# Sump tank questions



## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

Well I just got a tank. Went a little larger then I thought I was going to. I bought a 90gal drilled with an overflow box.

I'm looking for information on sump tank designs. I'll be building my own with my friend (he does acrylic work)
So I'm just looking for some info on designs and information. Also how do I determine just how big the sump should really be for the 90gal?

Are there any good websites out there with info of building your own that you guys know of?

thanks


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

AFAIK, make the sump as large as you can.

If you're DIYing an acrylic sump, check out the acrylic sump designs that Melev uses: http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

ameekplec. said:


> AFAIK, make the sump as large as you can.
> 
> If you're DIYing an acrylic sump, check out the acrylic sump designs that Melev uses: http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html


as eric posted, large as possible, and melev's site is darn well amazing! I used it for mine  can't remember of the top of my head ATM which design letter mine is, but I ended up removing one section because I made my skimmer too large LOL


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

hojimoe said:


> as eric posted, large as possible, and melev's site is darn well amazing! I used it for mine  can't remember of the top of my head ATM which design letter mine is, but I ended up removing one section because I made my skimmer too large LOL


thanks guys. I haven't picked a skimmer yet.. maybe I should decide on the skimmer first before designing a sump???

I planned on just having the sump with the skimmer and heater in it and some activated carbon, and maybe do some extra live rock??? I don't want to try the refugium


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

I had a 90gl and from experiance ill have to say the sump was way too small 20 sump ,, if you can I would thing a 40gl or even 60 gl .
we had the berlin tripple pass and it wouldnt fit in sump .
Y ou may be kicking yer butt later if you go under 40gl .
Do you have pumps?
i have a few pumps , return for 90gl +(better then mag 9.5) i think i even have a mag9.5 and another mag 5 , i would have to dig them out lol
I plan on posting them in the new year anyway.
i used the mag 9.5 on my skimmer after wtac helped me tweek it and it was awesome lol if my tank was smaller tho i woulda stuck with the mag 5.
Anyway WTG and congrats on your new adventure!!!!


p.s ... you may need a extra pump for waterchanges too i know it was a breeze with an extra one


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

as blossom said, on a 90g tank, i'd say 40 or even 60.... I have seen ppl with 65g SUMPS on their 90g tank. 

Personally I run a 20g tank on my 65 display, because it is what I can hold, I COULD put in a 33g tank (36-12-18) but then top access is hard, it was my stand design, right now I use a 30x12x14 tank, which works perfectly for me 

I will be putting a refuge in their sort of floating in the cabinet and have it fed via small pump and return back to the return section of my sump


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

thanks for the info guys. I'm still got an aweful lot to learn about equipment. 
I scored a pump with the tank. and a little bit of tube for plumbing it and some valves etc.

It's blue line 40x I think. Is this suitable for my return? It says 1270gph @ 0'

http://www.championlighting.com/product.php?productid=18056&cat=485&page=1

Wow I didn't realize I'd need that big of a sump. Will I need to use extra live rock in the sump? I do plan on having the tank fully stocked with live rock.
I will be purchasing a quality skimmer, just dunno what to look for yet. 
What else do I need to be thinking about?


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

nickeleye_rt said:


> thanks for the info guys. I'm still got an aweful lot to learn about equipment.
> I scored a pump with the tank. and a little bit of tube for plumbing it and some valves etc.
> 
> It's blue line 40x I think. Is this suitable for my return? It says 1270gph @ 0'
> ...


great return pump. Just remember that I believe the blue lines are external pumps, which means you have to have space for a pump beside the sump, and run them inline ....no big deal, sometimes easier to work with

since I made my own skimmer, I can't tell you much about what to look for

lighting is a huge issue that you have to think about.... is this going to be a reef? fish only with rock? how's this tank going to shape out?


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

hojimoe said:


> great return pump. Just remember that I believe the blue lines are external pumps, which means you have to have space for a pump beside the sump, and run them inline ....no big deal, sometimes easier to work with
> 
> since I made my own skimmer, I can't tell you much about what to look for
> 
> lighting is a huge issue that you have to think about.... is this going to be a reef? fish only with rock? how's this tank going to shape out?


Well I'd like to have some corals in the tank. I do plan on sticking to corals and fish that are going to be relatively easier to take care of, not looking for anything that needs extra special attention. This is my first attempt at salt water so I don't want to try anything too challenging. Sort of chill community tank I guess smaller reef safe fishes some cool looking shrimp and crabs, stuff like that.

I was thinking I'd need something like 4 actinic tubes and 2 10,000k tubes. Does that sound right?


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

What kind of ballast are you running? What wattage for each bulb?


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

your best bet is to go HQI and im sure UTC can set you up with a great deal on that .
for an optimal perfect lighting you need 6wats per gl +.
lower light corals 3 to 3.5 whats per gl 
now having said that you have a 90gl , would be best to get the best lights b4 you start because chances are your gonna want to upgrade (just trust me)
why pay x2 like i did  
I know UTC can fix you up and he has good prices .


p.s. the ultimate lighting is LEDS


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

blossom112 said:


> your best bet is to go HQI and im sure UTC can set you up with a great deal on that .
> for an optimal perfect lighting you need 6wats per gl +.
> lower light corals 3 to 3.5 whats per gl
> now having said that you have a 90gl , would be best to get the best lights b4 you start because chances are your gonna want to upgrade (just trust me)
> ...


I haven't purchased any lighting equipment yet. Where's UTC never heard of it?? I'm really not in a rush so I don't mind holding out a bit to get the right stuff.


