Sump design

[craig_will2513]

hi all iam in the process of making my own sump. its a 10g tank to add to my 35g display tank.
what iam asking is if this design is ok and will work. is 5kg of live rock rubble ok in it what type or marine plant/algea should i put in the maximise this.
also when i add the baffles how far apart should they be and how far of the bottom should they be ill add my design and any help tips or changes you think will help will be appriciated thanks in advance

 

[Kio707]

I would separate your LR and plants. That way you filter your water and it will allow your plants to "soak up" the nitrates.

 

[Ausfish]

Looks good to me! Seems like the design that most people are using for their refugiums.

 

[Kio707]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f14/new-tank-161749-102.html#post1555788

Here is a link to my pics of the sump I built. Hopefully this helps.

 

[craig_will2513]

so seperate rock thanks.. what about the gaps in the baffles how big should they be and how far from the bottom should they be. and my return pump is 100lph so do i have to get an overflow weir the same ie 1000lph

 

[Kio707]

so seperate rock thanks.. what about the gaps in the baffles how big should they be and how far from the bottom should they be. and my return pump is 100lph so do i have to get an overflow weir the same ie 1000lph

I'll find the other link I have and send it to you.

 

[Kio707]

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f14/new-tank-161749-90.html#post1549827


Hopefully this will help you some more.

 

[craig_will2513]

sorry mate i cant make head nor tail of them links lol.. so ill ask again lol what about the gaps in the baffles how big should they be and how far from the bottom should they be. and my return pump is 100lph so do i have to get an overflow weir the same ie 1000lph also what plants do i use

 

[Kio707]

What size is your sump?

 

[Tomchong22]

You don't need to separate your lr and macro algae. For your sand bed make sure it is 6in deep. Also I would look at adding a algae turf scrubber.( super easy to make $10 from home depo) I would have it set up like so: filter sock, protein skimmer and phosphate reactor if you want, liverock and macro algae, algae turf scrubber draining into macro algae and live rock section, then return pump.

 

[AquaRick]

sorry mate i cant make head nor tail of them links lol.. so ill ask again lol what about the gaps in the baffles how big should they be and how far from the bottom should they be. and my return pump is 100lph so do i have to get an overflow weir the same ie 1000lph also what plants do i use

Ideally the baffles should be about 1/4" to 1/2" apart from each other in regards to the bubble trap. The piece of glass/acryclic that runs from the top of the sump to near the bottom of the tank should be about 1" from the bottom of the sump. Here's a good DIY video on making a sump.
Reef Tank D.I.Y. Sump part 1 - YouTube

However, note his design in that the skimmer comes after his fuge. I would put the skimmer before the fuge so that if you ever decide to grow some pods, they would survive back to the tank rather than being destroyed by the skimmer.

 

[craig_will2513]

my sump is small 10g

 

[AquaRick]

my sump is small 10g

right. It just shows how he did it really. Bubble trap didstances are still the same. Just have smaller compartments if you decide to have more than 1 etc.

 

[Smitty]

If you want to have a separate chamber for the skimmer I would put it before the liverock/macro section as that would give even more room for the bubbles produced by the skimmer to rise to the top before going to the return section.

A better idea is to make your intake larger and put it into there, then into the liverock/macro, then the return. Less baffles to deal with.

 

[craig_will2513]

ok thanks everyone.. so my return pump is rated at 100lph. does the overflow weir have to be the same more or less than the return pump

 

[Smitty]

Your pump should be rated just about the same or just over your return (to help with keeping bubbles out). If your pump is less than your return it will only flow as much as your pump puts back into the tank (it can only drain what is available).

 

[coffeetwitch]

ha i learned off that same vid.

easy money. dont worry about getting silicone on both sides of the baffles either. as long as you get a good bead and seal on one of the sides.

going skimmer to fuge to return i would say you only need a baffle between the skimmer and fuge. save the bubble trap for after the fuge and between your return pump.

 

[coffeetwitch]

what are you using as an overflow?

 

[craig_will2513]

i dont know yet i havnt got one yet. i was thinking to try make my own

 

[Ausfish]

Your pump should be rated just about the same or just over your return (to help with keeping bubbles out). If your pump is less than your return it will only flow as much as your pump puts back into the tank (it can only drain what is available).

If your pump is rated over the capacity of your return and more water gets topped up than can run off you would effectively flood your dt, wouldn't you? I would do it the other way around, pump capacity less than overflow capacity