AIO system sump - Will it work?

[maelv]

Buildling an AIO system.

Running through a bunch of ideas for the back chamber. One of which is a gravity fed type of overflow/return.

Couple of questions I have right now is.

1. Can i even make this design work, or will that center chamber fill up prior to water coming out the two side return columns? (Which the more i think of it, appears is what will happen)

2. With overflow cut out at 1.5" to 2" and returns at 1", there shouldn't be that overwhelming sound of a waterfall because the water is dropping 1", correct?

3. And going with gyres, not looking at giant waves so much, so would a .5" or 1" difference be better to:

a. muffle sound
b. ensure i am not getting water coming in through return cut out instead of overflow cut out.


What are the shortcomings of doing it this way (if it is even possible) instead of running return pumps in the final chambers instead? Not worried about flow in the tank, as I will have plenty.

[username in use]

I don't see how you'd get water out of the returns without a pump. I would scrap the rubble and have it run by a small pump that goes through your back wall below the water level.

[maelv]

I don't see how you'd get water out of the returns without a pump. I would scrap the rubble and have it run by a small pump that goes through your back wall below the water level.

Thanks Joshua, like I said, i was just throwing around ideas; never claimed to be a smart man though ;)
I already have x2 of these 210 gph pumps that I can throw on either side: Tunze Recirculation Pump Silence 1073.008 (http://www.marinedepot.com/Tunze_Recirculation_Pump_Powerhead_Silence_Fixed_Flow_Aquarium_Powerheads-Tunze-TZ1737-FIPHFF-vi.html)

I have been out of the hobby for about 3 years now and was wanting to throw rubble in there for added bio filtration, also a place to culture pods, etc...

is that old school thinking these days or was that just an alternative to the extra baffles?

Thanks again.

[username in use]

The way your diagram is laid out, I just see it collecting gunk and being difficult to clean out with the rubble under there. You should have more than enough rock in a normal tank to handle the bio load.

Look a the biocubes and how they run the returns. That's a really easy, clean way to do it and you can do it with your existing pumps. Or, instead of doing center overflow do it on one side and have the sump run side to side instead of middle out. Then you only need one pump and it's a simpler design.

[maelv]

The way your diagram is laid out, I just see it collecting gunk and being difficult to clean out with the rubble under there. You should have more than enough rock in a normal tank to handle the bio load.

Look a the biocubes and how they run the returns. That's a really easy, clean way to do it and you can do it with your existing pumps. Or, instead of doing center overflow do it on one side and have the sump run side to side instead of middle out. Then you only need one pump and it's a simpler design.

Thank you much Joshua.

[Meshmez]

putting chaeto where you have it in that diagram will do nothing except kill the chaeto. it needs light to grow. check out some Innovative Marine tanks for ideas too.

as Username stated, you will need some kind of return pump, otherwise water will just sit there, it wont move.

it would be easiest to have the overflow on one side, and the return on the other, but its not impossible to have it overflow in the center. keep in mind though, with your current design, half of the water is bypassing the skimmer with no chance of going through it. probably doesn't make a difference in the grand scheme of things though.

[maelv]

Thanks Meshmez. Okay so in one side out other, reposition chaeto, nix the rubble, look at biocube and IM designs. Good pointers. Thanks.

So, in in one out the other. I'll have a decent chamber in the middle. Thoughts of a DSB for bio filtration with maybe some mangroves?

Chamber 1:
So now I will move that middle chamber to left with filter floss and carbon

Chamber 2:
my skimmer

Chamber 3:
The DSB with mangroves (maybe). Or just some cheato in that chamber

Final chamber: return pump

Sound a little better?

I will still look at the other examples u pointed out when k get to office. Currently in a location that is not conducive to too much surfing.

[username in use]

The DSB isn't large enough in that to be worthwhile, and the mangroves grow so slow they aren't a great nutrient export. If you just want them because they are cool, that's fine, but if you are looking for nutrient export then you want the Chaeto.

That setup sounds like it would probably work.

[maelv]

And it will be relatively low flow so through the back chamber, so would that cause an issue with the DSB/Chaeto/Mangroves?

[maelv]

Tacking Josh. Ur post beat mine. So disregard that. Late in my neck of the woods so I'll have another of my wonderful excel renditions for you tomorrow. Lol. For critique

Quick questions. So tank will be 30x30x24. The back chamber will be about 6" deep.

So where I originally thought about the DSB would have been approx 11x6x6. Still not enough to do much of anything I assume?

And how big of an cut out should I have for my overflow? Was thinking 1.5" cut out and maybe 3 or 4 inches long. Thoughts on that?

[username in use]

Depends entirely how much flow you want to send through it, but that would probably be enough for most of what you are doing.

[Meshmez]

I think that area is still not useful for a dsb. I would just throw come chaeto in there and a light.

if you still want to put rock rubble in, what you can do is make a basket out of eggcrate or something similar that has holes just small enough to keep the rock from falling through. you put your rubble in there, then you can just lift it out and siphon the junk that accumulates under it. swish it around in your (dirty) water change bucket to get the junk off the rubble, and drop it back in the back of the tank.

[maelv]

Pump is rated at coral tissue stripping 210 gph :)

[maelv]

Take 2:

How's this design look?
if it works, the baffle between the Skimmer (which is actually a 9012, not 9004), should I cut slits / holes in it to flow into the chaeto, or will it be fine with the water going over the top?

I have cut down the overall length of the functioning sump and put in an ATO Resoivor of about roughly 5 gal.

The depth of the back compartment is 6 inches