Need to improve my sump..

[SSpiro]

My sump is extremely inefficient. I need to find a way to improve it.

Essentially the sump is all one compartment. The level fluctuates based on evaporation which is causing my skimmer to SUCK.

Any recommendations on what I can do to mod the existing sump to be more efficient and create a section with a stable water height??

[blindskater02]

Just get a auto top off system to keep water height stable.

[SSpiro]

Just get a auto top off system to keep water height stable.

Yeah, I guess thats the easy way out.. But honestly, the best way for me to set that up would be outside of the stand because it wont fit.. And it won't look very pretty :(

[Bigfoot727]

sump size and any pics would help.
I put a baffle in the sump on mine at the hight I wanted the water to go no lower than. So that made a 2 chamber sump. I was easy some plexi cut to size and sylicone.

[SSpiro]

OK, here are dimensions.

34" long, 12" deep. The height slopes on one end. 13" at its shortest, 14.5" at its tallest.

Here are pics. One large compartment, one smaller one (where the return plumbing is and the skimmer) with a single "baffle" about 8" tall separating the two. There is also a weird 4 or 5" tall wall in the middle of the rock section.

All that is in my sump is live rock, heater, skimmer, and pump feeding the carbon. If I thought out the setup, I would have directly fed that, but too late now.

http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9673/dsc09747.jpg
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9746/dsc09748.jpg
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/4240/dsc09749.jpg
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/8708/dsc09750s.jpg
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/1241/dsc09751.jpg

Adding topoff right now, so don't mind the tubing. The first line on the sump is the max fill line presently, with the top line being the max the sump height can be before overflowing. There is presently a hole on one of the sides of the sump that I can't really get to until I drain it and disconnect from the return plumbing, which i can do once I start this project. Then the "max height" can be adjusted. You can see one on the front that I already patched before.

Take a look.. and fire off what you think. It needs help! lol.

[SSpiro]

Oh, and the only catch in this project: The sump can't come out while the tank is on it. Therefore, all work has to be accomplished while in the stand. Fun. :)

[TriggersAmuck]

You can plumb an external tank (need that 33g again!?) as a temporary sump while cementing baffle(s) in place if you really want to modify your sump. See Melev's Reef for good design ideas (though I suspect you probably already have or you wouldn't be asking :). If you are really ambitious you could build a second acrylic sump "in place" within the left side of your stand, putting appropriate baffles in place, drill a hole for bulkhead on the existing sump, and connect the two to give you the desired separation for your skimmer and perhaps an isolated refugium/rubble area. Of course space for external pump and reactors becomes tight. Or, assuming you have a make shift external sump for a period, smash/cut the existing sump apart to remove it and build an entirely new one "in place". None of this sounds like my idea of fun, so I vote that you upgrade your tank. ;)

[SSpiro]

Yeah, not sure i'm up for all that.. :(

[Pacific Reefs]

Have you thought about pulling the brace that holds the doors out? We had to do that on my buddy's 90g to get the sump out and back in. We had someone support that area while we took the brace off and then attached it back once the sump was out. However it is always a risk.

[g8gxp]

ATO is really a must-have. Every tank parameter will fluctuate if your water/salinity level is not constant. You can get a really small trash can and keep the freshwater in there. It looks like if you do a tiny bit of rearranging you could fit a 3-5 gallon plastic bucket in there.

[jbax]

yeah you could get a container shaped like a gas container. they are more tall then wide.