New to Reefing. Looking for advice on sump/refugium design.

ph334706

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Starting a new saltwater reef tank. 75 gallon tank is the plan but have been looking at and thinking about sump design for the tank for a few weeks. Below is my planned design for the sump/refugium setup in a 29 gallon tank. Please let me know your thoughts, if I'm going over board or have forgotten about something. Measurements listed are estimates at this time but ultimately thinking I want to make the refugium as big as possible. Hoping I can manage to run the carbon media somewhere in the initial filter baskets and can put whatever other media I decide I need in the bottom basket based on adjusting water chemistry. Not sure I need marine pure block under the skimmer but figured why not use it to prop of the skimmer and I can't hurt but maybe I'm way off on that.

Looking for any feed back you all are willing to provide. Thanks in advance.

Tank.jpg
 

RocketEngineer

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 3, 2019
Messages
938
Reaction score
1,015
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
1) You will want more room for the skimmer. Otherwise it will be hard to remove and not get cleaned as much as it should.
2) You only need one baffle before the refugium. Put the bubble trap last. Make sure you can get in between the baffles to remove detritus.
3) The media baskets are nice but I would implement them differently. A filter sock in the corner, loose bags or a reactor for the media. Just a thought.
4) with the block under the skimmer, make sure the skimmer has the right water level.
 

theMeat

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 1, 2017
Messages
3,036
Reaction score
2,486
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Welcome

agreed, bubble trap before return

a 20, 30, or 40 long is usually a better choice so you have more room to get in and do maintenance
 

Nhltc99

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Dec 31, 2018
Messages
100
Reaction score
113
Location
Whitewater, WI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I would say if there is any way you can fit a 40 breeder in the stand, I would upgrade your sump to this size since you want a large refugium. I agree with previous statement that you need more space in skimmer section, you list it as 8" with a marine pure block in it, but the marine pure block is 8x8x4. If you can squeeze a 40 into your stand, it will leave more space and youll be happier in the end I think.
 

Red_Beard

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 17, 2019
Messages
1,220
Reaction score
1,490
Location
Utah
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I would second what @RocketEngineer suggested, but would add 2 other points

1. if you added a little gap between your bubble trap baffle and regular baffle and put in a little egg crate shelf (in red) in the bottom you could set bags of media in it and give yourself enough room to fit a hand in to clean
2. i have heard that those marinepure blocks can sometimes get soft and with the vibration of the skimmer could potentially disintegrate into goo or worse get sucked into your pump intake. I think under the skimmer is not a bad place to put it, just that i wouldn't set the skimmer directly on top of it, but build a little shelf to put it on and slide your blocks underneath.
Tank.jpg
 

pdxmonkeyboy

Sticks!! Give me the sticks!
View Badges
Joined
Mar 7, 2017
Messages
2,677
Reaction score
4,609
Location
Hockinson, WA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I would go 40 gallon breeder before 70 gallon. You may also want to put your fuge before the skimmer. Reason being as water levels can only decrease as they flow through the sump. If you have a low water height to fit your skimmer in the cab, you will have low water in your fuge and top off/return chamber.
 
OP
OP
P

ph334706

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Love the feedback guys, really appreciate it. Take a look at the 2 different versions I modified which I think I can still get in the 29 gallon tank with a little room to play with at 30.5" long. If ya'll think there is still issues with this I could maybe go up to 40 and keep the sock filter format but widen the last set of baffles/bubble trap and add an egg crate shelf with carbon media as mentioned by Red_Beard. Thanks everyone for the help and really excited to get started with my sump build and eventually the tank lol.

Tank 2.jpg Tank 3.jpg
 

X-37B

Fight the Good Fight
View Badges
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
9,011
Reaction score
15,634
Location
Outer Limits
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
40 breeder no baffles or fuge. Just run a quality skimmer. Put your carbon in a mesh bag if needed.
Im not a fuge fan but if you want one go with an algae reactor.
It could go where my carx is.
Here is my 40 breeder sump on my 120 as an example.
20200214_212405.jpg
 
OP
OP
P

ph334706

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Decided to take everyone's advice and go with the 40 gallon tank for the sump to ensure I had enough room. Now I just need to decide whether I want to do socks, filter baskets or no manual filtration at all. Either way I'll ensure I have plenty of room for the skimmer and then just leave whatever is left for the refugium.

