25g Sump

[captainjackypoo]

After reading a lot of information about sumps and how to construct them, I finally got around to building one myself. The sump is 35"x13"x14" (roughly 25g) and made out of 1/4" plate glass. There is with 6" for the skimmer, 6" for the return pump, and the rest of the space for the refugium. Here are some pictures of it with the skimmer and pump doing a closed loop test run.

http://www.kaemmer.net/images/diy/sump/2011-04-20_20-33-40_913.jpg

http://www.kaemmer.net/images/diy/sump/2011-04-20_20-33-52_756.jpg

There is an inch between each baffle in the bubble trap and a slanted baffle between the refugium and the pump. I slanted the baffle in an attempt to avoid a waterfall effect and make the sump as quite as possible. So far the sump itself is extremely quite, the pump and the skimmer are now the problem. Any input is welcome, hopefully there isn't too much wrong with it (I already reworked it once :thumbdown).

I could really use some tips on quieting down the pump and skimmer. The pump is a Quiet One 4000 (http://www.marinedepot.com/pumps_pentair_aquatics_rainbow_lifegard_quiet_one-ap.html), which contrary to its name, it is not very quiet. The skimmer is an Eshopps PSK-75 (http://www.eshopps.com/?page=PSK_75), which is relatively quite except for the slurping sound the air intake line makes every 5 seconds.

[1st timer]

i think you have skimmer side too high. It doesn't look like you will have much room for draining the plumbing in power out situation. I'm not sure but possibly the skimmer will work better raised up 2-4" it looks like it's about a depth of 11" or so.

[D5HP]

Unfortunately IME quiet one pumps are ANYTHING but...anyway you could do an external pump? If not...I have never had a single problem with my eheim returns.


Great idea with the slant...never seen that before.

[captainjackypoo]

i think you have skimmer side too high. It doesn't look like you will have much room for draining the plumbing in power out situation. I'm not sure but possibly the skimmer will work better raised up 2-4" it looks like it's about a depth of 11" or so.

Good catch on the skimmer, the specifications for it say that it should be siting in water between 9" and 12" deep. Currently it is sitting in 12.5"~ of water. I was planning on putting a stand made out of egg crate under it eventually.

There is a little bit too much water in the sump right now. I was planning on having the water level in the pump section be about 4-5", which is right around the crease in the slanted baffle. I'm hoping that it will be enough space for the water in the pipes in a power out situation. This sump will eventually be located under a stand for a 55g, so the water doesn't have to go very far. Is there any way that I can calculate if this will work before I put it under the stand and hook everything up?

Unfortunately IME quiet one pumps are ANYTHING but...anyway you could do an external pump? If not...I have never had a single problem with my eheim returns.


Great idea with the slant...never seen that before.

Unfortunately, I don't have enough space under the stand for anything but this sump (tried to maximize the amount of room for the refugium). Are external pumps usually quieter than submerged pumps? For some reason I just assumed that if a pump was submerged in the water it would absorb some of the sound.

Once I get everything setup, I'll have to look into replacing the pump. Eheim pumps are more expensive than Quiet One pumps, but I guess you get what you pay for.