Sump Design

[mikey98]

Ok I have a problem, how do I stop the waterfall effect when the water pours over the partition. The area in question is in the clouded area of my attachment. I don't want to have the noise of the waterfall. I am trying to keep my system as quiet at possible. But we are all trying to do that. Please let me know of any ideas. Also this is the first time I have tried and attachment to a post so if it does not work let me know and I will try and fix it.

 

[King Jason]

Lower your baffle, the right baffle doesn't need to be that high.

 

[mikey98]

But then how do I keep the water level up in the sump? I need to keep the water high so the fuge does not dry out or fluctuate with evaporation.

 

[SPC]

Mikey, have you tried shutting off your return pump yet to see if the water overflows the sump?
Steve

 

[King Jason]

If you keep a smaller lip on the right baffle stuff shouldn't get into your pump. You may want to get a large strainer like this

http://www.aquaticeco.com/aquatic1v1/it ... temid=8972

 

[mikey98]

I haven't built the sump yet. However you bring up a point I have not yet considered. I need to make room for the overflow of the tank in a power outage. To do that I need to know how much water comes out of my tank after the pumps go off. How the heck to you figure out that one. I guess I could just take the volume of water and make sure the sump can hold it's normal level pulse the volume of the overflow. But doesn't the amount of water in the tank depend on how much flow there is. I.E. if the pumps flow a great deal, then the water level will be higher in the tank. So that means if I have a huge pump then I need more overflow room in the sump? Am I making this to hard? :roll: Can anyone help me on this one too?

 

[King Jason]

I always figure when the power goes off my overflows will suck down about 2" of water (may differ on your tank). So I just go to this site: http://www.aquariumillusions.com/Forms/ ... tor_01.htm and calculate how much water that will be by making the height 2". Then I can tell how much water my sump will need when the lights go out.

 

[mountainbiker619]

mikey98,

Leave about a 2 inch gap at the bottom of the sump partition. Let the water pressure raise the water level from the bottom, vice the waterfall effect.

 

[mikey98]

Ok, so how do I keep the water level up high enough in the clouded area to not starv the pumps. I will have a return pump and a skimmer drwaing from this end. But the skimmer should not make a diffrence because it will return to the same chamber. Or should it go to a nother place?

 

[mountainbiker619]

put a valve on the return pump or the return line to controll the water level. In which you are going to need some type of return valve anyways, seeing how water evaperates and that will cause the water level in your sump to lower automatically.

 

[mountainbiker619]

maybe something like this.

 

[mikey98]

The only problem is the brown stuff in the bottom is a deep sand bed. So the partition has to go to the bottom to keep the sand from getting in the pump.

 

[King Jason]

How about this?

 

[King Jason]

Really I don't think you need the right yellow baffle.

 

[mountainbiker619]

ok..then how about this. You should only get the waterfall sound when first time filling up. After that, all the stages should contain the same level of water. But it will take daily adjustments to the return vavle to sustain the same water level. Also, I would put the skimmer before the sand bed.

 

[kevinpo]

You will need to add a couple more baffles to prevent bubbles from returning to your tank. The right baffle can be removed. Add a elbow pointing up inside the sump with your pump intake screen on it. That way the sand can extend all the way to the wall. The water level in the sump is controlled by the amount you put in it not the baffles. The main tank water level will only rise so far before the flow increases down the overflows so as you add water the sump level is the only thing that rises noticeably. Here is a picture of mine. It was built by a friend of mine.