DIY Sump For 30g Reef Tank

[road2runner]

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

[fishnu]

Originally Posted by road2runner

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

Smarter people here than me but I'll give it my best shot.

Alot of people suggest at least 10X capacity as flow, yielding 300GPH for your display tank. Are you doing anything else to generate current in your tank or will this be your total flow?

If this is your total flow alot of people like the idea of splitting the overflow line from the DT into the sump, dropping part of the water in to the refugium and the remainder into the main portion of the sump to be filtered, skimmed and returned. That way you maintain a little quieter flow thru the refugium.

Here is a thread of similar focus.

Refugium Layout

[road2runner]

i think im gonna get a powerhead for optimal flow in the display tank.... i do like the idea of splitting some of the water right from the syphon to the return. i started construction of the sump to day and im really excited to have it up and running!!!