Space Dilema

[Ansphire]

Hey guys.. My stand is a bit small.. .. and there is no way I can fit a tank for a sump thru the door.... So I decided to do this.. hoping you can point out deffects or suggestions...

Will build two sides.. and will link'em together once they are inside...

Please make me aware of mistakes or suggestions!!

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q198/Ansphire/mysump.jpg

[Jefe12234]

I think one of the nice things about having a sump is that you can run in-sump skimmers which typically work much better than HOB skimmers. So I would leave room for a skimmer somewhere, but that's up to you. Also, I've tried every crazy kind of plumbing contraption to eliminate bubbles and none of them worked. To eliminate bubbles you just need space for the water to slow down. Forcing it through pipes will just speed it up. I would try to run the water levels close to each other so the water only falls maybe an inch. You would probably have to run both tanks around half full by placing the bulkhead lower so that you have space for extra water to drain when you shut off the return pump.

And if your sump trouble is due to a center brace in the stand, have you considered temporarily removing the brace?

[Ansphire]

thanks for the reply.

I'ts not a brace.. Its just that the tank I small.. Its a 29g, the stand has only one door and its like a foot wide...

the water level is going to be the same.. I just simulated two weeks of lazyness of me not topping off the tank!..lol

thanks for the suggestions.. any others welcome!

[MeuserReef]

If you are going to build these two sump tanks, and if you are using acrylic, I would build the tank shown on the right slightly taller with a "lip" that would overflow into the one on the left. They would remain seperate so that they could easily be removed for cleaning, yet would function as one when in use.

Make sense?

[Ansphire]

yeah makes sence.. I thought of it.. but then I thought it would create even more bubbles..

[Bax]

I think the slpit tank idea is great. But I wouldn't put the skimmer in the fuge section. Build a bubble tower on the inlet side to reduce bubbles there and a bubble trap before your return pump. I had a similar set up on my old 26 bow but used just one 16 H tank as the sump.

[shootist]

You may want to consider cutting out one side of your stand and adding a door,its really not very difficult and could save you a lot of hassle.