my sump is going to be somrthing like this.....left side-skimmer, middle-return flow, right side- refugium....the skimmer is 24 inches overall height....how tall do the baffles need to be???? also the pump that comes w/ the skimmer pumps 790gph....the overflow that will be supplying that water only drops 600gph... will this be a problem?????
Sump Baffles
- Thread starter ronj
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esears
Well-known member
600gph per side, so in reality with the two sides you will be pushing 1200. I think this is underrated even though.
james734
Well-known member
I think the refug should be in the middle and the return on the side. Having it the way you described does't provide any water movement in the refug and could lead to more problem. IMO.
The pump for the skimmer will be fine if it pumps 790GPH. It just going to recirc the water in the sump a little more (good). you mention the overflow only does 600 gph. from reading another thread I thought you said the tank had to 2 overflows. Therefore you should be able to handle approx. 1200 GPH. I have the same overflow you're looking "AGA Megaflow" It will do more than 600 gph. I have approx 800gph in mine.
If I'm not mistaken you don't want to try and create flow in the tank with the return pump. To much flow through the sump and all you're going to do is pump the dirty water back up into the tank. Slower flow through the sump will aid fliteration of the water. I think this is even more of a concern with a refug in your sump.
If you need more water flow in the tank. Use some Tunze's, Seios or Powerheads to get the water moving.
The pump for the skimmer will be fine if it pumps 790GPH. It just going to recirc the water in the sump a little more (good). you mention the overflow only does 600 gph. from reading another thread I thought you said the tank had to 2 overflows. Therefore you should be able to handle approx. 1200 GPH. I have the same overflow you're looking "AGA Megaflow" It will do more than 600 gph. I have approx 800gph in mine.
If I'm not mistaken you don't want to try and create flow in the tank with the return pump. To much flow through the sump and all you're going to do is pump the dirty water back up into the tank. Slower flow through the sump will aid fliteration of the water. I think this is even more of a concern with a refug in your sump.
If you need more water flow in the tank. Use some Tunze's, Seios or Powerheads to get the water moving.
Krish
RF STAFF
Sounds like a plan Ron! As for the baffles height, that will depend on a few things...
(1) Will your skimmer opperate at any water level? If not, you will have to elevate the skimmer somehow to enable it to function properly or set the water level low enough so it will function properly without being propped up.
(2) How much "space" will you need for back siphon when the return pump shuts off? That will be a pretty hard one to just estimate, but depending on how you set it up, it won't be a major issue. Here's an example...When I used the sea-swirl on my return pump, I forgot to drill a hole in the nozzle to break the siphon when I turned off the return pump and when I tested it, the water almost came over the top of my sump and I had to plug it right back in so it wouldn't flood. I ended up putting a bunch of holes in that thing (even started a thread to get help) and in the end, the back siphon was still so much, I had to expand my sump so that I could have a little more "play". You can use check valves to prevent back flow, but in any case, you still don't want to set the thing too high just incase they fail. So that has to be taken into consideration.
(3) Is salt creep going to be an issue? Yes if the baffles are too high without a lid on the sump and if you use a lid, you have to worry about heat. So something to think about.
So those are some things you can think about first to help give you an idea on how high you need to set your baffles. Everyone is going to have their own opinion on a height, but ultimately it will be your set up so you will have to make them to suit your needs best. Just on my opinion, I like baffles (if being used like a bubble trap with 3 of them stacked side by side) I like them 1 inch apart and a 1 inch gap at the bottom for the water passage way. I can get a pic if you need to show you what I mean. As for total height, did you decide on if you were using the 55 gal for sure yet? Let me know and I'll think about it a bit
(1) Will your skimmer opperate at any water level? If not, you will have to elevate the skimmer somehow to enable it to function properly or set the water level low enough so it will function properly without being propped up.
(2) How much "space" will you need for back siphon when the return pump shuts off? That will be a pretty hard one to just estimate, but depending on how you set it up, it won't be a major issue. Here's an example...When I used the sea-swirl on my return pump, I forgot to drill a hole in the nozzle to break the siphon when I turned off the return pump and when I tested it, the water almost came over the top of my sump and I had to plug it right back in so it wouldn't flood. I ended up putting a bunch of holes in that thing (even started a thread to get help) and in the end, the back siphon was still so much, I had to expand my sump so that I could have a little more "play". You can use check valves to prevent back flow, but in any case, you still don't want to set the thing too high just incase they fail. So that has to be taken into consideration.
(3) Is salt creep going to be an issue? Yes if the baffles are too high without a lid on the sump and if you use a lid, you have to worry about heat. So something to think about.
So those are some things you can think about first to help give you an idea on how high you need to set your baffles. Everyone is going to have their own opinion on a height, but ultimately it will be your set up so you will have to make them to suit your needs best. Just on my opinion, I like baffles (if being used like a bubble trap with 3 of them stacked side by side) I like them 1 inch apart and a 1 inch gap at the bottom for the water passage way. I can get a pic if you need to show you what I mean. As for total height, did you decide on if you were using the 55 gal for sure yet? Let me know and I'll think about it a bit
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here is where i got the idea from.. there is a pic on this paige, but i will have two returns instead of one..i changed the idea a little, but i will probably go with the pic herehttp://dslinux.dyndns.org/~denise/aquarium/DIYPlumbing/futureindex.html#layout
i will try it again.. http://dslinux.dyndns.org/~denise/aquarium/DIYPlumbing/futureindex.html#layout
Krish
RF STAFF
Definately, and it will. Sometimes the whole return chamber and onto the floor! I flooded my house before because I made a nozzle and didn't put a hole to break the siphon and after testing it, I cut the pump off to run out for a few minutes and when I got home
You will have all of the drain lines to drain back into the sump, the water level to drop below the prefilter/overflow cut off point and then the return spout will back siphon until it breaks siphon which is usually done quickly with just a siphon break hole just at the water surface on the return spout. You need to leave some room man because even those holes fail if you don't stay on top of them and keep the salt from clogging it up. With my old sump, I'd back siphon about 5 gals when the return pump cut (just from the sea-swirl) On my new cube, I back siphon only like 2-3 inches worth of water in my sump (just the return chamber) which equals to less than a gallon. When you think about your tank being a 180 gal, just think about the surface area alone that will drain back until it drops under your cut off for the overflow. Just dropping 1 inch of water will equal over 7 gals in a tank that size! (72x24x1/231= 7.48gals) Exactly. You need to find out how much space you need so you can adjust the baffles accordingly.
How is that going to help anything? It will adjust flow but will not help the sump from running over. You need a hole in the return outlet just under the water line so it will break suction.
Your tank has internal overflows? Where the "T" is located in the standpipe will determine how much water drains. Since it will be below the overflow intake just measure how much below the waterline you lowest intake point is and figure how many gallons of water will drain and adjust the sump.
