Decoding this sump

[T-J]

Along with the used tank I bought, the owner gave me this sump. My previous dumps were home made from horse troughs, so this is a new one for me. Also, the owner never used this sump so he couldn’t help me figure it out.

The pics will show an overall of the sump. As well as this corner thing. It looks like that is where the drain went into. It has slots on the bottom and this black square at the top. The square is movable but not removable. I can not access inside this triangle section.

There is a hole on the opposite side, which I assume is where an external rerun pump was plumbed.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Clearly you have a half of a union valve (if you are familiar with them), but the photos make it seem more like a confused mess than it probably is. I would just rig-up something simple, because ‘water gravity fed in / water pumped out’ is basically how every sump works, if you boil it right down to the basics. There are no ‘Sump Police’ that are going to arrest you; just have fun. Lol. Best wishes.

 

[T-J]

Clearly you have a half of a union valve (if you are familiar with them), but the photos make it seem more like a confused mess than it probably is. I would just rig-up something simple, because ‘water gravity fed in / water pumped out’ is basically how every sump works, if you boil it right down to the basics. There are no ‘Sump Police’ that are going to arrest you; just have fun. Lol. Best wishes.

I know all of that, I'm just trying to figure out how this sump "worked". I've never seen this corner setup before. For the life of me I can't figure out what the purpose would be. Perhaps some type of bubble trap? But what's that black square for?

 

[ichthyogeek]

You could always ask the owner!

Is the black square waterproof? I can't tell if it's a screen or not.

My thinking is that first chamber post corner was a chaeto refugium and an attempt to spin the chaeto. Then, the second chamber held life support equipment, like a protein skimmer, calcium reactor, etc. Final chamber took all the bubbles out before a return pump was plumbed into the sump.

 

[T-J]

You could always ask the owner!

Is the black square waterproof? I can't tell if it's a screen or not.

My thinking is that first chamber post corner was a chaeto refugium and an attempt to spin the chaeto. Then, the second chamber held life support equipment, like a protein skimmer, calcium reactor, etc. Final chamber took all the bubbles out before a return pump was plumbed into the sump.

The seller wasn't the original owner of the sump, and he never used it. I'm going to contact the seller and see if he can connect me to the original owner.

The black square is not waterproof. It has about 1/4" to 1/2" of play in it. It almost looks like something was glued to the outside of it, but for the life of me I can't figure it out. I don't think it was a refugium, since I don't see a way into it. I've wiggled the black square, but it doesn't appear to come out. I'll tinker with it more tomorrow.

But the other stuff you suggested makes sense. Gravity feed into the corner device, flow into main chamber, through the adjustable gate and into the final area where an external pump was plumbed for the return.

 

[JumboShrimp]

When I saw the corner with the grate I said to myself, ‘Assuming the lid pops open, maybe it is to be stuffed with old-school filter floss?’

 

[T-J]

Ok, I played with it a bit more this morning. That' black square does come off. It's actually a neat design. You have to lift it up and then tilt it forward to pull it out.
That triangle section looks like it could have been for macro.
I wrote the guy I bought it from to see if he can ask the original owner.