Sump layout preferences-whats your order

[afamousjohnson]

This topic was discussed in my local forum and was just wondering the preference within a larger audience group.
Which chamber works best for your return??? The middle of a 3 chamber between the overflow/skimmer chamber and fuge or the last chamber after the overflow/skimmer chamber and fuge??
I built my sump having the return in the last chamber and have noticed some down falls in doing so. By having my fuge in the middle feeding the return at the end it slows the flow through my sump considerably-also it doesn't allow me the ability to control the gph flow through it without affecting everything else(a factor I didn't stumble upon while researching this when constructing my sump and if I had known then...well
So now knowing this I would have to say middle chamber is the way to go. Not only does it allow better overturn volume through the sump while allowing control over flow-it seems the slow trickle of water out of the now controled fuge chamber back into the return would also help break the statement surface water that seems to come with most return chambers without causing a lot of bubbles.
So what do you think?? Middle or End??? And why?

 

[.Marshall]

Here's a layout I designed for myself, I use it on my 75g display and I just had another sump built for my frag tank. I love this layout!

From left to right.
Chamber 1; overflow drains into sump, houses Skimmer, Heater, Live rock.
Chamber 2; flows over 1" teeth into more live rock and then chaeto is grown here, I call it a Macro Algae chamber.
3 Baffles; The right way!!
Chamber 3; Return and top off switch/sensor area

 

[BfishLpond78]

I started off with, left to right: skimmer, return then fuge. Drain line is split to feed both skimmer box and fuge. 75% goes to skimmer and filter sock. Remaining goes to fuge.

I'm actually going to be adding a 50 gallon macro tank that will drain into my fuge section mentioned above that will house a ball of Chaeto while the 50 will be a nice macro display


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[AZDesertRat]

My return section is on the far left, the refugium is on the far right and the center section is where the protein skimmer sits. The refugium is fed off a tee and valve from the main overflow so I can divert a smaller stream to the fuge while the bulb goes to the center section. The fuge oveflows into the center and both overflow via 3 over-under-over baffles to the return section where the return pump and GFO and carbon reactors hang on the side so they get the cleanest possible water.