DIY sump for 110 gal tank

Doglips56

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Hi all. I have read several threads regarding DIY sump setup but I still have questions. In the past I’ve had fancy Trigger or other name brand sumps. Had to tear down my 125 for personal health reasons (I was too sick to care for it) and sold (almost) everything. Have kept a small system the past 2 years but finally upgrading. This time we decided to just go with a 40B for a sump. The attached photos show my setup without any baffles. I need a 10.5” water level (according to instruction booklet) in the roller mat section. If you have a RS Reefmat and know this to not be true please advise! Anyway I definitely don’t want the water that high in the rest of the sump or there won’t be any space for draining if the pump shuts off during maintenance or power failure. I’m a bit confused on how to obtain that water level in the first section and a lower level in the other sections. I am planning on using ceramic tile and eggcrate for baffles and was going to install baffles for a bubble trap just before the return pump.
Any guidance would be appreciated!
Thanks!!
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doubleshot00

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Do you plan on having more than one chamber? If not you could do two or three baffles after the roller mat and the return chamber be a little larger.
 

keithw283

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All of my sumps have been DIY and I plan on another one with a 40B. I used tempered glass and just glued it in. All you have to do to get different water levels is make each baffle shorter than the last one. For example you can go 10.5" for the drain section with the roller mat, 9" for a refugium section and 8" for the return section. You can change those numbers based on how much empty space you need for when your return pump is off.
 
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Doglips56

Doglips56

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Do you plan on having more than one chamber? If not you could do two or three baffles after the roller mat and the return chamber be a little larger.
I was going to have three sections. The roller at one, a center section for the skimmer and the return section with 2 baffles as a bubble catcher
 
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Doglips56

Doglips56

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All of my sumps have been DIY and I plan on another one with a 40B. I used tempered glass and just glued it in. All you have to do to get different water levels is make each baffle shorter than the last one. For example you can go 10.5" for the drain section with the roller mat, 9" for a refugium section and 8" for the return section. You can change those numbers based on how much empty space you need for when your return pump is off.
Thanks for explaining that Keith!
 
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Doglips56

Doglips56

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Forgot to mention the bubble catcher but it seems like you are already aware of that
So this is what we’ve ended up with. Don’t mind the Lincoln bookends! Used them to hold baffles in place while silicone cured! My drain section is huge because the ReefMat 500 is huge
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Fuzzy_Dunlop

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Question op, I also have a diy 40 breeder sump, and I've been considering a reefmat 500 too, but I'm just curious, will the reefmat hang on the lip of the 40 breeder? Just wondering since I see that you're using the legs.
 
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Doglips56

Doglips56

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If we had removed part of the black top rim it could hang but we opted to use the legs because with the legs the bottom of the Reefmat is a bit lower and we don’t want too high of a water level in the sump. The water goes directly into the Reefmat via the drain line and the water level is in the internal compartment, not the external area
 

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