Custom sump design

[ismira]

I’m getting a custom frag aquarium made and been having a hard time with the sump design. I’ve never had a sump before so don’t really know what I do and don’t like.

The display is 5ft long x 2ft wide x 15.7inches tall. With an internal central weir box. The display will be mostly egg crate frag racks with very minimal rock.
The sump is 4ft long x 18 inches wide x 12 inches tall.
I want a large space for a refugium as the majority of the biological rock work will be in the sump.
For a skimmer I’m looking at the hydor ESK dc 6000 and my return pump will be the Sea Torch XPower 6000.

I’ve made a design of what I think will work but looking for feedback and anything you think I should change or things that don’t make sense/wont work or you think I’ll regret.

Thank you.

 

[UncommonSense]

It looks like you’ve already done your homework, this is a good starting layout!

It’s worth mentioning that the skimmer chamber exists purely to keep it from sucking macroalgae/etc through the motor, and to set a fixed skimmer operating water height!

This said, to maximize refugium water volume, you can either:

— put your skimmer chamber after the refugium (downstream, lower water height than refuge to maximize refuge volume)


—keep the skimmer chamber upstream of refuge, and run a higher skimmer chamber water line than the skimmer needs, subsequently sticking the skimmer on a stand to physically elevate it to the target operating water height!


do keep in mind that there is a realistic limit to how much water your sump can contain during normal system operation; a power outage or return pump shutdown/failure will cause a substantial quantity of water to drain down from display to sump! (The sump does need reserve volume! Probably at least 5 gallons, maybe as much as 10 gallons in your specific case!)

 

[ismira]

Thanks for the feedback. I put the skimmer first as that seemed to be what the majority of layouts did.
Does each chamber need to have a lower water level than that before it (I know it can’t be higher).
My biggest concern has been how much water the sump can hold when the return pump is off. I want to avoid and address any potential flooding problems.
While I decided on the dimensions of the display I was given the dimensions for the sump by the tank building guys, I guess they have some kind of calculation for the sump size, so I’m relying on their knowledge.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@Troylee

 

[BryanM]

Thanks for the feedback. I put the skimmer first as that seemed to be what the majority of layouts did.
Does each chamber need to have a lower water level than that before it (I know it can’t be higher).
My biggest concern has been how much water the sump can hold when the return pump is off. I want to avoid and address any potential flooding problems.
While I decided on the dimensions of the display I was given the dimensions for the sump by the tank building guys, I guess they have some kind of calculation for the sump size, so I’m relying on their knowledge.

Your sump is only 12 inches tall, I would guess you will only be able to fill it about 1/2 way, maybe a little more, in order for it to catch all of the water from the DT during a power outage.

 

[Troylee]

Your layout looks good to me. You can switch the fuge and skimmer if you’d like but it won’t make any difference the order you run them.

 

[UncommonSense]

Does each chamber need to have a lower water level than that before it (I know it can’t be higher).

The chambers do not need different water heights, though having chambers (aside from a return chamber) is a bit pointless if they all rest at one water height!

My biggest concern has been how much water the sump can hold when the return pump is off. I want to avoid and address any potential flooding problems.

Well, the sump is right around 40G… you can probably run it around 3/4 full and still have sufficient reserve volume! Alternatively, just make it 2-4” taller! (Height only limited by your ability to squeeze your skimmer in!

While I decided on the dimensions of the display I was given the dimensions for the sump by the tank building guys, I guess they have some kind of calculation for the sump size, so I’m relying on their knowledge.

Well, that size is likely cheaper to build because it uses materials efficiently, but it may not be an ideal design for your needs! Don’t be afraid to max out your cabinet space with sump size, assuming you have a good spot for your ATO reservoir which isn’t in the stand!