Let's see your Triton specific sumps!

[d2mini]

I'm designing my new build and need to give some serious thought to the sump.
Since I'm setting my tank up to run Triton from the start, the sump can be specifically designed for it, custom made by BAO here in Houston.
Let's see what you've done with yours!
Or post your favorites from other tanks!
Would love to hear all comments on what works, what doesn't, what helps, what hinders, what sections you have, what's in them, etc.
Do you run one but wish you did something different with it? Do tell.
Anything will help. I want to make sure I do it right.
Maybe there really isn't much difference compared to standard sumps other than fuge location but I want to make sure I don't miss small details that are important.

I know I need a large refugium and it should be first in line. I like to tumble my cheato.
I will have an in-sump skimmer.
I will have one small Avast Spyglass reactor in-sump to start, but need room for a second if needed in the future.
And a Vectra L1 in-sump for my return for a minimum of 10x flow.
Dosing lines... where are you running yours?
And of course I'll have heaters, probes, ATO equipment, etc. But I can design all that stuff into any sump.

TIA! :cool:
And Tim & crew, don't be shy... would love to hear suggestions straight from the source, too. ;)

 

[DLuce510]

I try to keep mine simple, although it probably looks otherwise.

I dose the basic base elements in 4 parts, iodine, and nitrogen flourish because my macros just demolish any nutrients and I was nutrient deficient.

This is a small compartment of chatoe that grows vigorously on a reverse light schedule but that's not enough tank volume and doesn't do most the work.

This is my 30 Gallon rimmless display fuge that does most of the work. It houses most of the pods and over flows down to the small fuge in the sump. Also there's a crap load of xenia, that has no purpose as far as nutrient export, just tried to get it out of the display and keep my wife happy.o_O

 

[gpwdr]

 

[Tim@Triton]

The Triton sump is a very simple sump, nothing magic, it has just been designed around being as efficient as possible for the method.

You have already mentioned most of the components, I will just go through the thinking behind them.

The algae refugium section should be as large as you can afford within your space requirements, ideally between 10-20% of the display tank volume. The algae forms such an integral part to the method and it's importance can't be overstated IMHO :D . The reason for it being first in the sump is so that the algae gets first dibs of any nutrients that make their way in.

Next inline is the skimmer chamber, the only real stipulation for this chamber is that the water leaves via an under baffle, the thinking behind this is to try and keep the nutrients in that chamber for as long as possible due to proteins rising in the water column. You can add another baffle if you wish to set the water height for the skimmer and to act as a bubble trap. Reactors can go in here if you wish as well.

Finally the return chamber, as simple as it sounds, where the return pump lives. Personally where my reactors live as well. This is also where you solutions should be dosed, so the are taken in by the return and dispersed into the main system.

Finally, here's my sump...

 

[d2mini]

Thanks guys! Good stuff. Keep it coming! :cool:

The Triton sump is a very simple sump, nothing magic, it has just been designed around being as efficient as possible for the method.

You have already mentioned most of the components, I will just go through the thinking behind them.

The algae refugium section should be as large as you can afford within your space requirements, ideally between 10-20% of the display tank volume. The algae forms such an integral part to the method and it's importance can't be overstated IMHO :D . The reason for it being first in the sump is so that the algae gets first dibs of any nutrients that make their way in.

Next inline is the skimmer chamber, the only real stipulation for this chamber is that the water leaves via an under baffle, the thinking behind this is to try and keep the nutrients in that chamber for as long as possible due to proteins rising in the water column. You can add another baffle if you wish to set the water height for the skimmer and to act as a bubble trap. Reactors can go in here if you wish as well.

Finally the return chamber, as simple as it sounds, where the return pump lives. Personally where my reactors live as well. This is also where you solutions should be dosed, so the are taken in by the return and dispersed into the main system.

Finally, here's my sump...

Thanks, Tim! That's some good tidbits of info I may have missed, like the skimmer baffle.
And no worry about elements getting sucked right into the reactors?
What's in your fuge and what light source are you using?
In the past, having nothing but chaeto has worked really well for me.
This vid below was my last fuge. It would grow from softball to beachball size in a matter of a few weeks. But it was also lit by a 150w HPS bulb which I probably won't be able to do this time due to the heat.
Do you happen to have a build thread or anything with more pics of your tank? :)

 

[Diesel]

Can you run a Micronano bubbles method with the Triton system or is it possible the air will deplete some of the elements?

 

[Tim@Triton]

Thanks guys! Good stuff. Keep it coming! :cool:



Thanks, Tim! That's some good tidbits of info I may have missed, like the skimmer baffle.
And no worry about elements getting sucked right into the reactors?
What's in your fuge and what light source are you using?
In the past, having nothing but chaeto has worked really well for me.
This vid below was my last fuge. It would grow from softball to beachball size in a matter of a few weeks. But it was also lit by a 150w HPS bulb which I probably won't be able to do this time due to the heat.
Do you happen to have a build thread or anything with more pics of your tank? :)

Some system run just fine with Chaeto but we recommend as many different species of macro algae that you can get your hands on, the thinking behind this is that different species have slightly different nutritional needs so that when your system has a change for whatever reason whether that be new stock or a new food or even a change in the season there is an algae there ready to pickup the baton so to speak, I personally have observed the dominant algae in my fuge change at least three times throughout the year. This is also why it is important to have a full spectrum 6400K algae light, as while a LED security light may be great at growing Chaeto it may not be up to the task of growing Caulerpa which is about to want to become the dominant algae, and if the light is not good enough then it won't be able to handle the nutrients and you could then have a problem.

My fuge at last count had about 9 species of algae in it, some just a couple of leaves waiting patiently in the wings :) and is lit with a 125W CFL with reflector.

Sorry no build thread at the moment.

