Advice for 10 gallon sump/fuge

[jdeb101]

I just got a 10 gallon tank that I plan on making into a sump for my 40 gallon. Im still in the planning stage, and in no rush. So I was interested in any ideas/advice you guys on BRS can give me. Some things I would like to do is attach my HOB skimmer to the side of it, make a fuge in it, and possibly install my heater in it. Any design ideas or tips? I am also not sure on things such as, baffle sizes, heights, how many and what size return pump to use.

I know Im limited to space with the 10 gallon but would like the fuge to possibly have a DSB, maybe a few small pieces of rock, chateo, and enough room to throw a fish in there if needed.

Thanks in advance!

 

[stevenp]

With a display tank of that size, I think your biggest challenge will be having enough room for water to siphon from the display in case of power outtage, otherwise you sump will overflow. 10 gallons isn't much to work with.

Andy made a real nice 10 gallon sump a while back:
http://bostonreefers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=12041

Steve

 

[Bobbofin]

I'd use a 20 long, it will fit in the stand and you could have a skimmer and refugium. Just glue in some baffles.

 

[ShelleyBoston]

I use a 15G tank for sump. I bought plexiglass at Home Depot and made the baffles myself, I glued the baffles with aquarium silicone.
the first chamber has rubble live rock thats where the water comes in. The center chamber is the fuge in which i hold my skimmer and heater then 3rd chamber separated by 3 baffles to the return pump.
It was pretty easy to make the hardest part was cutting the plexyglass.

Michelle

 

[jdeb101]

ya i was looking at some 20 longs today, i may go with that instead. Is there a set way of setting up a sump? Like where and how many baffles? where the skimmers placed??? etc.

 

[JOHNNY O.]

Sump

CK OUT THIS VIDEO I FOUND IT VERY INTERESTING GUST ANOTHER WAY TO BUILD A SUMP I BUILT MINE A SMILER WAY AND IT RUNS FANTASTIC.

http://www.reefvideos.com/reefshowcase_04_content.html

 

[ShelleyBoston]

sump

Here is a link with good info on sumps and how they work also a lot of examples. I got a lot of ideas from this website before I built my sump.
http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

Michelle

 

[grundig5]

heres one I just made, only took like an hour. Its a 30g, but you could adapt it.

 

[grundig5]

dont mind the hob filter, its for my QT when not in use. I have the return pump in the middle, after the bubbles traps and its Tee'd off to the refugium. Looks like my skimmer needs some adjusting...

 

[ShelleyBoston]

sump

here is the pic of my sump.. very basic..

 

[jdeb101]

awesome grundig! I love it and its pretty much just what im looking to do!
I may make it from a 20 gallon long now instead of the 10 and just use the 10 as a quarantine tank.

So I pretty much will be stealing you guys ideas but now just need to know things like what size baffles, how far up/apart, and how to plumb everything.

 

[grundig5]

Trust me, it wasnt my design. I got everything from Melevsreef.com, and the first one I did was a 20L. It worked fine for me, but I made the return pump area too small so it would evaporate too quickly. Some keys things I learned making these...
Make the return pump area as big as possible since evaporation takes place here, so you will do less water top off if its bigger.
Use 1/4" acrylic, can be had at home depot or a plastic dealer...and get aquarium safe silicone.
IMO make bubble traps about an inch apart and the middle one should be about an inch to two inches off the bottom. Thats about it...just experiment and read melevsreef.com DIy stuff

 

[grundig5]

Oh and plan to spend at least 3 hours standing at the home depot PVC section just staring and trying to make sense of it all.

 

[jdeb101]

Ok grundig thank alot! I may get it started sometime soon. pretty much got an idea of the actual sump setup now. But still not sure on the plumbing aspect of it. Does overflow size matter? how is everything plumbed? what size return pump do i use? etc.

 

[grundig5]

I am definately not very experienced, so as always wait for more opinions and weigh them all...My plumbing is pretty straightforward. I have a one inch drilled overflow on the bottom that has a ball valve and runs into a reverse durso to reduce microbubbles (that would be the 2 inch pipe you see in the front on the left). My skimmer is on a stand I made from scrap acrylic and just sits in that section along with a heater. water flows into a bubble trap and into the return section. Return is a Mag12 which is cranked back more than half way with a ball valve on the exit side (never reduce intake on a pump). After the ball it is Tee'd to the refugium and another ball valve and reverse durso. Water just flows out of the refug back into the return area. The bottom of my tank is drilled twice for the return. Hope that helps