Diy sump design help!!!

The Golden Aquarist · Jul 28, 2014

I have signed up for 3 forums this is the 4th one. I've asked the same question on each and got tons of views but nobody answered.

Is this 10 gallon DIY sump design good for a 20 gallon long reef tank.

Any advice for a beginner is needed and appreciated.

StikHedRon · Jul 28, 2014

Ditch the refugium and put your heater in the larger chamber.

StikHedRon · Jul 28, 2014

You can create a small box out of egg crate to house some Chaeto and utilize very little space.

The Golden Aquarist · Jul 28, 2014

Ok thanks

saltyfish · Jul 28, 2014

That is exactly how I would set it up, but I would put the heater in the first chamber. I would just be too worried the return section would get low on water and expose the heater and start a fire. I would not "ditch the refugium". There is a lot of good that comes out of them and would definitely not get rid of it to make room for a heater that would fit perfectly in the first chamber or even inside the refugium. If you need to make room for some sort of reactor, then you could possibly get rid of the refugium, but that can done anytime down the line.

redfishbluefish · Jul 28, 2014

Here's my two cents:

I have no bubble traps on my sump/refugium. The first one I built in 2007 had two bubble traps....the second one had one bubble trap....the one I have now has no bubble traps. The reason is that the newer coned skimmers put out very few bubbles. If that is the case with your skimmer, I'd eliminate the bubble traps and save that extra two inches for the refugium.

What water depth does your skimmer need? I'm assuming it's 7 inches or less.

I'd also make all baffles the same height....that simplifies either making the baffles or buying them. This is especially true if you can eliminate the bubble trap. You'll only need 2 baffles, 7 inches high.

If you do end up putting in the bubble trap, I would not run the center baffle all the way to the top of the tank. If you have excessive flow-back when the pump is off, you want the space for the water to go. Only make that baffle the same height as the highes baffle of the bubble trap. The one inch gap on the bottom will leave a one inch height difference on the top.

saltyfish · Jul 28, 2014

redfishbluefish said:
Here's my two cents:

I have no bubble traps on my sump/refugium. The first one I built in 2007 had two bubble traps....the second one had one bubble trap....the one I have now has no bubble traps. The reason is that the newer coned skimmers put out very few bubbles. If that is the case with your skimmer, I'd eliminate the bubble traps and save that extra two inches for the refugium.

What water depth does your skimmer need? I'm assuming it's 7 inches or less.

I'd also make all baffles the same height....that simplifies either making the baffles or buying them. This is especially true if you can eliminate the bubble trap. You'll only need 2 baffles, 7 inches high.

If you do end up putting in the bubble trap, I would not run the center baffle all the way to the top of the tank. If you have excessive flow-back when the pump is off, you want the space for the water to go. Only make that baffle the same height as the highes baffle of the bubble trap. The one inch gap on the bottom will leave a one inch height difference on the top.

I agree... I wasn't looking that close to the height of the baffles the first time. I would make them all the same height. Check your skimmer specs to see what height is recommended. I have mine a little high at 10.5". I've also never had issues with micro bubbles going into my display so I only have two pieces of glass right before the return pump. The very last baffle would be the one I would get rid of, but depends on your skimmer. I've seen tons of elaborate sumps with tons of baffles but it just seems like a waste of space to me.

The Golden Aquarist · Jul 28, 2014

Thanks guys for all of the info. You've been a bigger help than all 3 of the other forums combined.

The Golden Aquarist · Jul 28, 2014

Here is an upgraded version I took the bubble trap out and I put the heater in the first chamber. I looked at my Skimmer and it requires a 7.5" water level.
I added the extra 2" to the refugium.