sump size? pump size?

[Silent Night]

what size sump would you recommend for a 150 imp/gal reef?

obvs taking into consideration the size of the hardware

it has been suggested that i should use a 1000-1500 gph return pump also.

what do you guys think?

thanks in advance

 

[David S]

30g upwards,the biggest you get afford/fit

 

[neilanh]

Bigger is always better, really your only limitation is your budget and where you intend to put it.

Once you decide what size sump, we can size your pump.

 

[Silent Night]

ok, excellent.

im at the pricing up stage at the moment. got the spot picked out, so iv ordered a 6'x2'x2'. its on hold with the supplier until im ready for it.

but, more research the better right?

im toying with the idea of modding my old 30gal aquarium into a sump. i guess thats an appropriate size

so, neilan, what size return would you advise?


and thanks both, for the hasty replies

 

[mr_X]

unless it's a 30 breeder, i wouldn't use the 30 as a sump. especially if you want to add a refugium and put a skimmer in it. simply not enough space. i would suggest a 40 breeder. it's got a footprint big enough to allow for a skimmer that will do the job, and enough height to allow for extra water volume in the event of a power outage.
as for the pump, a 1000+-gph pump should work fine. you don't need crazy turnover in the sump.just enough to feed your components.
on my last 150, i used a quiet one 4000 as a return and it was plenty.

 

[Silent Night]

nice one.

i see what you mean. the 30 i have does not have the required floor space to accommodate all of the required equipment. it is more of a tall tank, than a wide tank anyways.

would you know if the Quiet One 4000 is available with a UK Standard electricity supply? the pump selection at my LFS is somewhat lacking..

and, thanks X

 

[mr_X]

hmm.. no, i don't have any idea if it's available with a UK standard plug. how about danner mag drives? can you get those with the type of plug you need? what brand pumps are accessible to you?

and you are quite welcome.

 

[melosu58]

I use a forty gallon long on my 125 gallon reef. My return pumps are a mag 12 and a mag 9.5

 

[Silent Night]

ok, im looking at the Eheim 1262 water pump for around 747 GPH turnover. i thought that maybe 1000 GPH was a little excessive, despite many AA's suggesting it.

the tank i have my eye on has only one 1" bulkhead fitting which can only allow around 600 GPH flow rate. so, id be pumping more water into the tank than my overflow can disperse. am i right here, or..?

sufficient to cover the head pressure? im open to suggestions, guys

and thanks again all

 

[David S]

remember you can throttle down the pump to suit your fittingor tee it back to your sump with a valve to regulate it,I use the 2000ltr eheim on my 60g tank with 2 sumps and one syphon pipe overflow box reduced down to 3/4" and it handles that easily,remember to take into consideration the head.Also are you having the protein skimmer in the sump or out of it,and what else eg. refugium or LS with macro algae,I've plenty of chaetomorpha if your near oxford.

1" pipe has a flow rate capacity of 960 gph. Check this link http://flexpvc.com/WaterFlowBasedOnPipeSize.shtml

 

[Idaho-Tank]

Didn't want to start a new thread so thought Id ask here....
I have a 100 gal tank... My sump is 40"L x 16"H x 14"w (or about 38 gallons max). Will probably operate at about 24 gallons.

Here is the sump design - which I copied from melevesreef.com

Two questions:

*size of pump
is there a rule of thumb? I have one overflow so obviously I don't want to pump more water than the overflow can handle.

*Type of pump
My previous pump was submersible.. what are the pros and cons to submersible vs. non submersible?

 

[David S]

you need approx 6-7 times dt size,so around 700 gph, again depending on head and return pipe size for the pump size.

 

[Idaho-Tank]

you need approx 6-7 times dt size,so around 700 gph, again depending on head and return pipe size for the pump size.

Thanks - and any preference as to the type of pump? (ie. submersible or non?).

 

[Silent Night]

im going to shy away from the extra plumbing lol.

ok, in the sump: protein skimmer, heater, fuge - chaetamorpha (in abundance, but thanks for asking ) and a little ulva (both from a neighbouring tank)
also in the loop: inherited a vectron 600 UVS to finish off the reamining little nasties in the water

im excited to get the ball rolling. just one of them things, isnt it lol.
build thread soon! just need to narrow down the equipment i guess.

thanks david!

 

[Silent Night]

Submersible
Pros - Don't have to worry about leaks in plumbing near the pump; it's in your sump
Pros - Heats the water, you need fewer heaters
Pros - Don't have to worry about drilling and installing bulkheads in your sump
Cons - Heats the water. If you always run close to the max temp when your lights are on, this could cause issues. It also gives you less control of your tank temp



External
Pros - Does not heat the water nearly as much
Pros - You can get larger, more powerful pumps that consume less electricity reducing your operating expenses
Cons - You have to worry about doing more plumbing - making sure that it doesn't leak, cost of parts, etc.

 

[Silent Night]

i like the idea of the staggered sump sections

although, it would be cool if it all waterfalled into the fuge instead of into two channels. i dont see the point of splitting the flow.

 

[David S]

Thanks - and any preference as to the type of pump? (ie. submersible or non?).

just personal choice really.I use a submersible only because if there's a problem with it I can swap it with a power head as a temp basis.

 

[David S]

i like the idea of the staggered sump sections

although, it would be cool if it all waterfalled into the fuge instead of into two channels. i dont see the point of splitting the flow.

it's just so you can have a slow through for a fuge section rather than a sump,and fast throgh to you skimmer and on

 

[mr_X]

yes, choking the pump back at the exhaust port is good for it, believe it or not. it will cut it's electric usage and lengthen it's life.


i prefer an external pump. for the above mentioned reasons and also that it's not sitting in the sump, taking up space, and they just seem to be built better.

 

[Silent Night]

I'll have to look into it. Thanks again, X!