Sump setup

[wonderbassist]

Planning a 75 gallon DIY sump. Wanting the first chamber to hold the skimmer and media, second to be a large refugium, and third to be a return with variable water height. I would like the refugium water level to be as high up as possible while chamber one is about 7-8in. Any ideas on how to set up the dividers?

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Planning a 75 gallon DIY sump. Wanting the first chamber to hold the skimmer and media, second to be a large refugium, and third to be a return with variable water height. I would like the refugium water level to be as high up as possible while chamber one is about 7-8in. Any ideas on how to set up the dividers?

So far as I can see the only possibility there is to put your skimmer on an elevation platform and have it the same height as your refugium. Allow the fuge water to fall over a weir into the return section.

 

[Jedi1199]

Planning a 75 gallon DIY sump. Wanting the first chamber to hold the skimmer and media, second to be a large refugium, and third to be a return with variable water height. I would like the refugium water level to be as high up as possible while chamber one is about 7-8in. Any ideas on how to set up the dividers?

Sorry my friend.. it doesn't work that way. Water does not flow uphill. You can have lower levels in subsequent chambers using baffles, but to have a higher segment in the middle won't happen.

You don't need that extra water in the refugium anyway. As long as your macro algae has room to grow and a decent flow, you could go half as high as chamber 1 and it will still do its job.

 

[HiImSean]

If you do want fuge level higher you can either have the fuge the first chamber or you can put the fuge in the last chamber, t off your drain and have that feed the fuge and have return in the middle and have everything flow into it

 

[Jedi1199]

If you do want fuge level higher you can either have the fuge the first chamber or you can put the fuge in the last chamber, t off your drain and have that feed the fuge and have return in the middle and have everything flow into it

Not sure I am following you on this... T off the drain to the middle? How will that prevent equalization to the other chambers? Also does that not also basically make the entire sump irrelevant? Dumping raw tank water into a chamber past the filtration? Might as well ditch the filters and skimmer entirely and run the whole thing as a large refugium.

 

[HiImSean]

Not sure I am following you on this... T off the drain to the middle? How will that prevent equalization to the other chambers? Also does that not also basically make the entire sump irrelevant? Dumping raw tank water into a chamber past the filtration? Might as well ditch the filters and skimmer entirely and run the whole thing as a large refugium.

T off the drain to feed a third chamber containing a fuge. The middle chamber would be the return and keep chamber 1 the way he has it. The skimmer and fuge would flow to the lower return section in the middle.

 

[Jedi1199]

T off the drain to feed a third chamber containing a fuge. The middle chamber would be the return and keep chamber 1 the way he has it. The skimmer and fuge would flow to the lower return section in the middle.

OK I see where you are going with this,,, But I still see an issue here. Basically half of the water is "unprocessed". In an ideal setup water goes through mechanical, then Biological and finally chemical filtration to return to the display as "clean" water.

A refugium is a form of chemical filtration. Removing nitrates via a natural process.

Bypassing the first 2 stages will return a "chemical soup" to the main tank. Some water will be filtered and some will not. It creates a hodgepodge that will make it very difficult to create a stable system.

Since the OP is in the design process, and is not at this time committed, perhaps an alternative idea? Run a reactor in the 2nd chamber? There are many products that serve the same purpose as a refugium that take up less space and will allow the increased water volume suggested without the limitations that nature imposes.

 

[wonderbassist]

Sorry my friend.. it doesn't work that way. Water does not flow uphill. You can have lower levels in subsequent chambers using baffles, but to have a higher segment in the middle won't happen.

You don't need that extra water in the refugium anyway. As long as your macro algae has room to grow and a decent flow, you could go half as high as chamber 1 and it will still do its job.

My goal is to have 2 displays

 

[wonderbassist]

Thank you for all of the responses, I’m probably going to use a low powered pump to get the chamber 1 water to the refugium or putting the skimmer on a pedestal.