Is this Sump Plausable?

[hahaa]

hi,

i just wanted a confirmation from any member who's already tried building his/her own sump filter if the one i attached is plausable and what should I do to improve it.

also, i had in plan to add 2 such sumps on both sides of a 192L freshwater tank with possible dimensions of 40cm x 40cm x 120cm.

[Cliff]

Instead of two sumps, why not just build or buy a bigger one ?

If you are using a filter sock I would not think you would need filter floss as well.

How much flow are your planning to go through your sump ? I reason why I asked is that I would be concerned about the flow rates of the water passing through the substrate.

Have you considered a wet-dry set-up instead ? I have never built one, but it might be easier

[hahaa]

well i guess thats 1 serious prob. what if i had to put a coarser kind of gravel? and a more powerful pump which takes water from the tank to the sump and a less powerful one which takes water from the sump back to the tank?

[Cliff]

Most people use gravity or siphon based drains to move the water from the tank into your sump. Using a pump for that can cause a lot of problems as you have to make sure both pumps are working at the exact same flow rates.

[hahaa]

so what would you recommand?

[Cliff]

Is your main tank drilled ?

[hahaa]

i guess i forget to mention that the aquarium is still to be built.

[hahaa]

why did you ask?

[evilhorde]

If you can drill the tank then you can use an overflow drain from the tank to the sump. Then you only need the one pump to pump the water back from the sump to the tank.

[pjaldave]

+1 for using an overflow to move water from display tank to sump. so that you don't need to worry about 2 pumps not putting out the exact flow rates.

i guess you can put larger substrate at the bottom and a finer substrate at the top where the plants will be sitting.

In the diagram, it doesn't show how the water will flow through the plants, so i would suggest putting the output from the bio-ball section to the top instead of being in the middle.

[hahaa]

hi pjaldave,

would you mind illustrating your proposals by editing the plan i've attached please?

thanks in advance. :ssmile:

[Fishguy2727]

Definitely do not pump down to a sump, it will never work. You WILL flood. Just get a tank that is reef ready with built-in overflows.

I didn't use any mechanical media in my entire system and I am very glad I did it that way. I didn't have any foam prefilters, socks, floss, or anything. They trap debris which means more work for you cleaning it. It also takes that debris away from filter feeders who need it for food. This means more nutrients into the system feeding the filter feeders and more nutrients from the rotting debris.

Don't use bioballs. They are old school and will just trap debris. Your live rock is 80% of your filtration and will do all the biological filtration needed. When people pull bioballs out of their system usually the only change they see is a lower nitrate concentration from the lack of debris being trapped and rotting.

My sump had three sections. The first was just a bubble area, this is usually where the skimmer goes but mine was external and actually sat behind the sump and drained in to the first section. The middle was a refugium. The last section was for all the pumps (return, skimmer, and reactors). Any water going in went in the first section (drain from tank, skimmer, reactors, ATO, etc.).

I definitely go with the K.I.S.S. method (keep it simple silly). Simplicity is bliss. My sump only had three baffles.

[hahaa]

hi fishguy,

do you have any design available of the sump you're proposing?

also, i was told that a sump filter won't allow a sufficient CO2 level in water thus plants won't be able to grow. is this true?

[Fishguy2727]

Isn't this a reef? If so then CO2 isn't an issue. CO2 is usually a worry in freshwater planted tanks where CO2 gas is added. There is definitely enough CO2 to allow macroalgae (not a true plant) to grow in a refugium.

This is the sump I had on my reef. I know it looks a little complicated but if you take a minute to look at everything it is pretty straight forward. On the far left is the bubble section. This is where any water going in to the sump goes. The drain from the tank dumps just below the water line to keep it quiet. The skimmer drain dumps just above the water line so it doesn't impede the skimmer from draining properly (that skimmer is finicky about its drain). The ATO pumped freshwater into this section and the media reactors (hanging off the back) also drain into this section. Between the first and second sections are two baffles. The first one forces water down. There is a one inch gap at the bottom and between the first and second baffle. There is also a one inch gap at the top. If anything ever clogged the one inch gap at the bottom I don't want the baffle going all the way to the top and allowing the sump to flood, I want the water to go over the first baffle. The second baffle is against the bottom and forces the water up and into the refugium. It is only 6" high. The refugium houses the heater on the back side, some rubble, and some chaetomorpha macroalgae. There is oolite sand in the refugium because it can go in and out of solution better than other types which helps with Ca and Alk. There are two lights over the refugium that were on 24/7 to allow the chaeto to grow as much as possible. The last baffle is also only 6" high and against the bottom. This baffle has eggcrate siliconed to it which holds a mesh grid (needlepoint plastic) so that the chaeto doesn't get pushed in to the last section, the pump section. All pumps are in this section (return, skimmer, and reactors). It is also where the float valve for the ATO is. The container to the right of the sump is the ATO reservoir.
http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c207/reptileguy2727/Reef/0926101942a.jpg

[Cliff]

also, i had in plan to add 2 such sumps on both sides of a 192L freshwater tank with possible dimensions of 40cm x 40cm x 120cm.

Fishguy, I think the OP is talking about a FW sump

And to the OP: The below link can help you with some of your question about setting put a drain into your sump. Drilling your tank is always the best (IMO) as you can set up the system so it will not fail in the event of a loss of power. A siphon drain is another option as well. The below link explains a little about that

http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/2012/aquarium-plumbing-basics/

Also, you could go to You-Tube and research on fresh water sumps. There is some good info there as well that would give you a lot of ideas

[Fishguy2727]

If we are talking about freshwater then I wouldn't do a sump at all, they just aren't as effective as a big canister. I use and recommend Fluval. On that size tank I think a Fluval 405 or 406 would be enough. You may want a little more flow, but that will be enough filtration.

I know some people love sumps in freshwater, but I don't. I have worked with a lot of them and they are never enough, I always end up having to add a sump to get the real filtration that is needed. It is cheaper, more effective, and simpler to just do a canister.