My stand is split in the middle so here's my sump idea

[Krypt]

I have a 55 gal Topfin sitting on the good old Walmart stand. There in lies the problem, the stand is split in the middle for a support beam and after tossing around a few ideas and taking some measurements I came up with the idea of using two 10 gallon tanks, one on each side. The tank on the right is going to get the feed line from the DT and house the protein skimmer and the heater, then I will install a series of baffles to cut down the micro bubbles before I pump it over to the next tank which is going to house my refugium and return pump to the DT.

It sounds like it'll work if I build it right, just wondering if I'm forgetting anything.

 

[Bige]

Well I think that moving water between so many tanks may get tricky. You could make it work. You said it is split in the middle, does that mean that there is only room for the hoses? How much room is there on one of the sides?

 

[Krypt]

Each side has approx. 22.5"x 12" x 14" space and the split in the center means I will be drilling a few small holes in it to get the hoses to go through the other side as its like a solid wall divider. I also plan to use some flow valves to help even out the flow between the tanks so I can adjust it.

 

[jim692]

Did you consider using a large diameter hose or pipe to join the tanks near the bottom half? Pumping from tank to tank could be problematic if the flow rates get out of sync. With a large connection between the two tanks gravity will do the work of keeping the levels of the two sumps even for you.

 

[Krypt]

Did you consider using a large diameter hose or pipe to join the tanks near the bottom half? Pumping from tank to tank could be problematic if the flow rates get out of sync. With a large connection between the two tanks gravity will do the work of keeping the levels of the two sumps even for you.

That I did not, that would be perfect, one less pump to manage. Thanks Jim, you just made my design simpler and more efficient.

 

[cabezon]

instead of glass tanks you might consider plastic bins. much easier to bulkhead. and dont be afraid to use a coping saw, or a sawzall to make a nice big hole.

I have my sump raised so that I get a nice deep water level for my skimmer in the other bin.

 

[Krypt]

instead of glass tanks you might consider plastic bins. much easier to bulkhead. and dont be afraid to use a coping saw, or a sawzall to make a nice big hole.

I have my sump raised so that I get a nice deep water level for my skimmer in the other bin.

Thanks for the suggestion Cab, I'll keep it in mind.