Understand my Sump/Fuge

[Noonan]

Hey Guys..
Im going to be setting up my 44 gallon pentagon as a reef tank this fall. Id like to buy a 10-20 gallon and use that as my sump/fuge. Ill probably either use PVC or buy an HOB Overflow and have the water siphon down to the sump. My only question is, which pump should I go with? I dont want either tank to overflow at any point..and I also dont want the pump to be returning more water than whats siphoning down. How do I know what to do?

Also, what prevents the tanks from overflowing when I loose power or the pump goes? Everytime there is a power outage, do I have to start another siphon?

This entire topic has me so confused.. lol.

Thanks Guys
-Chris

 

[Curtswearing]

WELCOME TO REEF FRONTIERS!!!

If you build a Weir type overflow box, then the siphon is never lost. Once power is restored, it will just start right back up for you.

Once you design your sump and fill it up (partially) you can determine how much water continues coming in from the tank before it stops. You should basically put a piece of tape on the sump at the water line. Turn off the return pump and then figure out how much extra water goes in. Let's say that the water level is now 1 inch over the piece of tape. Then you just have to make sure that make sure you never fill the sump beyond 1 inch from to top of the sump.

Here's a great article.

There are also DIY plans on how to build a sump and how to build a weir overflow in the RESOURCE LIBRARY. .

 

[Noonan]

Thanks for the welcome.. This is a great place. Im not a noob to saltwater my any means. Im just redoing my tank (it was a FOWLR) and I want to do it the right way.

Enough about me..
I was thinking about buying one of the overflows in Dr Foster and Smith (page 15). There is a 3/4" bulkhead (1) overflow that puts out 300gph. Im assuming I would need a 300gph pump. Do you guys any reccommend any pumps that would work for me?

I was also planning on my building my fuge. Give me a few minutes to come up with a quick drawing.

Thanks Curtswearing.

 

[Curtswearing]

If it is this Continuous Siphon Overflow then it's a weir and you should have good luck with it.

You can use any pump 300 gph or less on it. You could probably even go a little higher because head loss lowers the GPH on any pump.

 

[Noonan]

Explain head loss? And thats the overflow I was planning on using.

Ok- Heres the fuge. Please excuse the fact that I have 0 Photoshop skills and that I forgot to add a heater (it will probably be in the chamber with the pump), and I forgot to add a skimmer. I wasnt sure if I should skim before or after the fuge.

Also.. I wasnt sure how high the baffles should be. If they should be the same size, or one should be smaller..

 

[Curtswearing]

Put the skimmer in the first compartment where the incoming water is. Then add an over and under bubble trap for the last compartment. Take a look at Big T's bubble trap

Head loss is affected by the distance from the pump to the return, by how many turns there are in your plumbing, etc. You can use this Head loss calculator to see how much head loss your system will have and then you can pick the best pump.

 

[Noonan]

Whoa. That is an excellent article! Thanks for posting it.

 

[Noonan]

Ok..
I dont understand the entire reason for having airline tubing on the overflow. I read it and Im still like "..WTF". lol.

Also. Do you think it would be easier for me to buy a 10-20 gallon tank and add baffles, or should I just build an acrylic tank and add baffles. I dont have a clue on how I would build it but.. trial and error..lol

Does it matter if I have the tank directly under the main tank or not? I doubt im going to be able to fit anything bigger than a 10 gallon under my stand. Its a pentagon tank so its hard to work with.. You know?

 

[Curtswearing]

Nope, you can put it anywhere you want but the further you go away from the return, the more head loss you will have. I know people who have their sump right next to the tank but a little lower.

For a small sump, it is probably cheaper to buy a small glass tank.

 

[Noonan]

Ok.. I work at my LFS so I get AGA tanks at cost with 20% off. lol.

Im guessing the airline tubing on the overflow stops the siphon too?

As for pumps.. Would a Quiet One 1200 (296 GPH) be alright?

 

[Noonan]

I just realized I made a typo in the title.. lol.

Made a new post over here:
http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=34721#post34721

Its more detailed.

 

[mojoreef]

Welcome to Reef Frontiers Noonan. I see your in good hands.


Mike

 

[Noonan]

Thanks..