sump design

goody · 12-21-2007, 10:33 PM

I have decided to make a larger sump for my tank. I am going to use a 29 gallon, and plan on designing it much like Melevsreef's 20 gallon DIY, except I will have the return section in the middle chamber.

Since I am very new to the hobby, I have a few questions:

How tall should I make the baffles?
Coming from skimmer section to return chamber, should I make 3 baffles (over, under, over) or just 2 (over,under)?
What do you recommend for length of each chamber (skimmer, return, and fuge)?

I guess that's it for now. I know I'll have some more questions regarding the plumbing later on.

Thanks

Frankie · 12-21-2007, 10:36 PM

Check out Woodstock's sump. She has the center return like that. she just posted some pictures in her thread.

framerguy · 12-21-2007, 10:40 PM

How tall depends on how much water you want in the sump. I like 8-9" of water. I also think three baffles are better. The chambers need to be just big enough to hold the equipment that goes in them. Make the fuge as large as you can, maybe 16Lx 6-8Wx two inches lower than the tank hieight. . I know it sounds like I'm dodging answering the last question but there's no clear cut answer to give.

goody · 12-21-2007, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frankie

Check out Woodstock's sump. She has the center return like that. she just posted some pictures in her thread.

Do you have a link to that thread? Or do you know how I can find it?

I appreciate all the comments. Unfortunately, I can't make my fuge 16" I should have mentioned that my skimmer I am using is the Coralife superskimmer which is pretty large and is going to need about 13" length. This is going to leave me around 17" for the return and fuge. I also don't want to make my return area too small because I know this is the area where evaporation occurs. On the other hand, I know how important the fuge is. That is why I am asking for help.

cracker · 12-21-2007, 11:36 PM

goody , the last post ,right above this one "Woody's 120 escapade" is what You are looking for. Your skimmer should have a recommended water depth. that would give you a good idea on baffle height. You can run out of room in a sump real quick & those baffles take up precious space. Longer is better! If You need 2 or 3 panels will depend on how much flow you will have. It's tough to know untill it's setup & running.

12-21-2007, 10:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
goody Limpet Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 145 View Gallery Karma Komment	sump design I have decided to make a larger sump for my tank. I am going to use a 29 gallon, and plan on designing it much like Melevsreef's 20 gallon DIY, except I will have the return section in the middle chamber. Since I am very new to the hobby, I have a few questions: How tall should I make the baffles? Coming from skimmer section to return chamber, should I make 3 baffles (over, under, over) or just 2 (over,under)? What do you recommend for length of each chamber (skimmer, return, and fuge)? I guess that's it for now. I know I'll have some more questions regarding the plumbing later on. Thanks

12-21-2007, 10:36 PM	#2 (permalink)
Frankie Angel Girl's Daddy Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: The End Of The World Posts: 7,099 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: sump design Check out Woodstock's sump. She has the center return like that. she just posted some pictures in her thread. __________________ Visit my aquarium -->New Horizons By Frankie Bruce: Today's meeting is Step 5: Bring a fish friend. Everyone brought a fish friend? DIY=DO IT YOURSELF! If we ignore the environment maybe it will just go away....

12-21-2007, 10:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
framerguy Manta Ray Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Mount Airy, Ga Posts: 3,326 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: sump design How tall depends on how much water you want in the sump. I like 8-9" of water. I also think three baffles are better. The chambers need to be just big enough to hold the equipment that goes in them. Make the fuge as large as you can, maybe 16Lx 6-8Wx two inches lower than the tank hieight. . I know it sounds like I'm dodging answering the last question but there's no clear cut answer to give. __________________ ___________________________________ Greg All time fav quote: "Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."-Guillaume Apollinaire "Being happy can be as easy as deciding to be!"-Greg Kimsey (framerguy) Still Workin' on it! 390gDT built in wall, Gargantuan DIY Beckett Skimmer, 150g sump, Sequence Hammerhead closed loop, 75 gallon seagrass/mineral mud refugium, 55 gallon crushed coral/live rock refugium, 30 gallon DSB/ cheatomorpha refugium, algae turf scrubber, DIY calcium reactor, DIY kalkwasser mixer, DIY light system w/4x 250MH & 4x54w T5, etc, etc, etc... chronicles-akwareum (\___/) This is Bunny. (=O.o=) Copy and paste him into your signature (")__(") to help him gain world domination

12-21-2007, 11:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
cracker Acropora Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: North East Florida Posts: 1,717 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: sump design goody , the last post ,right above this one "Woody's 120 escapade" is what You are looking for. Your skimmer should have a recommended water depth. that would give you a good idea on baffle height. You can run out of room in a sump real quick & those baffles take up precious space. Longer is better! If You need 2 or 3 panels will depend on how much flow you will have. It's tough to know untill it's setup & running.

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