 

[Tim@Triton]

Can you run a Micronano bubbles method with the Triton system or is it possible the air will deplete some of the elements?

Nano bubbles is not something the Triton has anything to do with, not saying it does or doesn't work just that it should be thought of as something completely separate as it would with any method.

 

[Shep]

The Triton sump is a very simple sump, nothing magic, it has just been designed around being as efficient as possible for the method.

You have already mentioned most of the components, I will just go through the thinking behind them.

The algae refugium section should be as large as you can afford within your space requirements, ideally between 10-20% of the display tank volume. The algae forms such an integral part to the method and it's importance can't be overstated IMHO :D . The reason for it being first in the sump is so that the algae gets first dibs of any nutrients that make their way in.

Next inline is the skimmer chamber, the only real stipulation for this chamber is that the water leaves via an under baffle, the thinking behind this is to try and keep the nutrients in that chamber for as long as possible due to proteins rising in the water column. You can add another baffle if you wish to set the water height for the skimmer and to act as a bubble trap. Reactors can go in here if you wish as well.

Finally the return chamber, as simple as it sounds, where the return pump lives. Personally where my reactors live as well. This is also where you solutions should be dosed, so the are taken in by the return and dispersed into the main system.

Finally, here's my sump...

Yes, the triton sump is very simple let me just post a picture of this super jaw dropping, amazing and sleek sump to prove my point lol :P

 

[Tim@Triton]

Get rid of all the fancy plug sockets and dosers and it's just a glass box. :D

 

[las]

What do you put in the reactors?
What is the ideal amount of water you want going thru your sump per hour?

 

[Tim@Triton]

What do you put in the reactors?
What is the ideal amount of water you want going thru your sump per hour?

PO4 media and Activated Carbon.

10x turn over is what we want to aim for

 

[reef_junkie]

Thanks guys! Good stuff. Keep it coming! :cool:



Thanks, Tim! That's some good tidbits of info I may have missed, like the skimmer baffle.
And no worry about elements getting sucked right into the reactors?
What's in your fuge and what light source are you using?
In the past, having nothing but chaeto has worked really well for me.
This vid below was my last fuge. It would grow from softball to beachball size in a matter of a few weeks. But it was also lit by a 150w HPS bulb which I probably won't be able to do this time due to the heat.
Do you happen to have a build thread or anything with more pics of your tank? :)

I've tried numerous times to build a refugium that does this to a cheato ball without success. What am I doing wrong?

 

[d2mini]

I've tried numerous times to build a refugium that does this to a cheato ball without success. What am I doing wrong?

The spin is created from the spray bar that runs the length of one side and shoots the water across the top, creating a gyre.
I may see if I can incorporate something similar... maybe not. Have to figure that out, if Tim is suggesting more than just chaeto.
The growth I believe is due to the intense lighting from the HPS fixture. If it grows weed, it's pretty much guaranteed to grow coral. :D
Before this, I was never able to grow cheato in my nutrient poor systems.

 

[reef_junkie]

Spray bar, never tried that. And I've also always had difficulty growing cheato. I tend to seriously over-do my filtration. I'm scaling back now a days though.

 

[las]

The life reef refugium looks awesome

 

[d2mini]

Some system run just fine with Chaeto but we recommend as many different species of macro algae that you can get your hands on, the thinking behind this is that different species have slightly different nutritional needs so that when your system has a change for whatever reason whether that be new stock or a new food or even a change in the season there is an algae there ready to pickup the baton so to speak, I personally have observed the dominant algae in my fuge change at least three times throughout the year. This is also why it is important to have a full spectrum 6400K algae light, as while a LED security light may be great at growing Chaeto it may not be up to the task of growing Caulerpa which is about to want to become the dominant algae, and if the light is not good enough then it won't be able to handle the nutrients and you could then have a problem.

My fuge at last count had about 9 species of algae in it, some just a couple of leaves waiting patiently in the wings :) and is lit with a 125W CFL with reflector.

Sorry no build thread at the moment.

Tim, do you or any of the other Triton guys have any experience with any LED grow lights? Or suggestions on some you think may work?
I have used the large CFL lamps in the past, but concerned with heat and size on this build.
I'm not sure yet, but my fuge may end up being around 20"x 16"... give or take.

 

[Tim@Triton]

Some people are having great success with some of the LED fixtures, but again make sure that it is full spectrum.

You can get some really neat compact T5 fixtures as well.

One issue a few people have had using "Grow Lights" is the long term resistance to moisture when they are used inside a cabinet.

 

[Pola0502ds]

Tim, can you go through your dosers? What are you dosing as i see 7 pumps? Im am considering this method and thought only 3-4 pumps was needed. If you need 7-8 pumps that can add another $200-600 to the project for a multipal dosing pump depending on brand.

 

[revhtree]

The Triton sump is a very simple sump, nothing magic, it has just been designed around being as efficient as possible for the method.

You have already mentioned most of the components, I will just go through the thinking behind them.

The algae refugium section should be as large as you can afford within your space requirements, ideally between 10-20% of the display tank volume. The algae forms such an integral part to the method and it's importance can't be overstated IMHO :D . The reason for it being first in the sump is so that the algae gets first dibs of any nutrients that make their way in.

Next inline is the skimmer chamber, the only real stipulation for this chamber is that the water leaves via an under baffle, the thinking behind this is to try and keep the nutrients in that chamber for as long as possible due to proteins rising in the water column. You can add another baffle if you wish to set the water height for the skimmer and to act as a bubble trap. Reactors can go in here if you wish as well.

Finally the return chamber, as simple as it sounds, where the return pump lives. Personally where my reactors live as well. This is also where you solutions should be dosed, so the are taken in by the return and dispersed into the main system.

Finally, here's my sump...

Dang that's sweet!