20 long sump feedback please

[jmccomb420]

This is a pic of an idea i had for a simple sump for my new 90 gallon AGA tank. Would love any feedback I can get. Coments about setup, pump position, size, layout. Was going to use a 20 long but might be able to make a 30 fit. black is the inlet

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/585/61528sump.JPG

[AquaVolGP]

make sure it flows left to right....or right to left however....but make the inlet come in and hit the skimmer....then your bubble trap....then refugium with sand band then baffled where your return pump is...

[ravedood]

I think the return pump should be in the middle chamber similar to how you have it in the diagram. Have one output from your main tank go to the skimmer chamber and one output from you main tank with a valve go to to the fuge chamber.

Both skimmer and fuge chambers should empty out into the main chamber where the return pump is. So it will flow from the left and from the right chambers into the center chamber. No need for an extra pump on the fuge side.

[cdness]

good points... one thing to note is to add a third piece of glass to finish the bubble trap. The two pieces will not stop any bubbles as they will just flow under the second pane of glass...

[fredknack]

It looks good. It is a lot like my DIY sump except for one thing. On mine I only have one wall between the fuge and the center chamber. I cut teeth into the top of the wall and water flows into the main center chamber like an overflow. I don't think it needs to be setup like a baffle. When fuge water overflows into the main chamber you will not have a problem with bubbles.

[MeuserReef]

Im preparing to use a 20L as a sump and am still unsure as to how to set it up. No matter what, I like the idea of having the return pump accomplish the flow to the fuge section. One less pump to eat up kilowatt hours...

I have read much negative feedback regarding the feeding of a fuge directly from the overflow. Word on the street has it that this causes an abundance of deutritus to build up in the fuge where it is difficult to remove.

I would branch off of the return pump to feed the fuge and then allow the fuge to overflow back into the return section of the sump. Im pretty sure that feeding the skimmer section directly from the overflow is perfectly fine.

[ravedood]

how about just putting filter socks on both inlets to the sump?

[MeuserReef]

That would work too. Just remember... double the filter socks = double the work maintaining them.

[jmccomb420]

Thanks for the feed back! as far as putting the fuge in the middle I know i don't want to do that for one main reason, running 600 gallons an hour through a fuge doesn't do you much good. I like the idea of "t" ing the return for the fuge though, good idea ravedood. Here's a revised drawing (sorry, I am not an artist)

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/61528sump_2.JPG

Let me know what you think and keep the ideas coming!

[cthedaytrader]

I have built both designs, I have used the fuge in the middle design then return, and right now I have the return in the middle.

I will tell you right now I have a new tank and baffles to redisgn it, after months of trying to find a way to get the fuge to work it just hasnt. First I tried having my drain feed my skimmer and my fuge and barely any water went into the fuge, and it because a detris build up zone, and a red cyno zone, I tried adding power heads to it but they got clogged over and over. Next cut the drain off and started feeding it with a maxijet, this worked better, but then the maxijet would get clogged or break due to my kalk (so it is another thing to worry about failing).

I use filtersocks and I do like them but you have to change them every few days or they raise your nitrates, and after a week or so they clog and can cause some overflow, so they require more maintaince. If your going to have the return int he middle you shouldhave another draing feeding the fuge, or make sure the drain u have is large enough and diverted just right to feed both equally or yoru fuge will become a dead zone.

When i used the fuge in the middle design it was just easier to maintain. Good luck

[damopower]

I am designing my own 20 gallon sump/fuge, I didn't realise there was this much debate as to where the location of the fuge should be. From what I had heard you branch a T of the drain pipe, put a ball valve on it to control the flow and let it run in to the fuge on the right of tank. This then runs back to the return pump in the centre. I had heard the fuge runs better with water that hadn't been skimmed.
I'm confused now

[Garage1217]

I went super simple with my 20L sump. Just 2 baffles. Water enters the chamber with the skimmer so that water level never varies. The 2nd chamber shares water level with the 3rd, however the baffle causes water to flow into the 3rd chamber way down low so bubbles are almost totally eliminated. Works perfect. You cannot see the 2nd baffle as it is just behind the brace for the stand.

I have a seperate 20L display fuge with it's own matching stand, the main return pump sends water to the display tank and display fuge. You can see the softline return for the display fuge hanging straight down into chamber 2.

http://www.garage1217.com/REEFPICS/90BUILDUP/sump.jpg

[jmccomb420]

Any more Ideas, I now have a 29 gallon that I am going to use to give me a little more volume. Would like to get rid of the micro bubbles I have but am not sure they aren't from the set up being new. Please give any help. Thank you

[JOSEPHLB]

Remove the T from your return line, and use it to T off the drain line to direct your drain to both your skimmer section and some off to your fuge section.

The way you have it now, you are splitting off your return line, and directing "water that has already been skimmed" to your fuge area. As you said, about having 600gph through your fuge does no good.. in a sense.. so does pushing water that has already been skimmed of some of its wastes into the fuge as well..

But.. really depends on what your purpose of your fuge is for..

[therealfatman]

Raw water should go to both the skimmer chamber and to the refugium. Only a very small bit of water should overflow your skimmer compartment into your bubble baffle first compartment, and your skimmer should exit into the same area. Only a small amount of water should flow into your refugium and then overflow into the pump return compartment. This means using two "T" fittings and two ball valves on a single overflow drain. The "T's" would be installed with the horns up and down and with the nose side ways. You would control the water at the bottom "T" horn with one valve as the water going into the skimmer compartment and with the ball valve on the lower "T" nose Pointed sideways) controlling the water going into the refugium. That will cause a backup of water to flow out of the second "T" fitting (at its nose (turned sideways) as excess going straight to straight to pump return compartment without a ball valve needed for control.

Your skimmer compartment should not be diluted with excessive water through the overflow drain or through having the skimmer discharge skimmed water back into it. The refugium should get slow flow of raw water to feed the sand bio system, macro algae and the critters. Excessive flow will make growth of critters more difficult. The larger your return pumps flow rate the larger the amount of water that would flow straight from your overflow drain to your return pump compartment.

There is no benefit from or need for a bubble trap between the refugium and the pump return compartment.

[AZDesertRat]

Here are some pics of my 30G sump during construction. The water eneters the center section where the skimmer resides. It also tees off into 1/2" with a ball valve to the refugium which is the high baffle on the right then overflows back to the center section. The return is on the left after three baffles. Been working great for 5 years now.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f369/AJOIII/sump5-1.jpg

This second picture was in its first few weeks of operation.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f369/AJOIII/IMAG0043.jpg

[jmccomb420]

thanks az, but I can't see the fuge feed in the pic. Whats going on with it?

[AZDesertRat]

Its the 1/2" PVC line going to the right just above the skimmer collection cup in the second picture. There is a 1"x1/2" tee just below the 1" ball valve, the 1/2" pipe and a 1/2" ball valve right over the refugium which is hidden by the center brace.