# sump design?



## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

Current design for a sump custom fit to my 75g's stand. 
The dimensions are 30"x14"x14".

The diagram is "to scale" of 1 square=1"

Thoughts?


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## marblerye (Jul 25, 2010)

Personally, I don't see the point in having your skimmer after the refugium area; the skimmer would take up the live critters and such that your refugium would generate. Mind you, my thinking is using the refugium as a refuge for generating a healthy supply of copepods and/or amphipods for the tank to consume if you're planning on keeping fish such as the mandarin goby or different types of dragonet species. Not only that but obviously for nutrient export.

If pods isn't something you want to do with your refugium then it'd be ok. Keep in mind your baffle locations and the water height that would be associated; baffle (B) and (E) would determine the height of the water in your refugium. By the looks of it baffle (E) is slightly lower than baffle (B) so baffle (E) will be how high the water would remain in your refugium. 

Try looking at websites like melevsreef for great sump designs. His popular sump designs are something I've taken upon and created for my current system build. I'd say his design as well as EcoSystem's miracle mud sump layout are the two most popular styles I've noticed people use. If you look at a few people's youtube channels they almost all adopt the EcoSystems design.


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

+1 on melevsreef.com's sump ideas.

At the least you'd want to swap the skimmer and fuge areas. Then you wouldn't need a divider between the skimmer and the sump intake either. Bubble trap is perfect.


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## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

Thanks for the advise 

The only reason I put the skimmer after the fuge is because I wanted a deep fuge, but I could rest the skimmer ontop of a shelf or something inside the sump.

I have a vertex in80 skimmer, it is recommended to be in 6-8" of water. Right now its in 7". Would it be better in deeper (8") or shallower (6") water?

Would someone be able to post a link to melevs sump designs?
I've also read that its a good idea to be able to regulate the flow through your fuge, by making it isolated with its own T with a valve from the pump, instead of having it like my design where the flow is regulated by the overflow from the tank..

I'm planning on running about 1000gph @ 5'. (1350gph pump)
I don't know if the pumps rediculously oversized, but when I bought it I figgure you can always meter down a pump, but if you needed more flow, your pretty well screwed. So that being said for 10$ more, I bought the biggest badass magdrive I could. (Marineland 1350)

Lastly, it will be made from 100% glass. Cutting any teeth, are not really an option. And if the sump designs you guy are talking about are anything like what think they are, then cutting teeth won't be an option for me...
Unless someone know how to notch glass? 

How do they cut your tank for those external overflows? A diamond saw? Or is there easier ways?


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

if you go Tank drain into

SKIMMER>Return<FUGE

You feed the fuge from a split off the return line you are golden! 
Here's me Melsreef link to that design.

http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/sumps/f/sump_f.html

Here's a pic of the design I used. There are 3 drain lines in this particular set-up, you don't need to do that... but...


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

http://www.melevsreef.com/links.html

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

fesso clown said:


> if you go Tank drain into
> 
> SKIMMER>Return<FUGE
> 
> ...


I like that design, it would work flawless for my situation. And I will be doing a 3 drain constant syphon, just like that. 1 question, I notice there is only a valve on 1 of the returns to the tank. Wouldn't you want 1 on either side? Or is that so that there is never a restriction on the pump, and the other valve would simply lessen the flow to the open side?

I think that is the design I'm going with, requires less baffles, and less space thanks for that pic 

Excuse any grammar, spelling, I'm on my blackberry and just had to snow-blow 3 driveways.. Damn its cold out! Most snow I've seen in like 5 years..


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## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

Do the pods, and other life in the fuge end up just getting pumped into the DT? And this is why you want the fuge beside the return, instead of beside the skimmer?.. Wouldn't want to skimm off my new pods


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

I don't have any valves on my return except the main union valve right on the pump output to allow for maintnaince and a second valve to regulate flow to my Fuge. I don't know why he has one valve on one side like that.

Yes I get tons of pods making the journey over the cascade baffle and up to the DT.

Here is the full link to that guys plumbing, it's a good read and a great design IMO. 
http://www.reefersanonymous.net/index.php?/topic/432-sump-plans/

As for the drain plumbing I went with the full 3 drain Bean Animal but you can do it with 2 drain lines. It's called a Herbie ... Google "Herbie drain full syphon"


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## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

I'm gonna go with a 3 pipe bean animal, I want full reliability, with complete scilence. The display is in my bedroom.

Does it matter to have teeth on the baffle? Teeth are hard to cut in glass..


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

I don't have teeth. There is an argument that the teeth actually cut the surface skimming ability in half, makes sense to me. I have a glass lid on my overflow held up by 5mm risers x4. to keep the critters out. 

I was running a Herbie until a few days ago and decided to go "Full Bean" changing my return line into another drain. I now have my return coming over the top of the tank. I did this because my return line had to come up over my weir box and the glass cover couldn't sit there so I was using egg-crate and it looked bad. So now I can fully cover the box with a glass piece with a slit to let the water skim through.


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## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

New design, with my plumbing.

