Help me design my new s/w sump

[riche]

I am thinking of making a different sump, since i dont like the one I have now.

I can use either a 40 breeder or a 29 glass or acrylic.

I know there are 100 different opinions on baffle location and such.

Where my question comes in, is I want to run a separate pump to a manifold to run my uv, reactors and have a extra for the future.

If I was to make a separate chamber for the pump to run these, should it go before the fuge and where should the return lines from the manifold go.

I plan on going skimmer/fuge/return, if I go with the 40 breeder I will add a separate baffle at the end for the ato If I go with the 29(s) I will have a separate 10 gallon top off tank

When it comes to the fuge, I have heard you need some water movement, and someone suggested either a small powerhead or the baffle between the skimmer and the fuge have either a gap or holes drilled in(if i go acrylic)

Since I want to put he pump before the fuge, should I put the gap or holes after the pump and just have them higher so the pump is fully submerged?


I want to take my time and make this the ultimate sump.

I would love to do the 40 breeder but I would have to cut the back of the stand (there is a lip on the back) The acrylic would be great because I have a ton of extra acrylic I can make custom inserts and I could drill holes in the back to put the lines coming from extras that I hook up

So with this being said what would be the ideal lay out?

 

[StikHedRon]

1 large return pump to feed everything and place it in the last chamber with your float switch

 

[riche]

So I could just add a Tee to the return line and connect that to the manifold? Or should I have 2 tee's, one as output to the manifold and and one so at the end of the manifold it return's into the return line? So kind of like a closed loop of of the return line?

Thanks

Rich

 

[heathd.hd]

If you have acrylic around make your own! I really enjoyed making my sumps. Here's the last one I made. I went 2 piece so I can get it into stand. I also went fuge \ return \ skimmer \ ato. I've added alot of little trinkets and holders as I've needed. Super easy.

 

[VicD81]

I agree just T off your return and that would be your manifold. Just be sure you pump is adequate. Im running 2 BRS reactors off my return. Put a Ball or gate valve after each Tee to dial in the flow you need. Ive got one straight pipe going up to my tank and in that pipe its Tee'd off 3 times and has 4 ball valves, one for each T and one before the tank. With all Tees wide open the majority of the flow till go into the tank so I have to restrict that and force it into the reactors.

 

[riche]

Ok I pick this up over the weekend along with a better skimmer

So I was thinking of leaving it like it is, and putting the skimmer in the 3rd section, the first two are to narrow. The first is the water intake, the second I was going to put filter floss.

Then the 3rd section is huge, and I was thinking of putting the fuge in there and then the return area, but in the picture you can see there is a little box with baffles that are 6" high and 6" wide but they have big holes. I was thinking of adding a baffle about 6-8" to the right and making that my fuge and then the rest would be for the return, I will be using a in sump return

Here are a few pictures

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll157/michdeerslayer/001_zps8ee2b763.jpg
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll157/michdeerslayer/002_zpsa8a8dadd.jpg
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll157/michdeerslayer/003_zps30b72cde.jpg