Custom 20G Long Sump: Design Feedback Wanted

caas1496

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I am in the process of designing and building a custom sump from a standard 20G long tank.I wanted to get some feedback on the designs before I start construction. I would love to hear what all you experienced reefers think could be improved. Pictures of the design are below. A lot of the features are inspired by sumps from a number of popular manufacturers.
SumpPic1.JPG
SumpPic2.JPG
SumpPic3.JPG
 

Ruben's Reef

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!!! Welcome to R2R @caas1496 !!! Design look great but can you include the dimensions for each chamber? Thanks
 

christopher wainright

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Looks great but doesn't your drain silencers need to have a mini chamber by themselves with an opening going to your filter sock area only to make the filter socks effective?
 
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caas1496

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Looks good. Very good space management for a 20. What design program did you use? Great job on the details!

Thank you, I used Solidworks to create the design.

!!! Welcome to R2R @caas1496 !!! Design look great but can you include the dimensions for each chamber? Thanks

I have added the width of each section to the photo below.

SumpPic4.JPG


Looks great but doesn't your drain silencers need to have a mini chamber by themselves with an opening going to your filter sock area only to make the filter socks effective?

The original pictures might not have shown the drain silencers very well. The clear acrylic tube acts as the mini chamber for the drain pipes and forces the water back up to the filter sock plate.

SumpPic5.JPG
 

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how does the feed & drain for refugium work? Great job with the diagram !
 

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Very cool design but seems like too much stuff to cram in a 20L. I’ve had several dumps I made out of them and on paper it looks good but I foresee bubbles getting in to your display unless you’re only gonna have 100gph going through it. Personally I’d skip the frag/fuge section and give yourself a bit more room to work with. Siphoning detritus will also be impossible with so much going on in there.
 
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caas1496

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Thank you. The refugium will be fed off of the return pump and the flow controlled by a ball valve. The drain is a direct overflow back into the return pump chamber. This is the pipe that is visible at the front of the return pump chamber. There will be a section of flexible tubing in the plumbing that was not shown in the diagram. I drew it into the photo below.
42ad812046488fcbed76c2e142b2e1ce.jpg
 
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caas1496

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Very cool design but seems like too much stuff to cram in a 20L. I’ve had several dumps I made out of them and on paper it looks good but I foresee bubbles getting in to your display unless you’re only gonna have 100gph going through it. Personally I’d skip the frag/fuge section and give yourself a bit more room to work with. Siphoning detritus will also be impossible with so much going on in there.
Thanks for taking a look and giving me some feedback. What do you think would be the main source for bubbles that could make it to the display? Which sections would you enlarge if the frag/fuge was removed or reduced. I would like to have a place to grow chaeto and put frags that isnt in the display, but wouldn't be opposed to reallocating the space a bit if thats the consensus here.
 

Ruben's Reef

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Thanks for taking a look and giving me some feedback. What do you think would be the main source for bubbles that could make it to the display? Which sections would you enlarge if the frag/fuge was removed or reduced. I would like to have a place to grow chaeto and put frags that isnt in the display, but wouldn't be opposed to reallocating the space a bit if thats the consensus here.

Dimensions look pretty good. I was about to tell you to reduce the bubble trap section but I see that you have a media tray on it too.
 

George Lopez

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Thank you, I used Solidworks to create the design.



I have added the width of each section to the photo below.

SumpPic4.JPG




The original pictures might not have shown the drain silencers very well. The clear acrylic tube acts as the mini chamber for the drain pipes and forces the water back up to the filter sock plate.

SumpPic5.JPG
Won't the silencers slow your flow drastically causing excess back pressure? A chamber allows a greater area for the water to pass around the drains but you'll be highly restricted with the small gap plus a180 degree turn around in my opinion.
 
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caas1496

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The idea for these came from the Pro Clear Aquatics Sumps.
273dcb6f00aafb33b3db6dcd1f70b929.jpg

But it would be easy enough to convert to a small chamber around the drains as well. I agree they might be too restrictive.
 

Kyl

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Having run a bulkhead to feed a refugium on the right of a return, I wouldn't do it again. It required fiddling of the primary siphon gate valve every couple weeks or so as the flow rates changed for whatever reason, especially with a DC return. Instead I would run a smaller dedicated pump to it if redoing things. How to work that into your design, I'm not so sure. A MJ1200 or such would be more than enough flow to pipe through to the frag/refuge section and take up little room.
 
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caas1496

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Having run a bulkhead to feed a refugium on the right of a return, I wouldn't do it again. It required fiddling of the primary siphon gate valve every couple weeks or so as the flow rates changed for whatever reason, especially with a DC return. Instead I would run a smaller dedicated pump to it if redoing things. How to work that into your design, I'm not so sure. A MJ1200 or such would be more than enough flow to pipe through to the frag/refuge section and take up little room.
Kyl, thanks for the feedback. Having to mess around with the primary siphon valve is something I definitely want to avoid. I am reworking the deisgn a bit to incorporate your recomendation and put a second small pump for the frag section. Ill post some pics when I have it figured out.
 
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caas1496

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Some updates to the design. I am now planning to run a separate pump to feed the frag/fuge section. I picked up a Syncra Silent 2.0 & 1.0 as my two pumps (main return and frag/fuge). I also changed my mind about the type of heater I will be using. I now have a Neotherm 200W heater so I changed my heater mount design to accommodate it. There have been a few other small tweaks such as a cutout in the first lid to provide clearance for the filter roller.


Pumps.jpg


SumpPic6.JPG
 
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caas1496

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That a busy 20L sump. I like how technical it is but that also worries me too.

Thanks for taking a look! I enjoy the challenge of the complex design and I have always been fascinated by some of the really intricate sump designs like the Vertex models. I'm sure I won't accomplish the same level of perfection as those sumps but here's hoping it comes out pretty decent. If not I can always reduce the complexity and tweak it till it works well. Part of the fun of DIY projects for me.
 

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That's a beautiful design you have there. I like the silencers. I would keep them clear acrylic but maybe increase the diameter if there is flow restriction there. My only suggestion is to ditch the fuge and have a much larger return section. I personally do not like a small return section for many reasons. I'm also a huge fan of remote fuges too... lol.
 

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