Any advice on coloring the back of my display tank? Thinking I want it to be colored to help with contrast for the eventual corals. Have read some heated debate on vinyl vs tint vs painting the tank itself. What do you guys recommend and do you prefer blue or black?
 

X-37B

Fight the Good Fight
View Badges
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
9,011
Reaction score
15,634
Location
Outer Limits
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Decided to take everyone's advice and go with the 40 gallon tank for the sump to ensure I had enough room. Now I just need to decide whether I want to do socks, filter baskets or no manual filtration at all. Either way I'll ensure I have plenty of room for the skimmer and then just leave whatever is left for the refugium.

Any advice on coloring the back of my display tank? Thinking I want it to be colored to help with contrast for the eventual corals. Have read some heated debate on vinyl vs tint vs painting the tank itself. What do you guys recommend and do you prefer blue or black?
It will cover in coralline if you like pink and purple.
I like the natural look.
20200215_184241.jpg

20200201_175446.jpg
 

Dempsey941

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Messages
1,824
Reaction score
3,856
Location
Frisco
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I think from now on I am going to paint the back of my tanks black. The darker color will help bring out the color of fish and coral better.
 

Red_Beard

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 17, 2019
Messages
1,220
Reaction score
1,490
Location
Utah
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Agreed, i have a blue and a black and like the black much better. I just masked mine off and hosed it down with spray paint. A coat of fusion to stick to glass better and regular black on top because fusion is translucent.
One option you might like is seting it up for socks but running media cups in it most of the time but tossing socks in before a clean up to catch all the gunk then swapping back.
 
OP
OP
P

ph334706

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Agreed, i have a blue and a black and like the black much better. I just masked mine off and hosed it down with spray paint. A coat of fusion to stick to glass better and regular black on top because fusion is translucent.
One option you might like is seting it up for socks but running media cups in it most of the time but tossing socks in before a clean up to catch all the gunk then swapping back.
I like the idea of the media cups for everyday use. Is there a media that you can put in to do a little bit of mechanical filtration but doesn't require maintenance every 2 days? Reading some other threads it sounds like people filling them with floss still end up changing them every 2 days or so. Love to find something that would be more of a weekly maintenance item.
 

Red_Beard

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 17, 2019
Messages
1,220
Reaction score
1,490
Location
Utah
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have found that the wider cell sponge works pretty good for a week or two. The coarse stuff in some canister filters or you can buy it in like 2 inch strips at the lfs. The good part about the floss is that you HAVE to change it, keeps us from getting lazy(er) :p
 

sp1187

bird flu antidote
View Badges
Joined
Aug 4, 2017
Messages
13,345
Reaction score
69,067
Location
the duck blind
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Decided to take everyone's advice and go with the 40 gallon tank for the sump to ensure I had enough room. Now I just need to decide whether I want to do socks, filter baskets or no manual filtration at all. Either way I'll ensure I have plenty of room for the skimmer and then just leave whatever is left for the refugium.

Any advice on coloring the back of my display tank? Thinking I want it to be colored to help with contrast for the eventual corals. Have read some heated debate on vinyl vs tint vs painting the tank itself. What do you guys recommend and do you prefer blue or black?

blue or green foam insulation board. hung with velcro.
 
OP
OP
P

ph334706

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks for the input everyone. Thinking about the sump again, I have a single 1 1/2" drain line from the overflow in my display tank down to the sump. If I wanted to be able to run two filter baskets/socks, assuming I run hard PVC for all the plumbing to the sump, can I just put a Y in the downward vertical position to split into two lines? Do I need to compress to 2 one inch lines or can I leave both lines at 1.5"?
 

BeejReef

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 29, 2019
Messages
4,269
Reaction score
24,610
Location
Oxford, Pennsylvania
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I might not have a heater in the return section. If the ato fails or you develop a leak, the heater element could be out of the water and melt down in the tank.
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
90,836
Reaction score
200,094
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Sump will work

welcome66.jpg
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 42 48.8%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 45 52.3%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 19 22.1%
  • None.

    Votes: 22 25.6%
  • Other.

    Votes: 9 10.5%
Back
Top