The Sump: New skimmer and return pump too.
I had built several sumps in the past for tanks that I have at the school I work at but it was time to replace the sump at home. I did that when I took down the tank upstairs. This helped in two ways. One I could have both the new and the old system up and running at the same time and it let me build a bigger sump.
The skimmer is a SKIMZ MONZTER SM203 DC INTERNAL PROTEIN SKIMMER. I had bought it awhile ago thinking I could make it fit in the old sump, nope.
I also was no longer running the tank upstairs so I elected the stop using the blue line external pump and switch to a new VARIOS-4 CONTROLLABLE DC PUMP (1050 GPH). I know some may question the reliability of DC but sure is a smooth and slick pump.
The sump is 48" x 18" x 15" tall. It was built with some ability to add more tanks in the future.
- Main drain, Socks, Skimmer section with Emergency drain, Refugium section, High flow area, pump section.
- It has a drain for skimate but for now I am not using. Will when the tank has been running longer and I have a better idea how much is coming out. This skimmer does not seem to randomly overflow like my last one did.
- Both the skimmer section and the refugium section have an over / under baffle so they could be switched if science tells me that is better.
- I added the egg crate in the refugium as part of the upgrades. I like the way the macro is not always trying to go over the baffle.
- The high flow area was just a way to create a space that the water speeds up in for dosing.
- I like the built in prob holders unfortunately I made them a little close to the bracing so the tall probes can be hard to get in and out.
- There is a drain on the sump that runs to the outside. All of my setup uses this drain including the RODI sink. More on this in another post. It is tied into the downspout system so I am not adding extra water to the septic system. RODI goes here too.
The SM203 so far has been great. I know that Skims had some issues with pumps so I am always nervous about that failing. If it does I think I will get a Reef Octopus skimmer pump. With a little work I think the Various-4 would fit fine. I tested the return pump in the housing before I put all this together. Not that I think you are going to change pump speed much I do like Apex conductivity that the current Skims pump does not have.
The Varios-4 is a great pump. Like others have said you can't tell if its running other than water moves. Like the skimmer is seems strange to need to vary the speed of the return pump. We all spend time trying to tune the return valves for just the right amount of water. We I must say I have been supprized at how much easier it is to change the program rather than the valve to tune. Also with the emergency drain I have feed d on the apex turn on the return pump to full. This increased flow is nice to stir up both the sump and the tank. Programmatically I turn off some float valves for top off since the water level does drop in the sump. Runs for 10 min and then everything returns to normal.
Time will tell on the DC pumps and they longevity but the savings in power (48watts for both) and the control is really nice. The extra of no noise just puts them over the top.
Some photos.
Sump setup the first time. No egg crate in the refugium. Wires were a mess.
Sump setup for second time. Egg crate in the Refugium. Wires are better. More on that in another post. Also better light. More on that in another post.
close up
Not a great photo but you can see the heater and the float switches. All flow through the sump is directed around the pump in a clockwise manor. The red and black tubes dose ALK and CA.
Temp and pH probe in the skimmer section. Also have temp and pH probe in the higher flow area. After the last disaster I want as much redundancy as I can have.
