Baffle Heights

[dragonfisher33]

hi you DIY gurus,

I had a sump that was planned for my 5x2x2 150 gallon peninsula tank but needed to change due to space issue. Now I need to make a sump out of a standard 40B. the skimmer is Aquamaxx ConeS Co-3 (link below) with recommended water depth of 8-10inches. how do i go about in making the heights of the baffles in question mark in order to prevent overflow of the skimmer or not enough water?

http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaMaxx...uariums_Reefs-AquaMaxx-UJ00156-FIPSIS-vi.html

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

Build it high, like 10 or 12 inches then make an egcrate stand to adjust your skimmer.

 

[dragonfisher33]

i understand that you can adjust the skimmer height if the water level is too high. but what about when you lose power and need to take into consideration of back flow of the DT water?

 

[Rufus’ goofs]

I have a 75 and when I tested for power outages I only drained maybe 5 gallons tops. My return section and refugium section ( I have it set up skimmer>refugium>return section) only raised about 2-3 inches. If you set you skimmer section to maybe 10-12" and your other sections consecutively lower, you should have enough room for overflow water. If you want to be exact, I would test how much will drain from your DT then ensure you're leaving enough head room for your overflow water.

For example, if you were draining 8 gallons, then I would make my tallest baffle 12". A 36" x 12" x 4" area will hold just over 11 gallons, so it would hold my drained water and I could still adjust my skimmer to my desired operating height.

I hope this helps, I can elaborate more or try to clarify anything I've muddled if you like.