Need opinions on sump design

[vp6799]

I am setting up an Oceanic 46 Gallon Bowfront Tank. There isn't allot of room inside the stand for a big sump and I don't have the $200+ to purchase a big pre-made sump that will fit inside. So, I have decided to just work with what I can for the meantime. Then down the road when money permits, I can upgrade the sump or both tank and sump. :.

I will be using either an All Glass Aquarium 10G tank or a Marineland 16G tank. The dimensions are:

10G: 20"L X 10"D X 12"H
16G: 20"L X 10"D X 18"H

I am undecided on whether or not I will set up a refugium also. If I do, then it will be a 2.5G tank setup above the sump and it will be fed by the return line and then get fed from the fuge back to the return section of the sump.

The only diff in the tank choices is the height of the tank. Can have more water volume in the 16G tank.

The water will come in through the intake section, then free flow into the skimmer section, then go over the wall into the Live Rock section, then through the bubble trap into the return section.

Here is a pic of what I'm thinking and have drawn up.

Any opinions or concerns?

 

[tran]

hi,

I think it's better to go with a little bit bigger glass tank for a sump. you could get a 20g long from Petco for $20 or 29g for $29 (it's called $1 a gallon sale).

 

[jtma508]

I have a 90gal bowfront so I know the challenges of getting a sump in a narrow cabinet. In my case, I wanted the sump to be on one end so there would be enough room for other equipment. I ended up building my own acrylic sump. If you have access to a table saw and are a bit handy it's not a difficult project and you can get exactly what you want.

 

[vp6799]

hi,

I think it's better to go with a little bit bigger glass tank for a sump. you could get a 20g long from Petco for $20 or 29g for $29 (it's called $1 a gallon sale).

The inside of the stand only measures 10 1/2" wide on the ends, so that won't fit. Biggest I can go and still have room to work inside if needed is a 16G tank.

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[vp6799]

I have a 90gal bowfront so I know the challenges of getting a sump in a narrow cabinet. In my case, I wanted the sump to be on one end so there would be enough room for other equipment. I ended up building my own acrylic sump. If you have access to a table saw and are a bit handy it's not a difficult project and you can get exactly what you want.

I thought about going that route, but I don't have access to a table saw. Plus I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to building a tank.

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[jtma508]

I thought about going that route, but I don't have access to a table saw. Plus I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to building a tank.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk

Neither did I when I started. Melev's site was massively helpful. And if you can stomach the price there are a few people out there that will build you a custom acrylic sump to your design.

 

[vp6799]

Neither did I when I started. Melev's site was massively helpful. And if you can stomach the price there are a few people out there that will build you a custom acrylic sump to your design.

Thanks for the info. I checked out that site. I don't have the tools to build one, nor have I ever used them before (router, table saw). Plus I don't feel comfortable enough to build my own right now. If someone on the forums builds sumps, I would pay them to build me one. If not, I will just go with the 16G setup that I posted above for now.

Thanks
Vic

 

[newenglandreef]

Looks fine to me--many of us scrap filter socks unless you plan to clean it out regularly. The only future-looking comment I would make if you're low on space under the tank would be areas to place a two part drip, reactor, airstone, etc. If you're running low on space, a good idea is to use a piece of acrylic over the sump (to rest a jug on, or an air pump). So if you've got skimmer, return line and feed line all on different ends/sides, you may limit your ability to create a good foundation for a "second floor." so perhaps if you scrap the filter sock and move the skimmer over, you may have some surface area to build a second floor for additives. Look fine to me otherwise.

 

[jamesdong009]

Looks good to me. Do you plan on continuing the use of the HOT skimmer in the sump? I would change the dimensions slightly for a better skimmer.

 

[vp6799]

Gonna go back to the drawing board and see what I can come up with to make life easier if extras are needed...LOL Might as well do it now so I don't shoot myself in the foot later on.

 

[vp6799]

Looks good to me. Do you plan on continuing the use of the HOT skimmer in the sump? I would change the dimensions slightly for a better skimmer.

For now I do plan on using the CPR BakPak dual skimmer. I do plan on upgrading in the future and was looking at the ETSS sump & skimmer setups. They have a couple that seems like it would fit in the stand.

 

[JohnK]

One suggestion, 1/2" spacing on a bubble trap will really limit it's effectiveness, especially with a narrow bubble trap. The smaller the bubble trap the faster the water will pass through it and the less effective it will be.

 

[Bobbofin]

I have my baffles 1" apart and they seem to work great. I used CD cases to space everything out then glue them, let it dry 24 hours then remove the CD cases and go on the the next baffle. Three CD cases will give you a little over an inch. It took me about four days to complete but it came out perfectly spaced. Spend a half hour watching these videos. I found them very helpful.

PART 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxnugJGiT3o
PART 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgNe_...feature=fvwrel

 

[Bobbofin]

Part 2 link needed work.
Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/user/LimpitsReef#p/u/27/pgNe_OYgoL8

 

[JohnK]

I usually go 1.5" (use 2x4 scraps for spacers), but 1" is usually just fine.

Note that in the drawing of the design the baffles only go 1/2 way across the sump, so that would compound any concerns about close spacing. 12" wide x1" between will be a lot more forgiving than 6" across and 1/2" wide.

 

[vp6799]

Thanks for all the info and videos. Looks like I have some planning to do....