Choosing Sump size - newbie

[Prijrco]

Hey Guys,
My first tank is an Innovative Marine EXT 170 Gallon, it arrives friday - I have their sump (70 gallon RFS-50) but it won't work due to me wanting to use a roller-mat. I have decided on the Bashea Pro Series, I'm between the Pro-36 vs Pro-48. The only difference is gallons and three vs 4 sections (36 gallon vs 48 gallon). I have two questions - the IM 170 has the Bean Animal drain. The 36 gallon has two 1" drains, the 48 has three 1" drains, Do I need three drains on the sump? If I'm understanding correctly the emergency drain from the display is usually just plumbed into the return section so you would hear an audible noise?

My last question is does the gallon size matter? If I use a 36 I have room for in stand equipment, if I get the 48 I'd have to put most things outside the stand (trident NP, potentially my dosers) I have an Octopus 220 INT Elite skimmer with a footprint of 16.5″ x 12.2. The Pro-36 has a skimmer section of Approx. 14.5 x 17.5", while the 48 has a skimmer section of Approx. 13 x 17.5". I realize it will be a tight fit either way, but should I go with the 36 for more room?

 

[toothybugs]

3 drains is a nice redundancy to have but not totally necessary, but - emphasis on nice to have.

The minimum sump volume you need is enough to cover all your equipment during normal operation and cover any overflow you'll get during a power outage, which WILL one day happen. IIRC the normal recommendation is 25% of your system (excluding the sump).

 

[edsbeaker]

Hey Guys,
My first tank is an Innovative Marine EXT 170 Gallon, it arrives friday - I have their sump (70 gallon RFS-50) but it won't work due to me wanting to use a roller-mat. I have decided on the Bashea Pro Series, I'm between the Pro-36 vs Pro-48. The only difference is gallons and three vs 4 sections (36 gallon vs 48 gallon). I have two questions - the IM 170 has the Bean Animal drain. The 36 gallon has two 1" drains, the 48 has three 1" drains, Do I need three drains on the sump? If I'm understanding correctly the emergency drain from the display is usually just plumbed into the return section so you would hear an audible noise?

My last question is does the gallon size matter? If I use a 36 I have room for in stand equipment, if I get the 48 I'd have to put most things outside the stand (trident NP, potentially my dosers) I have an Octopus 220 INT Elite skimmer with a footprint of 16.5″ x 12.2. The Pro-36 has a skimmer section of Approx. 14.5 x 17.5", while the 48 has a skimmer section of Approx. 13 x 17.5". I realize it will be a tight fit either way, but should I go with the 36 for more room?

Hi, I have the same tank and really like the space in their sump. My question would be why do you feel you need a roller-mat? Over the last few years roller mats were becoming popular because everyone’s mindset was on extremely low levels of nitrates and phosphates. This is no longer the case. In fact many of us don’t even use filter socks.

 

[Prijrco]

3 drains is a nice redundancy to have but not totally necessary, but - emphasis on nice to have.

The minimum sump volume you need is enough to cover all your equipment during normal operation and cover any overflow you'll get during a power outage, which WILL one day happen. IIRC the normal recommendation is 25% of your system (excluding the sump).

I'm totally new to reefing so I guess I don't understand the purpose of three drains, so if you can explain it like I'm 5 I'd appreciate it. Especially since at least the primary drain will be plumbed into my rollermat how would I use the drains on the sump? Should I be plumbing my emergency drain into the third drain in the sump if I got the 48? I thought the emergency drain just dropped into the return chamber to make noise? Thanks

 

[Prijrco]

Hi, I have the same tank and really like the space in their sump. My question would be why do you feel you need a roller-mat? Over the last few years roller mats were becoming popular because everyone’s mindset was on extremely low levels of nitrates and phosphates. This is no longer the case. In fact many of us don’t even use filter socks.

I'm new to the hobby,but seeing as how my rollermat was purchased it will be used. I have no interest in filter socks. I prefer to automate as much as I can, even if its just as simple as not having to change filter socks thats the route im taking.

 

[toothybugs]

I'm totally new to reefing so I guess I don't understand the purpose of three drains, so if you can explain it like I'm 5 I'd appreciate it. Especially since at least the primary drain will be plumbed into my rollermat how would I use the drains on the sump? Should I be plumbing my emergency drain into the third drain in the sump if I got the 48? I thought the emergency drain just dropped into the return chamber to make noise? Thanks

The trio of drain lines is set up for a system known as the "Bean Animal drain" which is an improvement on the 2-pipe Durso system.

The first drain/ line/ channel (you'll see all 3 terms used interchangeably in plumbing discussions) is a regulated siphon line controlled by a gate valve. The goal is to get a complete (but not full/ uncontrolled) siphon) which results in a few drips/ a minor trickle going in the second channel, because your return pump must not overperform your overflow capacity. This means your siphon has to be set to match or you get a sucking sound as not enough water runs through the line to maintain the siphon.

To apply math, if you have a pump returning (theoretically) exactly 1000.0gph and you have an overflow capable of 1600gph, the full and unregulated siphon will likely be capable of well over 1600gph for a variety of reasons not important here. You have to regulate it, choke it down, so it only runs at ~999gph. You won't ever get accurate enough to get it to exactly 1000gph, you'll get either 999.9 or 1000.01gph: in the case of 999.9 you'll generate a sliiiight trickle (0.01gph as your 1000.0 pump overperforms the siphon) but if you set to 1000.01, eventually you will draw air as the return pump can't keep up with the siphon.

