DIY Sump from 30g tank

[hclaveria]

I am attempting to build the following sump for my 55g Reef tank. I do plan on eventually upgrading to a 75g so I want to build something now that will also handle the slightly bigger tank.

There are so many different opinions that I went with what made sense to me. What I couldn't find was how to calculate the height of the baffles or what material to use. I considered glass but went with Lexan because it is easier to work with.

Here are my plans:



The middle baffle is suspended 2" above. Will the Silicon on the sides be enough to hold it up or should I put egg crate under it also? I also saw a plan that had egg crate in between for media, will I need carbon/chemi pure in a reef setup?

My understanding is that the flow needs to be slow on the Refuge but I couldn't figure out an exact rate. Also, does live rock/rubble and Chaeto the right items to use? Anything else I should be concerned about / overlooked?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Best,

Hector

 

[robscool]

My 29 Gallon AGA converted to sump

this plan is very similar to the 29G I converted. I've attached the diagram I made 6 or so years ago.
To answer your questions-
-The middle suspended baffle can be held in place with silicon alone. No real need for the egg crate, but you can use it and it wont hurt anything..
-The best way to run media is using a reactor. Carbon and GFO alike should be put in their own separate media reactors. I've found that dropping a bag of carbon into the sump just ins't as effective.
-The refugium that I have is a deep sand bed of 5" fine sand, live rock and chaeto. Any 6500k bulb will work fine for that application. I have the drain into my fuge dialed back with a ball valve.View attachment 29gsump.doc

 

[hclaveria]

Thanks! Much appreciated.

I see that the baffle for the refuge is much higher than the baffles for the bubble traps from the skimmer. Does it make a difference that I am using the same height?

I also read conflicting opinion on DSB / Mud in the refuge. What is your experience?

Thanks again.

 

[robscool]

Thanks! Much appreciated.

I see that the baffle for the refuge is much higher than the baffles for the bubble traps from the skimmer. Does it make a difference that I am using the same height?

I also read conflicting opinion on DSB / Mud in the refuge. What is your experience?

Thanks again.

I do not use a baffle for my fuge..I had the glass guys cut a hole in top section of the fuge wall and used a bulkhead and strainer attachment. It's been working well for me for about 6 years.
As far as DSB and Mud, I can only tell you what I have tried vs what I have read. Most people will tell you to stay away from the mud...I happen to agree. I do however have a 5"-6" DSB in my fuge which works for me because I do not touch it. The key to a DSB is to not use too little...make sure it is deep. OR you can go bare bottom which a lot of reefers seem to prefer due to the ease of maintenance and cleaning.

 

[walnuts24]

If you have the room for a 30 breeder, I would go with 40 breeder to get the extra height. The way you have it shown now, you are only allowing for less than 2" of height over the baffle. I would get a 40 breeder which has the same footprint with 4" of height added.

If you already have the 30 and do not want to buy a 40 I would just check to make sure that when you shut the system off, you do not overflow the sump.

 

[hclaveria]

Sorry, the height was cutoff but this is 16" high so I have about 6" above the water level.

Either way, thank for the advice, I am putting in breaks to prevent reverse-flow/overflowing.

 

[ReefMonkey13]

I have a similar configuration with my current sump. I think that it works well for my needs.

Just a question, are you planing to use a manifold ("T"ing-off) your return line? The reason I'm asking is because the return pump you have, Mag12 at 1200GPH, is pretty strong. The turnover rate in your sump to display will be fast and it may cause an issue.

For my current 75G + 30G Sump set up, I'm using an Eheim 1262 at 900GPH as a return pump manifolded to feed a carbon reactor, GFO reactor and fuge section and still get plenty of flow on to the display.

Also from personal experience, when I had a 50G set up with 1" drain line using an Eheim 1260 (kinda a fan of these return pumps), the pump easily out paced my return and I had to dial (reduce with a ball valve) the line quite a bit to balance it out.

Good Luck

 

[rkaragozler]

Hope I can assist you in your build.
Here is a couple of things I would do differant

 

[DrAsTiC]

I like that 1/4 angle to eliminate the water fall affect

 

[hclaveria]

Thanks guys, this is really helpful.

rkaragozler, this was an issue that I couldn't figure out. Thanks, never considered putting it in an angle. I'm modifying my plans to yours, they make a lot of sense.

Thanks again everyone.