Help with sump design

[gimmito]

Hmm. Looks like Jim has 2 votes for B, and one for A.

I like B better, mostly because it is hard to keep the flow between left/right balanced,
and a fuge needs some flow. But it really depends on the fuge flow you want.

If space is critical, you may not need the first bubble trap on B. You essentially have two there.

Website was in rare form yesterday! I do like sump B design though. Check out the 125 sump design I did on the build thread forum...it's working out great.



http://www.bareefers.org/forum/index.php?threads/bar-members-take-on-one-250-gal-tank.16076/

 

[swk]

Baffles installed. I decided on sump A with the fuge to be fed by the return pump via a "t" fitting and ball valve. Thanks for the help everyone!


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[HiFidelity]

you know what, I sorta have to thank you haha

I must say after a look at a few details I've changed my mind to B (what you went with) because what I described in relation to A would limit fuge height & also put a pipe over it which obstructs light. Had I forgotten about the high limitation I'm sure I would have regretted it after building my sump, I would much rather have split drain plus bigger fuge section over the other way.

Nicely done & looks great, when is it going to run?

 

[swk]

you know what, I sorta have to thank you haha

I must say after a look at a few details I've changed my mind to B (what you went with) because what I described in relation to A would limit fuge height & also put a pipe over it which obstructs light. Had I forgotten about the high limitation I'm sure I would have regretted it after building my sump, I would much rather have split drain plus bigger fuge section over the other way.

Nicely done & looks great, when is it going to run?

Lol - Thanks!

I'm hoping to fill the tank with sw this week as I'd like to pick some rocks up from both a member and some from a LFS here in sonoma county this weekend. Just need to wait a few days for the silicone to cure and then shes ready to cycle. Going to do the first fill up with natural sea water and also pick up a few buckets of RO water from the LFS for initial top offs etc. So, long story short, hopefully water will be flowing through everything early next week. Just need rocks and sand at this point.

 

[nly04]

Ok. I think that idea works for me. Don't know if I mentioned it, but a fella on RC suggesting feeding the fuge with a part of the sump return in the middle via a split in the return line. Thought that was a slick idea too


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Yes, this is what i did for my sump too.

 

[swk]

All plumbed up!



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[rygh]

Suggest a plastic sheet between the sump and the wall, to protect that bare drywall from moisture.

 

[denzil]

I like A with modifications. The mod I'd make is to supply the fuge with water from the return. Have all the OF water go to a area for socks. As per denzil's post, it's so you can polish the water. Most of the time you'd be sockless but when cleaning/disturbing crud in the tank you can sock up and get rid of it all. Leave the socks in for 24hrs.

With fuge fed from the return you can easily control flow and it makes drain plumbing simpler. Return water is not fully clean water, just cleaner than tank water. It should have lots of nutrition for the fuge. With low flow in the fuge you probably don't need the bubble trap on the fuge side.

So you suggest that return water be fed into the fuge instead of the drain water? Any particular reasoning? I'm curious why you suggest the return as I'm currently planning on doing the drain instead of the return, mostly because I don't want to invoke additional load on the return pump due to head loss from pumping back to the tank.

 

[swk]

So you suggest that return water be fed into the fuge instead of the drain water? Any particular reasoning? I'm curious why you suggest the return as I'm currently planning on doing the drain instead of the return, mostly because I don't want to invoke additional load on the return pump due to head loss from pumping back to the tank.

I had a few guys on rc say the same thing. It seemed simple enough so I went for it. Some reasoning was to help keep the fuge from collecting too much detritus by at least having water pass through the skimmer first



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[Mikez]

I like the fug being fed by return water. I'm switching my design to do that


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[aqua-nut]

So you suggest that return water be fed into the fuge instead of the drain water? Any particular reasoning? I'm curious why you suggest the return as I'm currently planning on doing the drain instead of the return, mostly because I don't want to invoke additional load on the return pump due to head loss from pumping back to the tank.

I'm sure either way will work.

Using the return to feed the fuge gives lots of control over the flow rate. In my mind it seems easier to control than the drain. Perhaps that comes from my use of the BeanAnimal drain. Although it's easy to balance the drain to return, adding an additional task like feeding the fuge, seems like it would add complexity to a simple system.

There could be the added benefit of having cleaner water in the fuge so less detritus buildup. The water would still have lots of 'stuff' to feed the fuge. No way does the skimmer get the water clean, it's just cleanER.

This could also be used to feed reactors, although I'm not sure I like that much. Seems to add to the complexity of the return beyond my concept of KISS!

That leaves the task of sizing the return pump to have enough flow. With the new DC controllable pumps, that seems easy.

 

[swk]

That was my only concern with feeding the fuge via the return, as I am using a mag 3 as my return pump, simply because I had it lying around. But, we will see. If I need a stronger pump it's easy enough to swap out.


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[denzil]

Hrm, guess the detritus would be a concern, more so than the load on the pump. I think I may just go the return route instead.

 

[Vincerama2]

My current setup is B, drains go to one side, then a "fuge" of sorts, then the pump section. If I had to do it again and ... I do, the pump section would be way larger and the "fuge" would just be a ball of chaeto sized section.

Why? Because all the evaporation appears at the pump section, so make it bigger to give yourself more leeway before your pump sucks air.