Moving on: The third drain is an emergency line for redundancy in case one of the two other lines is clogged. It is typically plumbed to end ABOVE the water line of the sump so it's loud and splashy, hopefully alerting you to a problem with your drains before a flood results.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Hey Guys,
My first tank is an Innovative Marine EXT 170 Gallon, it arrives friday - I have their sump (70 gallon RFS-50) but it won't work due to me wanting to use a roller-mat. I have decided on the Bashea Pro Series, I'm between the Pro-36 vs Pro-48. The only difference is gallons and three vs 4 sections (36 gallon vs 48 gallon). I have two questions - the IM 170 has the Bean Animal drain. The 36 gallon has two 1" drains, the 48 has three 1" drains, Do I need three drains on the sump? If I'm understanding correctly the emergency drain from the display is usually just plumbed into the return section so you would hear an audible noise?

My last question is does the gallon size matter? If I use a 36 I have room for in stand equipment, if I get the 48 I'd have to put most things outside the stand (trident NP, potentially my dosers) I have an Octopus 220 INT Elite skimmer with a footprint of 16.5″ x 12.2. The Pro-36 has a skimmer section of Approx. 14.5 x 17.5", while the 48 has a skimmer section of Approx. 13 x 17.5". I realize it will be a tight fit either way, but should I go with the 36 for more room?

SO, point 1, you don’t need the drains to all empty into the locations on the sump. In fact, the emergency pipe going somewhere that would be noisy is a good thing because it lets you know something is wrong.

Now, sump size, I like having my gear out of sight so I went with a slightly smaller sump. I still needed a cabinet for the electrical stuff plus it got it out of the moisture zone.

The three drains of a BeanAnimal setup serve three different functions. The siphon carries the majority of the water silently. The trick pipe acts like a Durso and allows for minimal noise while being self-adjusting to flow variations. The emergency is kept dry to be ready for use at all times, no critters allowed.

HTH

 

[gusacco]

Hi, I have the same tank and really like the space in their sump. My question would be why do you feel you need a roller-mat? Over the last few years roller mats were becoming popular because everyone’s mindset was on extremely low levels of nitrates and phosphates. This is no longer the case. In fact many of us don’t even use filter socks.

Hello! im considering to purchase the 170 int and I also am worried about not being able to add a roller-mat and your comment caught my eyes. If you don't use filter sock what would you use in the IM 170 sump for filter? Thanks!

 

[arcwaveaquatics]

Hey Guys,
My first tank is an Innovative Marine EXT 170 Gallon, it arrives friday - I have their sump (70 gallon RFS-50) but it won't work due to me wanting to use a roller-mat. I have decided on the Bashea Pro Series, I'm between the Pro-36 vs Pro-48. The only difference is gallons and three vs 4 sections (36 gallon vs 48 gallon). I have two questions - the IM 170 has the Bean Animal drain. The 36 gallon has two 1" drains, the 48 has three 1" drains, Do I need three drains on the sump? If I'm understanding correctly the emergency drain from the display is usually just plumbed into the return section so you would hear an audible noise?

My last question is does the gallon size matter? If I use a 36 I have room for in stand equipment, if I get the 48 I'd have to put most things outside the stand (trident NP, potentially my dosers) I have an Octopus 220 INT Elite skimmer with a footprint of 16.5″ x 12.2. The Pro-36 has a skimmer section of Approx. 14.5 x 17.5", while the 48 has a skimmer section of Approx. 13 x 17.5". I realize it will be a tight fit either way, but should I go with the 36 for more room?

You don’t need to match the number of drains on the sump to the display. With a BeanAnimal, you’ll be running two drains full-time (siphon + open channel), and the emergency stays dry. It’s completely fine to plumb two drains into a sump that has three drain ports and just cap the unused one, or combine lines if needed. The emergency drain should still terminate in the sump (usually the return section or near it), but it should never be flowing in normal operation, so noise isn’t an issue unless something’s wrong.

Gallon size on the sump matters less than usable space and layout. On a 170, the extra 12 gallons of the Pro-48 won’t meaningfully change system stability, but losing under-stand real estate absolutely affects day-to-day sanity. Given your skimmer footprint, both are tight, but the Pro-36 actually gives you a slightly more forgiving skimmer section and more flexibility overall. If the 48 forces dosers, Trident, etc. outside the stand, I’d go Pro-36 without hesitation. Accessibility and clean layout will matter way more long term than marginal sump volume.

 

[RocketEngineer]

I'm totally new to reefing so I guess I don't understand the purpose of three drains, so if you can explain it like I'm 5 I'd appreciate it. Especially since at least the primary drain will be plumbed into my rollermat how would I use the drains on the sump? Should I be plumbing my emergency drain into the third drain in the sump if I got the 48? I thought the emergency drain just dropped into the return chamber to make noise? Thanks

Just to clarify, you only need the siphon and trickle drain into the filtration side of the sump. the emergency drain can literally just go anywhere that makes sense. It's only ever used when something is wrong so having it empty into the sump is all you need.