30 Gallon sump help

[nemodad]

Hi Everyone,

Wondering if you can help me with my Sump design because i don't now what to think anymore!!!

I purchased a 30Gallon long ( 36Lx16Hx12W) to be my sump for a 75g tank, I decided on a SWC skimmer that requires 7-10 inches of water to operate efficiently.
I don't want to place the skimmer on a stand because i don't want it to be too high underneath the cabinet.

I'm thinking of creating the first baffle 9" high so this is in the Skimmer's specifications.

Can you take a look at the drawing and let me know if i have any flaws or better ideas before i start building it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Krish]

First off, welcome to RF!!!


Going by your picture, the third baffle height (as well as the last baffle) will be dictate the water level height for the skimmer chamber because as you can see, in order for the water to make it to the next chamber, the water level has to rise enough to flow over that third baffle (and last) so the skimmer section's water level will be higher than the first baffle is. You would need to make sure the 3rd and last baffle doesn't exceed the skimmers maximum height of 10 inches to operate. Did that make sense? If not, I can copy your drawing adding in the water level heigh for you.


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[Krish]

I got two seconds to sit at a pc so I will show you what I mean. Give me a sec.

 

[Krish]

This is where your water level will sit. So if you need the skimmer chamber water level lower then you will have to drop the 3rd and last baffle height because the water will have to flow over those baffles to make it to the next chamber thus raising the water level in the sump. If you were to just lower the 3rd baffle and leave the last baffle at the same height it is, you will run into the same problem as the water level will still have to rise high enough to make it into the return chamber.

 

[TJL]

Krish has it right, the 11" baffles need to be less height than the first one 8.25" +- or you could leave the 11" height on last baffle and slot it down to 8.25" to keep macro from entering return section. By the way WELCOME to Reef Frontiers

Cheers, Todd

 

[nemodad]

Wow, That's what i call a welcome!!

So basically... All baffles need to be 9" tall. I figured by keeping the first baffle at 9" would keep the water level at 9".
I guess i'll try and see if i can make them all 10" and raise the skimmer a bit.

Trying to get the most out of the tank if you know what i mean!
Would you suggest any additions to this design?


Thanks you guys are awesome!

 

[Krish]

Other than the baffle height, everything else looks fine. Also, remember to leave enough room for back siphon whenever the return pump is turned off. You don't want to set your return chamber water level too high as the water may spill over a bit. Good luck!!


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[TheKraken]

Are you drilling your sump?

If you drill a hole for a float valve and auto top off you will be better able to control the water level and minimize the risk of a pump burn out.

Are you considering an external pump or filter socks?

 

[nemodad]

Other than the baffle height, everything else looks fine. Also, remember to leave enough room for back siphon whenever the return pump is turned off. You don't want to set your return chamber water level too high as the water may spill over a bit. Good luck!!


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I calculated i need to leave minimum 4 inches from the top of the sump to handle the volume of flowing back in case pump is off. With 10" baffles in a 16"H tank i should have more than enough no?

So first baffle 10", 2nd baffle 10" but 1"inch from bottom, 3rd and 4th 10" good? I'm thinking of splitting the 36inch tank in 12" sections

 

[nemodad]

Hi, Nope not intending to drill, i have an ATO and am planning to keep a rubbermaid container next to sump to deal with evaporation.
Internal Mag 7 is my thoughts, filter sock(s) in the Skimmer section yes...

 

[jrgilles]

Exactly what they all said. I have possibly the same SWC skimmer.

You might want to make a little stand just to give you a few more inches? Also, make sure you are able to take the skimmer in and out from the stand, that it isn't stuck in there.

I wouldn't fret too much about a little stand. What I did for mine was 4 legs made from 1" diameter PVC pipe, and glued them onto a piece of plexiglass. Takes not time to make, and you should have scrap left over from your sump construction. Might help buy you an extra couple of inches. Could even just get a bigger PVC pipe, 3" or something, and just cut a piece off from it, then no need for any gluing at all...

rob

 

[Krish]

I calculated i need to leave minimum 4 inches from the top of the sump to handle the volume of flowing back in case pump is off. With 10" baffles in a 16"H tank i should have more than enough no?

So first baffle 10", 2nd baffle 10" but 1"inch from bottom, 3rd and 4th 10" good? I'm thinking of splitting the 36inch tank in 12" sections

Yea, that should be fine. Be careful on the space for back siphon although you should be more than fine. I used a sea swirl on an old sump of mine and had to end up expanding my sump with an additional chamber because I almost flooded the house :lol:. It all depends on how quickly your return line can suck in air and break the siphon. 4 inches with your tanks dimensions should give you about 7.5 gals of space (4x12x36 / 231 = 7.48) so you should be fine. Just give it a test run. Also, a little trick I use to use on all of my return pumps was to add a 90 degree fitting/elbow to the suction and have it suck like an inch off the bottom of the sump. That way, the pump can be partly out of water and still operate if the water level dropped too much. In addition to this, bubbles rise so you have less of a chance of picking up micro bubbles and transferring them to the tank if they make it into your return chamber.

Here are my last 2 sumps so you can see where I kept my water level at. The first sump needed the most space and the second one didn't need much at all. About 2 gals was enough which is why I'm thinking you'd be fine depending on your output nozzle, it's placement and the hole you drill to break the siphon. I'd go with two holes just incase one clogs.

 

[jrgilles]

Here are some pics from my 75 gallon construction. Note the last picture, it shows you have to glue in all the sump baffles at once instead of one at a time:

https://picasaweb.google.com/jrgilles/AquariumConstruction?authuser=0&feat=directlink

 

[nemodad]

It's amazing how every sump looks different, and the more i look at them the more confused i get! lolThis is my first sump, so i want to keep it simple Skimmer->Refugium->Return If i use 10" baffles that leaves me with 6 inches above so 11 gallons of volume for reserve, sucks because that's 25% of the total sump volumeGonna have to measure how much space i have to play with under the stand.

 

[Krish]

Yea, there are so many ways you can set up a sump. Some people use two inputs/drains on either end of the sump with the fuge to one side and the skimmer on the other and then have them both drain into the center chamber they use as the return. If you go over to http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html and look at all of his sump designs, you'd see how many options you have with a sump. Just looking at my two sumps alone they are totally different. Same skimmer but used differently. One internal and on the other external. Then one had a fuge and the other didn't. All what suits your needs best.


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[nemodad]

Thanks alot for your help! I think i have what i need now to start building with confidence!

 

[jrgilles]

Yea, as stated earlier here, check out Melevsreef.com. Great info and explanations there.

My original plan was something like what you are doing, I was going to have 2 drains going into either side, with return in the middle (allows slow flow through the fuge.)

I ended up moving the fuge to a separate small tank on the side, using gravity to fill and drain it. (tapped into the drain line to fill, then an overflow to drain into the sump.) Just wasn't enough room in my sump to do what I wanted. Much roomier with the fuge separate on the side. I 'drilled' the fuge myself, but wasn't really a drill. I drew a circle and then cut the plug out of the glass with a side cutting tile bit on a dremel tool. Worked great. If you are interested in how to do this, PM me. Way cheaper than buying a glass bit, but works only on smaller tanks, probably 20 gallons or less.