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

UnderTheSea said:


> What kind of ballast are you running? What wattage for each bulb?


I haven't bought any lighting equipment yet.
o sorry....is the ballast the fixture part that the bulbs plug into?)

I just remembered I have a friend who works for a company that does custom lighting stuff. I should have a chat with him see what kinda stuff he might be able to hook me up with.


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## hojimoe (Mar 7, 2008)

nickeleye_rt said:


> Well I'd like to have some corals in the tank. I do plan on sticking to corals and fish that are going to be relatively easier to take care of, not looking for anything that needs extra special attention. This is my first attempt at salt water so I don't want to try anything too challenging. Sort of chill community tank I guess smaller reef safe fishes some cool looking shrimp and crabs, stuff like that.
> 
> I was thinking I'd need something like 4 actinic tubes and 2 10,000k tubes. Does that sound right?


than can be do-able so long as you use t5ho lamps, and a nice fixture


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

YES thats the ballast 

UTC=UnderTheSea lol sorry


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

blossom112 said:


> p.s. the ultimate lighting is LEDS


What's the deal with the LEDS?? is there somethign special about them? are they just normal leds?


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

blossom112 said:


> YES thats the ballast
> 
> UTC=UnderTheSea lol sorry


Where is UTC?? I didn't see it listed in the store list on here.


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

leds last years and years (10+)so no need to pay hundreds for new bulbs .
Underthe sea is one of us he posted just above .
To replace bulbs for 90gl your looking at 60 to 100+,,,, he sells them cheaper .
the cost is steep for the LEDS but they pay for themselves with the cost of bulbs .
Maybe something you can research b4 you decide .
as lighting is the most important in Saltwater.


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

blossom112 said:


> leds last years and years (10+)so no need to pay hundreds for new bulbs .
> Underthe sea is one of us he posted just above .
> To replace bulbs for 90gl your looking at 60 to 100+,,,, he sells them cheaper .
> the cost is steep for the LEDS but they pay for themselves with the cost of bulbs .
> ...


oops.. just noticed UTC's sig..

I'll definately look seriously into the lighting thing when I'm ready. I was going to work on the stand/lid next. so I was hoping to get an idea on the skimmer and sump to make sure I leave enough room and can get them in and out of the cabinet.


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## blossom112 (Mar 19, 2008)

plus macro algae is popular to put in sumps look into that too 

really sorry im giving you days of reading lol


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

blossom112 said:


> plus macro algae is popular to put in sumps look into that too
> 
> really sorry im giving you days of reading lol


no worries. I hear what ppl have to say. I've bought a few books. So I'm reading as much as I can.

BTW- for the LED lighting is it just normal LEDs?? or is there something special about them?

If I have plenty of LR in the tank am I going to need some more in the sump just to be safe? I just didn't want to set up the refugium I figured if I was worried the in tank LR wans't enough I could have a chamber in the sump with some more. I was at SeaUMarine and saw one of his tanks with corals set up that way.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Ken has his whole system like that, I think for convienience sake; coral up top wjere you can see it, LR in storage below. In terms of your own tank, it really just depends on how much or little you have in th display tank. The general guide is 1.5 - 2 lbs of LR per gallon, but that changes depending on stocking levels, etc etc, and also aesthetics. Many people also have LR in their sumps simply because t7s extra and they have nowhere else to put it.

The LEDs used are high intensity LEDs. Look up Cree or Luxeon LEDs and it should give you an idea of what's being used. They are not the ordinary LEDs you see in key chains and the like.

You might want to decide on lighting before you build your canopy. The design could be vastly different dependingon if you go MH or T5HO. IMO, T5s are the way to go, but it's ultimately up to you.


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

Well I'm gonna try and find specs on the leds because I have friend who's a designer at a custom lighting company, they do a lot of LED work. Might see if he can get something built for me if I can spec out correct LEDs then....


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

can someone please explain to me the ideal order and flow in the sump tank?

Should the skimmer be near the beginning? Does there need to be a bubble trap before the skimmer takes in water?

These are the elements that I was planning to have in my sump.
Protein skimmer, section for extra live rock, (should I have some sponge or anything after the live rock to prevent any stuff continuing through the sump?
then some bubble traps before the return pump, (should I throw in some activated carbon after the live rock??

If someone could help me understand the order of how things should go that'd be great.

thanks


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

Whereabouts are you located? If you would like to come take a look at my sump you may.

I have 4 sections in my sump

#1 - Overflow in which has the macro algae and this is the place where you would put your carbon in a sock.

#2 - Skimmer

#3 - DSB with LR raised one inch off sandbed suspended by eggcrate

#4 - More LR, RO/DI float valve for auto topoff and Mag18 return pump


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

UnderTheSea said:


> Whereabouts are you located? If you would like to come take a look at my sump you may.
> 
> I have 4 sections in my sump
> 
> ...


I live in courtice, work in scarb. the auto top off sounds cool. I'll be buying a house in whitby probably this spring or summer. That's when I'll be setting the tank up.


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## UnderTheSea (Jun 2, 2008)

I'm in Whitby at Garden & Taunton.

If you want to drop by just give me a call. Phone number is on my site.

Chris


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## nickeleye_rt (Dec 16, 2008)

UnderTheSea said:


> I'm in Whitby at Garden & Taunton.
> 
> If you want to drop by just give me a call. Phone number is on my site.
> 
> Chris


for sure.. I'd probably learn a lot more in 10 minutes talking in person and looking at the sump than typing on here all week.

I'll get in touch after new year sometime.

thanks
nick


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