Check my secondary sump design for potential issues, please.

[Sierra_Bravo]

Just bouncing an idea and would like your thoughts: I have a main display and sump, but I'm thinking of adding a secondary sump to house a calcium reactor. I could plumb the reactor dry, but thought I might as well add a second sump in case of leaks and to add additional water volume, live rock, equipment, etc. I can feed the second sump using my return pump through an existing 1/2" manifold. Both sumps are about 35 gallons each.

My question is if the small 1/2" feed and return back to the main sump will move a sufficient amount of water through the second sump? My best estimate is I can generate about 100-125 gph off the manifold. There will be about 25 gallons of water in the second sump, so I'll be turning it over only four to five times per hour. Is that enough for live rock or to keep a chaeto reactor fed with fresh nutrient-rich water?

Any other issues I'm not thinking about?

 

[jsker]

#reefsquad how about a look

 

[JoshH]

Would it be possible to move the outlets of your drains or move the position of the return line and tie the second sump directly inline with the first? There would be no need for the manifold to feed it It would probably require a larger set of bulkheads to tie the two together but other than that should be a pretty easy addition...

4-5 times turnover is decent enough but having already passed through your first round of filtration it might not be exactly nutrient rich.

 

[pcon]

If you are going to run the second sump off the manifold I would recommend at least two lines between the two sumps to reduce the risk of floods. If possible it may be a good idea to keep the second or third connection pipe/bulkhead above the waterline to prevent the buildup of gunk. I would recommend making the connecting tubes larger diameter than the feed tube, but that is largely a personal preference. At your stated flow rates it likely will never get close to max flow with half inch pipe, but my fluids is rusty and I wouldn't want to find out the hard way. If you desire the secondary sump have a different water level than the chamber it is connecting too, then it will probably need to have a proper overflow, like a herbie, bean animal, or durso.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Would it be possible to move the outlets of your drains or move the position of the return line and tie the second sump directly inline with the first? There would be no need for the manifold to feed it It would probably require a larger set of bulkheads to tie the two together but other than that should be a pretty easy addition...

4-5 times turnover is decent enough but having already passed through your first round of filtration it might not be exactly nutrient rich.

That would be ideal, but I left out some information. There is a wall and a saltwater mix station between the two tanks that I didn't include.

 

[jolt]

I would definitely be worried about the 1/2" between sumps clogging over time

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

If you are going to run the second sump off the manifold I would recommend at least two lines between the two sumps to reduce the risk of floods. If possible it may be a good idea to keep the second or third connection pipe/bulkhead above the waterline to prevent the buildup of gunk. I would recommend making the connecting tubes larger diameter than the feed tube, but that is largely a personal preference. At your stated flow rates it likely will never get close to max flow with half inch pipe, but my fluids is rusty and I wouldn't want to find out the hard way. If you desire the secondary sump have a different water level than the chamber it is connecting too, then it will probably need to have a proper overflow, like a herbie, bean animal, or durso.

I can make the connection pipe larger; that is probably good advice. I'm just limited to 1/2 on the feed.

 

[Ron Reefman]

I'd suggest considering a bigger line to the secondary sump and a gate valve to control the flow. If you ever upgrade the return pump this would be a perfect situation.
I'd second the idea of a 2nd line connecting the 2 sumps. And if the water level is the same in both, consider bigger than 1/2" pipe and big grilles on the intake side going from the secondary sump to the original, so it's less likely to clog.

 

[reefwiser]

There will be flow balance issues That will raise their ugly head down the road. Would be best to have the sump cascade from one sump in the the sump with the return pump. When you get into adjusting gate valves any change in flow from say a pump getting dirty or a filter sock getting dirty will require and adjustment in the flow. One sump that then dumps into the return sump is less likely to cause a lot of problems.