Sump leak, design urgency, non-emergency.

[Breadman03]

I'll start with a little backstory, then post my questions at the end.

Several years ago, I picked up an aged acrylic sump. It's not in the greatest shape and the bulkhead for my return pump has begun leaking a bit. It's time to kick it to the curb and build the 120 I bought a little while back for just this occasion.

Here's my basic thoughts as its a 4 foot 120. I'm looking to have my bean drains flow into a fuge section of about 24"/60 gallons, then through a skimmer compartment of about 12", then an over/under/over bubble trap into the return chamber. I'm using an external pump and plan on having it drilled through the side with a 2" inlet and a downturned elbow the help ensure that no micro bubbles enter the return.

My display is a 150 Deep Dimension with the corner flow removed and a coast to coast overflow. The sump is in my basement with about 20 feet of 2" pipe filled with water. I can estimate about 1380 GPH of turnover to my sump.

I've had micro-bubble issues in the past and suspect that an improper bubble trap is the main issue. How far apart should I space the bubble trap baffles? Is there any value to using 5 baffles instead of 3?

When the power goes out, I'd estimate about 15 gallons flow into my sump. I think I should have my fuge baffle terminate about an 4" from the top of the tank, then set the top of my "over" baffles at about 5-6" from the top of the tank. Is that height good?

Anything else you can think of, send it! I rigged this old sump to work out okay, and want to make this one right. Thanks!

 

[sbash]

My display is a 150 Deep Dimension with the corner flow removed and a coast to coast overflow. The sump is in my basement with about 20 feet of 2" pipe filled with water. I can estimate about 1380 GPH of turnover to my sump.

I've had micro-bubble issues in the past and suspect that an improper bubble trap is the main issue. How far apart should I space the bubble trap baffles? Is there any value to using 5 baffles instead of 3?

This is an interesting question. Realistically, the ideal bubble trap would be as wide as possible, with as low a 'drop' as possible. On my 220, I have three baffles, no bubble traps in my 55 gallon sump. I do not have an issue with microbubbles, as they are caught by the ever-growing chaeto. However, on my old 65 gallon, using a Mag 9.5 and the baffles were 1.5" based (off a 2x4), it still allowed bubbles through. So you may need wider than 1.5" and less of a drop than 1.5".

Baffles are simply containers within the sump system. Three sections is enough for me, one for the intake and equipment, one for the fuge and one for the return pumps. But, other designs with more baffles are nice and effective as well. Think about what you are putting into your sump, then decide on how many sections you want.

The basic design would look something like this:

The firs and second baffle (from the right, following the water flow), can be closer together, it all depends on how you want your water to be 'received' from the main overflows...

You could also put a baffle 3/4 length down the middle and have even more sections. Some folks like to have a compartment for the overflow pipes, flowing into a filter sock, flowing into the skimmer chamber, then into the refugium, then into a media section, then into the return pumps. (see my friend's sump design as an example, it is quite nice: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/f...cumenting-my-build.241255/page-6#post-3473218)

When the power goes out, I'd estimate about 15 gallons flow into my sump. I think I should have my fuge baffle terminate about an 4" from the top of the tank, then set the top of my "over" baffles at about 5-6" from the top of the tank. Is that height good?

Well, 4" would be about 20 gallons, to me that is an uncomfortable amount of wiggle room; Essentially only leaving the water about an inch from the top of the tank. (about 5 gallons per in a 24"x48" tank). However, if the power is out, you are in a not ideal situation, so it could be withing your acceptable tolerances; eitherway, it will not overflow.

That said, 20 feet of 2 inch piping is under 4 gallons of water; where did you get 15 from? 15 gallons would imply about 90 feet of 2 inch pipe. Is the 15 part of what the pump lines will siphon back into the sump?

Anything else you can think of, send it! I rigged this old sump to work out okay, and want to make this one right. Thanks!

I like to keep it simple, but think about what you are putting into it right now, and what you are likely to put into it later down the road...

 

[Breadman03]

The 15 gallons is an over estimate of what currently drains when power is removed and consists of the pipes plus whatever water drains from my tank, which is about 36x36x1/2” of water.

My equipment is simple-Lifereef SVS3-36, a couple heaters and a return pump. My dosing lines and probes take up almost no space.

 

[Best Fish-Jake]

Here is what I was going to do with a 40 Breeder for some ideas.. I designed it this way so I could house my mantis shrimp in the fuge.