20L Sump Compartment Sizes

[Kessler]

I will be gluing my baffles into my 20 long sump for my 40 breeder soon, but I'm not sure if I have the compartment sizes down. After a bit of research, I found that I should keep my return compartment relatively large so evaporation doesn't let the pump run dry and to also make the skimmer section large enough to accommodate for upgrades.

The design I'm using it skimmer>return<fuge.

I want to keep the fuge section as large as possible so I can grow macro for a lemonpoeel and house enough "pod condos" for a scooter blenny/mandarin.

I'll be using a SCA-301 and a Sicce syncra 3.0. The baffles are 1/4" and the internal length of the tank is approximately 29.5".

6" 2" 1" 6.5" 13"
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The 2" is to reduce the velocity of the microbubbles going down so they won't make it under the middle baffle. Baffles heights are 8" for the BT and 9" for the fuge.

Would this work or should I shrink the fuge and make the skimmer/return section larger? I do plan on getting an ATO in a month or two, but in the mean time, I'll be either dripping water slowly or having a aqualifter run for a short time every day. Current return section will hold approximately 2g. I feel like I'm over thinking this, but I'd rather do it right the first time.

[shifty51008]

If your gonna have an ato then you can make the return section much smaller.

I would worry about the 2" baffle and just go with 1"

Do you know the foot print of your skimmer as 6" seems small to me

[Kessler]

If your gonna have an ato then you can make the return section much smaller.

I would worry about the 2" baffle and just go with 1"

Do you know the foot print of your skimmer as 6" seems small to me

That's what I thought, but I was reading a thread about how a smaller compartment will cause the ATO will work more often, potentially resulting in failures. But if it'll be fine, then I'll probably be making that compartment 5.75" since the pump is 4.8". Hoping that 1" will give it enough clearance on both sides to prevent vibrations Even if I do upgrade to a eheim 1262, I think it's only 4.6" wide.

The footprint is 4.25"x7"x12"H.(http://www.scaquariums.com/product_p/sca-301.htm
I was supposed to get it in today but it wasn't delivered, so hopefully tomorrow, so I can make sure it fits in the compartment comfortable. I don't think I will be upgrading the skimmer, but I guess you never know.

[shifty51008]

yes I agree the bigger the return section is the less the ATO will have to kick on which is a good thing. but even if you put the return at 7" that will still give you around a 3 gal. section if it is gonna be 9" high baffle which IMO should be plenty on that size tank.

never seen that skimmer but if it works thats great, it doesn't say how deep the skimmer needs to be in the water on that site so I would contact them and ask what they recommend, you may have to add a stand to sit the skimmer on.

[Kessler]

The baffle from the skimmer compartment is actually 8" so I was thinking of running it at around 7" (if that's how it works, never had a sump before).

It's a cheapo knockoff skimmer from China that supposedly works well. I've read that it works best from 8"-9.5", so I stuck with 8 to make sure there's enough volume for backflow. I actually just got it in and the footprint is about 4" wide, so I'm thinking 6" will give me plenty of room to work with.

Thank you for the help!

[Dendrobates]

I'm in the same boat as yourself. 37 display, 20 sump, SCA-301 skimmer. From what I've been reading, this skimmer should suffice until I decide to upgrade....aquariums. The footprint is very small with the pump being under the skimmer as opposed to being on the side. With my sump, I'm making an area for a filter sock before the skimmer to catch the larger particles and possible fish jumpers. I'll be keeping an eye on your thread for ideas as well.

Derek

[Kessler]

I'm in the same boat as yourself. 37 display, 20 sump, SCA-301 skimmer. From what I've been reading, this skimmer should suffice until I decide to upgrade....aquariums. The footprint is very small with the pump being under the skimmer as opposed to being on the side. With my sump, I'm making an area for a filter sock before the skimmer to catch the larger particles and possible fish jumpers. I'll be keeping an eye on your thread for ideas as well.

Derek

Haha, I think if I ever upgrade, it'll be 90+ and I'll just use my 40 breeder for the sump. I was thinking of adding a filter sock holder, too, but I was going to see how much crap goes through the sump. If anything, I think a 4" sock would fit on the side of the skimmer in the compartment. Let me know how your sump turns out!

Ah, correction, I had the glass made to 9" for the trap and 10" for the fuge, haha.
And for the final lay out, I'm going with 6", 1" wide BT, 6.5" return, and ~14" fuge. I'll just throw in some pod condos into the return so more pods make it into the tank instead of staying in the fuge due to lower flow. I also just realized that the pump is only 3.3" wide, but I guess it'll give me more both more volume and holding space for back flow.