Sump help

[Banjo-king]

I recently acquired a new tank and sump. I've never had a sump before and I'm a little confused on what I should do.
Here's a picture

And here's a picture of the tank

The sump is 22.5 gallons and is made by CPR
It's 18x12x24"
The aquarium was custom built and is around 33 gallons.
It's 52"x12"x12"
It was a store display.

Should I add walls in the sump?
What's the best design or layout?
Could I incorporate my 20g into the design somehow?
What size return pump do I need?
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated

 

[Banjo-king]

Anyone?

 

[Inwall150]

The way my sump is set up is that there are 3 chambers. Chamber 1 is physical filtration with a 200 micron filter bag. Chamber 2 is the refugium where I have live mud. Chamber 3 is set for the protein skimmer and the return pump.

I would advise separating it into sections to increase filtration.

 

[Jgomez324]

Does that sump have hole's in it? If so plug them first. You can run a sump with no baffles but you'll have to deal with micro bubbles.

My sump is 3 chambers 1 side is where my tank drains into the other side is for my return pump. And middle is for my skimmer.

As for pump size from the looks of your overflow it can handle 700-1200 gallons per hour. You will have to play with it. Use a ball valve to control the return pump.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[Banjo-king]

Thanks for the replies! Do you think I could have the tank drain into the sump and the sump drain into a 20gal? Or am I going to get over my head? I was hoping the main sump would have a refugium chamber and a skimmer chamber it would drain into the 20gal that would be full of live rock and have the return pump. Please tell me this could be done without being an expert at it haha.

 

[Jgomez324]

Thanks for the replies! Do you think I could have the tank drain into the sump and the sump drain into a 20gal? Or am I going to get over my head? I was hoping the main sump would have a refugium chamber and a skimmer chamber it would drain into the 20gal that would be full of live rock and have the return pump. Please tell me this could be done without being an expert at it haha.

It can, but that's gonna be a challenge to do. I know of guys who split the drain with a T PVC into separate tanks and run 2 different return pumps. It would be much easier to get a longer sump and put baffles in it to make a refug, skimmer & return section.

 

[Reefing Madness]

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