Better? Do teeth matter?!? Its hard to cet em in glass :/..

Thanks


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

That looks good! You don't need teeth in your weir, you do need some kind of barrier. You can use gutter guard, eggcrate, sheet of glass on "feet" on the corners.


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## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

fesso clown said:


> I don't have teeth. There is an argument that the teeth actually cut the surface skimming ability in half, makes sense to me. I have a glass lid on my overflow held up by 5mm risers x4. to keep the critters out.
> 
> I was running a Herbie until a few days ago and decided to go "Full Bean" changing my return line into another drain. I now have my return coming over the top of the tank. I did this because my return line had to come up over my weir box and the glass cover couldn't sit there so I was using egg-crate and it looked bad. So now I can fully cover the box with a glass piece with a slit to let the water skim through.


Didn't notice this post, thanks.

Is the glass ontop of the overflow important? Noise wise or anything?
Another reason I'm going bean, is because like I said before with my return pump, I like to have to much, then not enough... If I tore my whole tank down, drilled 2 holes, set it all up, full reef, then ended up wanting another hole... Oh man I'd be pissed.. Lol

So no matter what, I'm drilling 3 holes. I plan to run my retorn over the edge anyway because my plan for a lid for the tank will have an open back and I can run my piping/wiring for lighting through there.


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## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

fesso clown said:


> That looks good! You don't need teeth in your weir, you do need some kind of barrier. You can use gutter guard, eggcrate, sheet of glass on "feet" on the corners.


Can you go into a bit more detail on the sheet of glass on corner feet? That sounds like the cleanest look next to teeth, and I am extreamly OCD. It HAS to look good, even if its under my tank :S lol..

I think I have an idea, but would you know of a picture or diagram?


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

I'll take some pictures for you later but it's really simple, I cut a piece of glass the same length and width as my weirbox, siliconed 5 mm(ish) plastic risers onto the bottom, in the corners. They are just little cubes (rectangle actually) of plastic. About 5x3x5 mm. The risers rest on the top of the box edge holding the glass flat across the top of the box so there is a 5 mm slit for the water to go through. It just rests there and I can pull if off if needed.

In post #9 of this thread there is a picture of the gutter guard method... it is siliconed in place, doesn't look great IMO and you would have to re-silicone every time you need access to your drain...
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20667000


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## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

I'm more talking about the teeth in the sump. The one in the DT I will be doing as you described making it just small enough that it allows water to pass freely, but not allow fishies to get in.

But in the fuge, without teeth, I won't have an issue with say my macro algae getting sucked into my return area?


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## fesso clown (Nov 15, 2011)

Teeth for that baffle would be great but totally not needed. I do get bits of cheato in my return area form time to time and I clean it out of my pump intake too... not much, just a bit... 
I think most people don't have teeth in their sump baffles unless you're going the fancy acrilic route. Would be nice though...


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

PureHash said:


> Do the pods, and other life in the fuge end up just getting pumped into the DT? And this is why you want the fuge beside the return, instead of beside the skimmer?.. Wouldn't want to skimm off my new pods


Yes to both questions. Also gives more opportunity for the air bubbles to dissipate.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## marblerye (Jul 25, 2010)

You certainly could go the acrylic route.

Here is a sheet of acrylic I routed teeth into to make a baffle for my refugium. First time using a router so honestly it isn't that difficult to do.


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## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

I would have no trouble making it from acrylic. I placed 4th out of 35 in the ontario skills challanges for woodworking.(In highschool) Acrylics not all that much different from wood.

My only issue with acrylic is that all of my woodworking tools are at my cottage, besides my bandsaw... So I have no way to cut a strait edge.. My router and everything is all up north being used to build the new house.

Not to mention I don't want to have to order the solvents and what-not.
I will for sure be making one from acrylic in the future. I can garantee it.


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## rickcasa (Dec 7, 2011)

marblerye said:


> You certainly could go the acrylic route.
> 
> Here is a sheet of acrylic I routed teeth into to make a baffle for my refugium. First time using a router so honestly it isn't that difficult to do.


Very nice. I'm assuming you used a template to get it this perfect, can you show it to us?


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## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

You can buy router jigs, they are desined to cut teeth exactly like that, but for making a strait edged "dove tail" a very useful tool, that I do have access to, but I will not be going acrylic


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## marblerye (Jul 25, 2010)

I followed melevsreef's tip on his website on how he was able to route teeth perfectly into acrylic. I traced the circumference of the router base to a piece of MDF board and drew it into the board about an inch or so. I then routed this out so that my router can slide in and back out an inch and a half. I would then have to manually move and set the acrylic sheet down for each tooth I would route.

I'm no professional crafts person or handyman but I was able to do this in my garage without any experience. I'm happy with the result.


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## PureHash (Nov 29, 2012)

If you put a small notch on your jig that fits in the last tooth you cut (or last couple) then you have a jig like the store bought, and it will space each tooth perfectly spaced at an exact depth.


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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

Does anybody use this type of overflow?


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