan on using a 20g tank at about 3/4 of its capacity for the sump. I have a design in mind which i have drawn out (crudely haha) on paper at home. It is a pretty basic design consisting of a syphon design from the tank to the sump, with a ball valve to control the flow of water to the sump, into a sponge pre-filter and manilla filter. Then i plan to have a baffle like setup for the water to flow through. From there, it goes into the main portion of the sump where i will have live sand and such, as well as carbon, my skimmer, heater, as well as more live rock. From there it flows over a baffle into the return side of the sump where it will be pumped back into the tank. I will be adding a check valve on the return line as well. I have a few questions about the sump setup and such and i would love feedback and criticism in fine-tuning the design of it before i actually proceed with the bulding of the sump. I will try and post a picture of the design. What kind of pump do i need for return to the tank? around 300gph? more? less? Do i need a light above the sump? If so what kind and how bright and all that jazz. What kind of media do i need in the sump, other than carbon, sand, and live rock? Thanks for all the help John