Let’s talk about sumps!

[Gnop1950]

I basically have the sump that came with my system. The only change I made was removing the filter socks and installing a fleece roller, so Fleece Roller -> Refugium -> Skimmer -> Return. 4 chambers although the division between the fleece roller and the refugium is a panel of coarse sponge.

I love checking for critters in the refugium. I put some TBS rubble/sand/rocks in the refuguim. So far I've spotted 3 varigrated urchins, one tiny starfish of some kind, some sponges, and a clam of some sort. I'm using a Kessil H80 on a reverse cycle and have Pom Pom, Red Ogo, and Chaeto in the refugium.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

Not making fun at all. It looks good! Just the colors and elbows reminded me of the old Win XP screensaver. *That* is what I thought was funny!

just teasing ya! i can totally see what you mean! lol

 

[tbrown]

I basically have the sump that came with my system. The only change I made was removing the filter socks and installing a fleece roller, so Fleece Roller -> Refugium -> Skimmer -> Return. 4 chambers although the division between the fleece roller and the refugium is a panel of coarse sponge.

I love checking for critters in the refugium. I put some TBS rubble/sand/rocks in the refuguim. So far I've spotted 3 varigrated urchins, one tiny starfish of some kind, some sponges, and a clam of some sort. I'm using a Kessil H80 on a reverse cycle and have Pom Pom, Red Ogo, and Chaeto in the refugium.

I removed the sponge and 3D printed a weir guard. Easier to clean.

 

[Ernie Mccracken]

Some ideas for your next nano. Interesting how at this scale, there is a big emphasis on the biofilter part. Lots of K1 moving bed filters.

 

[JulioG210]

i dont know about the rest of you, but i have a big sump and i LOVE it! for some reason it fascinates me lol. i love just sitting and watching stuff run and the different creatures i find down there. (yes, i know im strange ) what about you?
i would also love if someone would give a break down of the different areas in the sump. what they are for and the best place to put things

Ill luterally pull up a chair and watch sump and fish doing fish things

 

[smitten with ocean life]

love it! sometimes ill be down there cleaning or working on something and just get lost just peering around at stuff. lol

 

[Reefer Brent]

Great thread for inspiration! About to start building my 40 breeder sump with a modular marine fleece roller baffle kit.

Current plan is reefmat500 then skimmer then fuge then return. ATO likely behind the stand. Will plumb in uv and a reactor to my manifold.

Really like @tbrown idea of keeping clowns and bubbles in the refugium as my current clown pair kills everything new I put in within a day. This would allow me to run 1 tank while I stock the new build. Do you get any detritus issues from this?

 

[1ocean]

pics pics pics!!

yes yes and yes...as soon as the project begins...I hope to inspire everyone..

 

[1ocean]

yes, its an algae scrubber! i dont have a CO2 scrubber and know nothing about them. @Fish Styx has a pretty snazzy sump!

co2 scrubber a good addition ..

 

[1ocean]

this next sump design for the new tank will probably be only 1 chamber for the return pumps. Over the years I have come to the fact that I hate having a sectioned sump. Especially when you do or add bigger skimmers etc and they do not fit.

 

[skey44]

Perfect timing. I finally have a tank with a sump. Been running month and a half with tank transfer from my sumpless 40 breeder. I see the appeal now. Cade 1500 Peninsula. 210 total system. 32 gallon sump with refugium and TBS rubble in media chambers.

Now my issue. Water level in return chamber and my ATO. Went through 5 gallons in 24 hours just today.

I have moved the sensor a few times and still it pumps more than what i believe is evaporating. The display water area is higher return is lower. I think it is my filter socks clogging rapidly that is the main problem. 100 microns, clean almost every day but still back up the water.

So should i figure out the level in return at the clogging point level and have the sensor under that?

I have messed with this for a month. Return is Sicce 9 SDC running at 31 percent and i get my gate valve dialed but then continued ATO reservoir drain.

Pic of sump

I would just try without filter socks. I yanked mine out pretty quick without any issues.

 

[Reefer Brent]

So many people seem to be against sections. What is the main purpose they serve. What are the pros to them other than a refugium section?

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

So many people seem to be against sections. What is the main purpose they serve. What are the pros to them other than a refugium section?

Imo, a post-skimmer, pre-return section microbubble trap (baffles) would be a priority along with a refugium, if I had a sump. I don't know if that qualifies as a section, or just a specialized section divider.
I think the return section, especially if kept small, can serve as part of a very responsive system for detecting water level changes. This is useful for ATO, emergency shutoff, alarms, etc.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

So many people seem to be against sections. What is the main purpose they serve. What are the pros to them other than a refugium section?

great question!

 

[UncommonSense]

So many people seem to be against sections. What is the main purpose they serve. What are the pros to them other than a refugium section?

great question!

Simply put, the dividers (baffles) between sump chambers are only there to dictate water height in each chamber, and/or direct water either up, or down!

