Sump Setup/Plumibing Advice?

[NanoGeek13]

Here is a picture of the sump I plan on using, I have a few question as I have only had AIO 28g Nanocubes with built in sumps. I plan on using the Berlin Method.

Should the be a inline ball valve in the return line to prevent siphoning in case of power failure?

Should the hose going into the sump be a straight or semi straight shot mine is really long and drip loops before entering, also should there be a valve on this to open and close the line for maintanence?

Can I have a refugium in the sump or will there be too much flow?

There is no filter sock setup on this sump how would I go about installing one?

[NanoGeek13]

BTW the return pump is a Rio 2100 which is rated at 692gph however that is reduced to 375gph due to the 4' rise to the tank. Is that too small? What is the recommended turnover rate for a berlin stlye sump 5-10x?

Anyone?

[may2024]

I have ball valves on both the drain and return for maintenance and flow control they want stop syphoning you need a drain kit for that. I didn't catch the tank size if you said it, but you need to turn the tank over no less than ten times an hour if possible. You can shorten your return hose a little if you want but it will work the way it is (I would just tie it up a little). Filter sock just wire tie to the drain wire ties are cheap.(Looks like your sump has filter pads over the bio-ball chamber you won't need a filter sock if you use that set up.)

This is how mine is ran I have it tied up so it doesn’t slump down an make lots of noise.
[IMG][/IMG]
This is the drain kit I installed in my tank Sorry not the best picture there is hole drilled in both drain and return to stop syphoning if the return pump stops
[IMG][/IMG]

[NanoGeek13]

Thank you for the input!

The tank is a 90 gallon.

To be clear, I am asking about the turnover for the sump, I'm not talking about the tank turnover as I plan on having two Korrillia 1050 powerheads in the tank on a wavemaker so that should be ok. So to clarify, you think my return pump should be pumping 900 gph at a 4' head height for a 10x turnover rate in the sump?

I have a drain kit already I'll post a pic when I get home.

I need to get a few ball valves to make life easier it seems and I suppose I can just use a filter pad instead of a sock.

[NanoGeek13]

I've been reading that the sump should only flow about at what the skimmer pump flows for efficency is this true? If so I have an Aqua C Remora Pro with a rio 1400 pump that flows 375 gph so with my return pump flowing at 375 gph @ 4' head height (~4.1x turnover) would this be the perfect match? Also Would this be enough/too much flow for a fuge in chamber 2 of the sump?

[NanoGeek13]

I should also add that my overflow is rated at 600 gph, should I match that with my skimmer pump and return?

[jerry26]

You can match but make sure you account for head loss. My pump flows more than my overflow can handle but that because im going to be using it to drive reactors. Right now it just dumps some water right back into the sump. It sounds like matching your flow to the skimmer would purely be for the skimmers efficiency only but hopefully some of the experts chime in cuz im not positive.

I went from 700gph to 1664 and my skimmer has never worked better.

You might lkke this idea. I dont remember who it was that had suggested it. Theres a baffle at the beginning and the end of the fuge, he suggested running a couple pipes through the fuge with ball valves. Since the pipes sat lower than the baffles the water would naturally try to follow that route. He put the ball valves on there to limit the flow through the pipes thus controlling the flow through the fuge. Basically he used the piped to allow some water to bypass the fuge in a controllable way.

Just some ideas to play with.

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[may2024]

I’m running a Quiet One 6000 on my 75 before any head loss it’s rated 1650gph that allows me to run everything off of one pump and I return the max my drain will allow. As far as efficiency on your skimmer is concerned the flow through the sump is not super critical. But I would rather it pull water that just came out of the tank than water that’s lingering in the sump. Everyone’s setup is different and a slower return may be perfect for your tank or equipment. Everyone’s opinion on technical specs for a system tends to vary widely and a lot of that based solely on personal experience(meaning their neither right or wrong).

[jerry26]

I run a quiet one 6000 as well. Thing is killer.

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[may2024]

Jerry26 I love to see pictures of your tank If have some posted point me in that direction if you would.

[jerry26]

I haven't posted any. I got a whole bunch of stuff im planning and was gonna do a whole chronicle.

Oh and i put one of those check valves for pvc pipes in my return line..... its stuck open or something. My old smaller sump dumped 10 gallons on my floor.

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[may2024]

Yea I'm not a fan of check valves I have seen to many fail over the years. Looking forward to your chronicle I will keep an eye out for it.

[NanoGeek13]

Ok well I suppose I will use what I have for now and upgrade later if I feel I need to, thanks for the input.

The flexible hose going into the sump, should I cut it shorter?

[jerry26]

I think cutting it is up to you. I think someone said something about tieing it up. Id do that just because i tend to mess with things. But IMO cutting it wouldnt hurt. Unless the inside is ribbed like pool hoses. I had one end break off and since it was ribbed i could never tighten it enough to stop the leaking.

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[NanoGeek13]

On an unrelated note my forum reef animal has just changed to limpet and ironically last night my skimmer stopped working and upon further investigation a limpet had clogged the nozzle... Wierd.