Help with sump?

[ohio reefer]

Honestly completely clueless on how to set up a sump, get the water back in the tank, etc. I'm getting a deep blue reef ready tank tomorrow and want to build a sump. However I honestly have ZERO knowledge with them. Pics would be great as we'll. thanks.

 

[ohio reefer]

All of my tanks have been non drilled and sump less. Tomorrow I'm picking up a drilled 60 gallon cube and want to put a sump on it. Basically all I need the sump to do is hold my heater and act as a filter. How would I do this? What equipment would I need to achieve this? I have an extra 10 gallon if that'd work. I have no idea what I am doing.

 

[ohio reefer]

The tank comes with a corner over flow, a plumbing kit, and two holes drilled in the bottom. I have no idea what to do with this.

 

[Mike O'Brien]

This is something you should take your time with so you don't have to do it over again in the near future. First is the overflow, there are better ways to go than with the kit supplied to the tank. Do research on a silent overflow. As far as the sump, most of us design it around the skimmer. basically you will have a section for that with some baffles so the water always remains at the same height for the skimmer and a section for the return pump.

 

[J062682l]

Google it ,, I googled sumps and got plans , specs , layouts for pipes and plumbing. ! It will tell u what u need to know. You tube Bulk reef supply, and the king of DIY , and do your home work with pumps. Make sure it pumps at least 10 time the amount of water in your tank per hour. And at a height of 3-4 ft (or whatever height your tank is) and like previously stated take time and plan it out !

 

[ohio reefer]

So to just set this up as filtration I would just need a tank underneath and a return pump? Not looking for a fuge, and I have a hob skimmer that I love and will be using for this build.

 

[ohio reefer]

I decided I'm using a 10 gallon tank as a sump with no baffles. I am use a hob skimmer and will place the heater and return pump in this 10 gallon.

 

[EricB]

You have to make sure that there's going to be enough room in the sump that when there is a power failure the back-flow from return lines doesn't flood the sump. I know you're excited to set up a new tank but this is something that you should give careful consideration to. What's the point of having a reef ready tank if you're not going to set up a proper sump?

My suggestion is to get something bigger than a 10 gallon (as large as you can fit under the stand). You can set up the baffles in a way that will let you use your existing skimmer as a HOB on the fuge (most HOB skimmers can also be set up as in-sump as well). Also, I highly recommend setting up a fuge. It's a great tool for nutrient export and also pH stabilization.

 

[EricB]

Also, if you're going to put the heaters in the same section as the return pump, I would make sure that they don't see the air when your return pump runs dry.

 

[ohio reefer]

You have to make sure that there's going to be enough room in the sump that when there is a power failure the back-flow from return lines doesn't flood the sump. I know you're excited to set up a new tank but this is something that you should give careful consideration to. What's the point of having a reef ready tank if you're not going to set up a proper sump?

My suggestion is to get something bigger than a 10 gallon (as large as you can fit under the stand). You can set up the baffles in a way that will let you use your existing skimmer as a HOB on the fuge (most HOB skimmers can also be set up as in-sump as well). Also, I highly recommend setting up a fuge. It's a great tool for nutrient export and also pH stabilization.

I'm going to use a 29 gallon tank. We have a full house generators, so that's one reason I'm making a simple set up because I don't have to worry about power outage. I may use a fuge in the future. But right now I'm not going to. And I'm not looking it out water in this tank for at least a month. I just need to buy it while the sale is going on. Could I just have the Heater in the deepest part and the return pump in the sump? I want to keep the skimmer on the tank aswell. Thanks.

 

[gtbarsi]

Minimally you need two sections, one for incoming water, skimmer, and heter(s) one for the return pump. In my opinion 3 sections with a fuge is better. In my 3 section sump I have my heaters in my fuge. Take time and plan and execute this part well. In my opinion the bigger the sump the better. Personally I would avoid any sump smaller than a 20long, or a 29 (taller version of a 20 long). I am just beginning the build stage of my sump replacement as my original was too small, I will not make that mistake again.

Here is a top down view of my plans for my new sump. I do not have a fuge section as I am setting up a remote fuge. Water to it is coming off of my return pump, and since it will be sitting directly above my sump I will use a gravity drain, back to the 1st baffle of the sump.

 

[EricB]

You could have the heaters and HOB skimmer in the DT, that's not a problem. The main point of a sump is to add water volume but one of the luxuries of having a sump is to keep equipment out of sight. Also, I would still suggest accommodating enough room for back flow: you will have to power down your return pump at some point to do maintenance and what happens if your pump fails some day when you are at work? What are the dimensions of the DT? If you're just in a hurry to get the actual sump tank then you can get the tank and we can help talk you through setting it up properly. It's t a little confusing at first, but once you start to understand it it gets easier.

 

[ohio reefer]

You could have the heaters and HOB skimmer in the DT, that's not a problem. The main point of a sump is to add water volume but one of the luxuries of having a sump is to keep equipment out of sight. Also, I would still suggest accommodating enough room for back flow: you will have to power down your return pump at some point to do maintenance and what happens if your pump fails some day when you are at work? What are the dimensions of the DT? If you're just in a hurry to get the actual sump tank then you can get the tank and we can help talk you through setting it up properly. It's t a little confusing at first, but once you start to understand it it gets easier.

Dimensions are 24x24x24

 

[robbrouse]

Even with a in home generator I'd make sure if power is lost or the return pump stops worker you do not have an over flow. I've seen it happen.. You could also build your sump up enough and run the HOB skimmer in your sump. I did that for a while until I replaced my skimmer.

 

[EricB]

A 29 gallon will not fit under a 24 inch stand

 

[ohio reefer]

A 29 gallon will not fit under a 24 inch stand

The stand is wider than the tank. The tank is 24x24x24 but the stand is much wider.

 

[EricB]

What are the internal dimensions of the stand? We need to figure out what you can fit under there before we can figure out the best solution.

 

[McAllyn]

What stand are you going to use under your 60 cube? If it's only 24" like the tank, you won't be able to fit a 20L or 29 in there. They are 30" long tanks. A 16H from Marineland will work if you can find one.

Easiest and cleanest way to set it up would be to put in 2 baffles to make a 2 section sump. The big area for drain, heaters, and to hang your skimmer on. I use an HOB skimmer on the sump under my 60 cube, works fine. The smaller area is just bigger than my return pump. The baffles allow the main area to stay at a constant water level which makes my skimmer more efficient, and the baffles stop bubbles from going back into the display tank.

Mac

 

[ohio reefer]

I'll find the internal dimensions later today. Here is the design I'm going with.

I am putting baffles in.

 

[McAllyn]

Do yourself a favor and move the baffle to the right and put the heater in the sump section. If your pump area runs dry, your heater will burn out with the quickness. Otherwise, perfectly viable design. If you end up with microbubbles, you could add an additional baffle later.

Mac