Remote sump.... but with a raised second sump?

[pompeyjohn]

Hey all,

So I want to run this proposed build by y'all and get some feedback.

50 gallon tank in living room.
Plumbing running about through the crawl space to the garage (about twenty feet away)
The drain line would enter the garage approximately seven feet below the overflow from tank

But.... I really dont want to have the skimmer / reactors / frag tank down on the floor of the garage. I'd like to have that stuff at around waist height. The plan is to have a pretty large frag tank as well.

So I am thinking water comes from the tank into a rubbermaid/large glass tank sat on the garage floor. Then the main return pump is in the rubbermaid. That pushes water up to the working sump, frag tank area etc.

At this point would it be better to build an overflow from the raised sump, and have that flow back to the display? I am guessing it is not going to have enough head pressure right?

If that is the case then the main return pump in the rubbermaid would be tee'd with a line going to the secondary sump / frag tank area, and a return line going back to the display.

So what would you recommend for that higher turnover sump area? If I get a glass tank I could baffle it and have the water flow through some MarinePure blocks. If rubbermaid, then a chaeto fuge is probably the easiest right?

Thanks in advance

 

[pompeyjohn]

bump

 

[Bryson.bobby]

So...you would have to run two pumps? One from the Rubbermaid to the sump and one from the sump to the display? If so, I don’t really think it’s possible to get two pumps to push the exact same gph, which would result in either the Rubbermaid or the sump to overflow eventually.

Sorry if I’m not understanding this correctly.

Edit: I think it should work if you have the main pump push water to the sump, then overflow into the display (like you said). Just make sure to get a large enough pump that can handle the head pressure and still get your desired flow.

Also, how high will the sump be above the display? How far vertically would the pump have to push to get it there from the Rubbermaid?

(Very cool idea btw)

 

[pompeyjohn]

Thanks Bobby - I have tried to draw it below. I think this can be done with one pump.

- red is drain line
- green is return line

My concerns are...

a) that red drain line. It is about twenty feet from the tank, and will be entering sump one at the bottom of the sump.
b) the turnover rate in sump one is going to be dramatically more than sump two which would house the skimmer and reactors. So would chaeto or some marinepure media be best for this sump? Or would it be best to keep it empty and use it as a place to gather settled detritus?

Thanks

 

[Johniejumbo]

I would have the main tank drain into your sump 2 then sump 2 drain into sump one. Then have the return pump go back to the display. Just a thought. I think your way would work fine but it seems like a lot of work for the pump to do.

 

[Bryson.bobby]

I would have the main tank drain into your sump 2 then sump 2 drain into sump one. Then have the return pump go back to the display. Just a thought. I think your way would work fine but it seems like a lot of work for the pump to do.

I agree 100%

However, I think he wants to use sump “two” as a frag tank and he wants it to be conveniently located.

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Thanks Bobby - I have tried to draw it below. I think this can be done with one pump.

- red is drain line
- green is return line

My concerns are...

a) that red drain line. It is about twenty feet from the tank, and will be entering sump one at the bottom of the sump.
b) the turnover rate in sump one is going to be dramatically more than sump two which would house the skimmer and reactors. So would chaeto or some marinepure media be best for this sump? Or would it be best to keep it empty and use it as a place to gather settled detritus?

Thanks

A.) I can’t think of a reason why that would be a problem. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.

B.) I would definitely make that a refugium, but you’ll have to create a divider between the macro algae and the pump.

 

[pompeyjohn]

Sump two will be about four feet higher than sump one. So the drain really has to go into sump one.

 

[Johniejumbo]

Ah. I see plumbing may not be practical the way I suggested. The drawn way will work I think. Just gotta make sure the pump is strong enough for the application. It’ll be a cool setup!

 

[pompeyjohn]

Ah. I see plumbing may not be practical the way I suggested. The drawn way will work I think. Just gotta make sure the pump is strong enough for the application. It’ll be a cool setup!

Thanks Johnnie. I can see it being a pain to get a pressure rated pump that'll do that distance. I am sure they exist though if you open the wallet enough I have always kept drain lines as short as possible - so was concerned about plumbing lines this long.

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Also, keep in mind that all of the water in the return lines will drain into sump “one” in the event of a power outage.

 

[Bryson.bobby]

Please keep us updated on this build.

 

[Breadman03]

Thanks Johnnie. I can see it being a pain to get a pressure rated pump that'll do that distance. I am sure they exist though if you open the wallet enough I have always kept drain lines as short as possible - so was concerned about plumbing lines this long.

The distance doesn't mean much. Your main concern is height.

 

[Bryson.bobby]

What did you end up doing? @pompeyjohn

 

[aqua_code]

This reminds me of my current build with two sumps:

I think it's better to design a "pre sump" and have gravity do the work for you. Also the pre-sump will never overflow. I plan to put a mindstream in there. It's just like having another tank between your DT and sump.

 

[pompeyjohn]

What did you end up doing? @pompeyjohn

I ended up not doing either. The plan was to have the "sumps" and frag tanks in the garage, and the main tank in the living room. Instead I got two 40 gallon containers. One is hooked up to an apex DOS to do automatic water changes, and the other one is my fresh water reservoir. The frag tank and mega sump setup will have to wait until the next house