— Water height remaining constant is important for the likes of a in-sump protein skimmer, so you often see commercially made sumps with a dedicated chamber sitting around 7-10.5” of water height specifically for the skimmer! (I prefer to just put a stand under my skimmer to reach the desired skimmer operating water height so I don’t need a dedicated skimmer chamber!)

— the return pump does benefit from its own chamber (vs. a open tank packed full of equipment), predominantly because the return chamber is the only place the sump fluctuates in water height, thus an ATO sensor/float can be installed there to achieve precise ATO control! (again vs. a open tank, wherein a lot of water must be added by ATO to appreciably change tank water height)

— it is worth noting that a return chamber actually benefits from not being too small in a properly set up Herbie or BeanAnimal drain system (dual or triple drain, respectively); the water height between the two or three standpipes can be substantial enough that the return pump runs dry before redundant drain(s) even take over! (Meaning you can loose life support, vs. just running on a redundant drain with a primary drain clog)

— I’ve been happiest with sumps that only have 2-3 total chambers… that is, one massive section, then a return chamber… or, one tiny drain/mechanical filter chamber, then one massive central chamber, and a return chamber…

— water’s lazy, it will always take the path or least resistance to the lowest point it can reach… that said, your sump must always cascade downhill… this is why I like less chambers/skimmer stand; you can keep the operating water line higher for longer (assuming you still have reserve capacity to accommodate display tank drain-down in a power outage or return pump failure!)


(All this to say, you see a lot of sections because manufacturers want to offer the likes a nice high water line in a drain chamber, followed by a relatively high water line in a refugium chamber, then a lower water line for the skimmer chamber, further lowering the water line in the return chamber! [also, monkey like shiny, hence the popularity!])

 

[Grog]

I have a 40 breeder as a sump under my 180. I used the Fiji Cube brand baffle kit for the chambers and found it easy to install and good for what I wanted. If I had to do it again, I would 3D print the baffles as it would cost pennies on the dollar but I'm still happy with the kit I bought.

I keep it mostly cryptic, no added light or refugium, but I haven't blacked it out completely. Since it is cryptic-ish, I get a lot of sponge and tunicate growth down there which I think is a good thing. Tons of pods and stuff as well.

I don't run a skimmer but do run a GFO reactor in my sump. I perform water changes from the sump most of the time, because I'm lazy and have a separate pump on a switch for sump-based water changes.

All my extra live rock is down there so it is crowded. Kinda use it as a dungeon so, if I find a bad crab or something I don't want in the DT it goes down below.

 

[UncommonSense]

If I had to do it again, I would 3D print the baffles as it would cost pennies on the dollar

Watch out here, it’s very possible to print everything you need for a sump, but there are a few traps!

— primarily, hydrostatic force; acrylic baffles are remarkably durable, and are specced in thicknesses which can serve as a functional dam, withstanding the hydrostatic force of a filled tank on one side of the baffle, and an empty tank on the other side! (Plan for baffle deflection, possibly employ a multi-wall design, or add a perpendicular spine to the dam baffle’s top edge, like a steel I-beam in profile!)

— in addition, many plastics do swell when submerged in water; even cell cast acrylic swells up to 3% (more for extruded)! This is why your baffle kit was somewhat loose-fitting! (I’ve actually seen acrylic baffles cut very tight to the glass tank’s inside dimensions actually start to rip the tank apart at its seams once filled in a post around here!) This said, filament choice, and/or carefully measured clearance for each baffle is very important!

 

[Grog]

— (Plan for baffle deflection, possibly employ a multi-wall design, or add a perpendicular spine to the dam baffle’s top edge, like a steel I-beam in profile!)

— in addition, many plastics do swell when submerged in water; even cell cast acrylic swells up to 3% (more for extruded)! This is why your baffle kit was somewhat loose-fitting! (I’ve actually seen acrylic baffles cut very tight to the glass tank’s inside dimensions actually start to rip the tank apart at its seams once filled in a post around here!) This said, filament choice, and/or carefully measured clearance for each baffle is very important!

I'm not planning on 3D printing my baffles again anytime soon as my tank is established and won't go anywhere until we move. Likely, years away. So, this is all kind of a low-importance consideration to me.

I have 3D printed a bit of reef stuff before: overflows, baffles for sumps, skimmer holders, filter sock holders, etc. I used PTEG and had very good results with it. Loose fit is also important as I usually grab an Aqueon tank for a sump build, and those tanks have some 'gloppy' seams. A 'perfectly fitting' piece it won't fit due to silicon seam interference.

I don't think of this as a complicated endeavor. The worst part is the silicone application, but that issue exists with a purchased baffle set too. Silicone always gets everywhere you don't want it. It's as bad as using the purple stuff when joining PVC. You are going to get it on your shirt.

 

[Sold4jc7]

Here is my sump set up on my 60-gallon reef. The frag tank and fuge drain into the main sump. The fuge drains directly into the return section of the sump.

 

[Grog]

Here is my sump set up on my 60-gallon reef. The frag tank and fuge drain into the main sump. The fuge drains directly into the return section of the sump.

That is pretty. 80/20 framing?