Considering new sump...

[djbetterly]

So, here's the deal with my current setup. In the cabinet I have a sump that is 30in wide but I'm only utilizing 24in of the sump as I had to put my ATO on one side since the wifey won't let me have an ATO outside the cabinet. I've attached a photo to see. The ATO container holds 10 gallons of water. Since I travel a fair amount its necessary to hold over for some of the longer trips.

The sump is made my reef octopus, click here to see it. I'm not very happy with the way its setup, so I'm considering switching it out.

Given my setup, and needing the ATO to be in the cabinet, can anyone make any suggestions for a new sump? Or a mod for the current sump?

The fuge I have in it, I made custom. The water level in the fuge stays higher than the rest of the water and has been really good for maintaining a pod population. I didn't have much luck keeping any macro's or chaeto though.

 

[Shep]

I am not sure but let us see if we can't find you someone who does #reefsquad

 

[zesty]

First off, how do you fill your ATO tank?

 

[Pete polyp]

It seems to me that it would be beneficial for your skimmer to be in the first section of the sump instead of the fuge. This way the skimmer can have access to the dirtiest water possible and do its thing.

 

[djbetterly]

zesty, I put a hose into the ATO tank and pump water in.
Petepolyp, that is up for debate. I've had many successful reefers tell me both ways. I opted for fuge first to supply more food to the fuge for the pod collection.

 

[zesty]

It looks like it's a bit tight in there... :crossedlips:

I'm coming at this from a different angle. I just removed my ATO tank completely. I installed a normally closed solenoid valve inline from my RO/DI to my sump. I am using a dual float setup to the BOB on the Apex to control the outlet for the solenoid valve (which used to be the pump in the ATO tank).

This is in "leak-test" mode:

So, this doesn't have anything to do with a new sump, but I thought it might spark some ideas or whathaveyou.

 

[djbetterly]

I love it and I've thought about it. The problem is I live in an apartment and to run that much tubing is an issue for me. Hopefully in he future that will be my setup....future being when I own a home.

 

[Damon]

I built mine from a 30 long tank. Plenty of space and I'm a 2nd level apartment person also. I am using a 5 gallon absopure bottle as my top off. If I didn't have reactors in that area, I have enough room to fit it under the stand of my 50 DT.

It's a simple, but very functional design..
3 Chambers and all are large, especially my fuge.. Lol, I have been thinking about building another and just putting a tinted baffle in to keep the light out of the skimmer area..

But the same can be achieved with acrylic and eggcrate. But this was my first sump I have ever built.. And it was fun..