New sump design, do you think it will work?

[m3fan8ic]

I am using 75gl tank to build my own desing for sump. The right side where water is being drain to plastic shelving unit with drain holes in the shelvs which will hold carbon, sponge, LR. water then feeds to a skimmer via Mag7. Fuge is in the middle and on the left is where water will return to the main tank via mag 12. I will also include turf fileter system that I am putting togather which will be held over where the drain comes in. I am currently using 40gl sump which only have the plastic shelving unit which holds carbon, sponge and LR and no baffle. This was setup as temp until I can get 75gl ready. Please give me your thoughts/suggestion

thanks

Sid

 

 

[Ne0eN]

You may have an issue with micro-bubbles from your skimmer output entering the return pump. Depending on your skimmer size/type, you may want to keep it in the sump, and not have to worry about potential leaks, overflows, etc.

 

--Rob

[bbyatv]

I would suggest having the return from you skimmer go back upstream of the refugium. It might help with micro bubble and with water quality.

 

Bruce

 

I am using 75gl tank to build my own desing for sump. The right side where water is being drain to plastic shelving unit with drain holes in the shelvs which will hold carbon, sponge, LR. water then feeds to a skimmer via Mag7. Fuge is in the middle and on the left is where water will return to the main tank via mag 12. I will also include turf fileter system that I am putting togather which will be held over where the drain comes in. I am currently using 40gl sump which only have the plastic shelving unit which holds carbon, sponge and LR and no baffle. This was setup as temp until I can get 75gl ready. Please give me your thoughts/suggestion

thanks

Sid

 

 

[m3fan8ic]

I am using GSA std8 skimmer and I would like to keep it outside of my sump. Currently there are no issue with micro bubles as is.

 

 

 

I would suggest having the return from you skimmer go back upstream of the refugium. It might help with micro bubble and with water quality.

 

Bruce

 

I thought about it, I am planning to have a sand bed in fuge, how can i control the sand strom? or would it be okay?

[bbyatv]

I would suggest the 2 changes in blue.

 

 

Bruce

 

I am using GSA std8 skimmer and I would like to keep it outside of my sump. Currently there are no issue with micro bubles as is.

I thought about it, I am planning to have a sand bed in fuge, how can i control the sand strom? or would it be okay?

 

 

In order to keep the sand from getting stirred up, maybe have some live rock just down stream of the bubble trap wall on the fuge side that the water would fall on before getting to the sand.

 

Bruce

 

I am using GSA std8 skimmer and I would like to keep it outside of my sump. Currently there are no issue with micro bubles as is.

I thought about it, I am planning to have a sand bed in fuge, how can i control the sand strom? or would it be okay?

[m3fan8ic]

Bruce,

Thanks for you suggestion and it makes sense to drain the skimmer where you pointed out before the fuge so water will be more clear going into the main tank. Another question is should I have DSB or just enough? any pros or cons for having DSB in fuge?

also what are your thought about turf filteration system?

 

link below from reefland.com is what I am referring to.

 

http://www.reefland.com/forum/tanks-filtra...everything.html

[bbyatv]

I like the turf scrubber idea very much. I am a huge fan of using macro algae to eliminate P am N. I use it with great success in my tank. There might be one draw back to the turf scrubber and it would be water evaporation. I would imagine that you would be replacing a lot of evaporated water. I estimate that RO/DI water costs between 30 and 50 cents a gallon. This could result in a little money over time.

 

As far as a DSB goes, I have one in my fuge. I have heard/read both pros and cons. So far I guess I am up in the air on the idea. For sure the Macro algae in the fuge is a very good idea.

 

Maybe you could add a screen (turf scrubber) that hangs out over your fuge like the red line below and get the best of both worlds.

 

 

Bruce

 

Bruce,

Thanks for you suggestion and it makes sense to drain the skimmer where you pointed out before the fuge so water will be more clear going into the main tank. Another question is should I have DSB or just enough? any pros or cons for having DSB in fuge?

also what are your thought about turf filteration system?

 

link below from reefland.com is what I am referring to.

 

http://www.reefland.com/forum/tanks-filtra...everything.html

[m3fan8ic]

here is what i was thinking about doing with turf.. not too much worried about evaporation since it will be suspended more on the top of the sump and lights will be away from water level.

 

[bbyatv]

This looks great.

 

But trust me, Fans + Lights on water running down a verticle screen = evaporation.

 

This combination will also = cooling and you may reduce your chilling requirements a little.

 

Bruce

 

here is what i was thinking about doing with turf.. not too much worried about evaporation since it will be suspended more on the top of the sump and lights will be away from water level.

 

Edited September 3, 2008 by bbyatv

[m3fan8ic]

Thanks for you suggestions and help, I'll post pics once done and see how much evaporation I am dealing with when up and running.

 

Sid

[bbyatv]

I look forward to seeing the pics.

 

Bruce

 

Thanks for you suggestions and help, I'll post pics once done and see how much evaporation I am dealing with when up and running.

 

Sid

[jason the filter freak]

instead of adding more heat and cost to your tank with a feed pump to your skimmer why not just tee off the drain line add a ball valve and divert flow to the skimmer that can be adjusted.

[m3fan8ic]

instead of adding more heat and cost to your tank with a feed pump to your skimmer why not just tee off the drain line add a ball valve and divert flow to the skimmer that can be adjusted.

 

 

Dan suggested that I should use a feeder pump for the GSA std8 to avoid any air getting into the skimmer.

[jamesbuf]

Dan suggested that I should use a feeder pump for the GSA std8 to avoid any air getting into the skimmer.

 

 

Not to mention that you want to be pulling out dissolved organic material from the water, not clogging up your meshwheel with solid debris that will make its way into the main body of the skimmer with the type of configuration that Jason described.

[jason the filter freak]

fien then don't tee it off for your skimmer tee it off for your turf/evaporator

[m3fan8ic]

fien then don't tee it off for your skimmer tee it off for your turf/evaporator

 

Jason,

I don' t want to do that, reason why is that I don't want to restrict the pressure from the drain pipe going onto the sump and if I Tee it off and direct some of the drain to turf it will be too much pressure for the turf pipe which I don't want; it will spray water all over if too much pressure. I want steady streem of water flowing through the turf pipe which wont spray the drain water all over but to sump. Hope that makes sense.

[jason the filter freak]

thats what the ball valve is for allowing you to adjust flow/pressure...

[ctreptow]

Any Ideas where to get a turf screen.. I was looking to build one myself.

 

Chris

[m3fan8ic]

Any Ideas where to get a turf screen.. I was looking to build one myself.

 

Chris

 

Chris I bought the screen from Petco, it's a simple tank divider. I haven't had chance to make it yet but hopefully this weekend.

 

Sid

[ctreptow]

Chris I bought the screen from Petco, it's a simple tank divider. I haven't had chance to make it yet but hopefully this weekend.

 

Sid

 

Do we need seed algae or will the turf algae will just grow?

 

Chris

[m3fan8ic]

if you can seed algea it will speed up the process, otherwise lights and air will help it grow.

[jason the filter freak]

better than the tank dividers... needle poin screen from a craft store

[m3fan8ic]

here is a pic of the tur scrubber .. not a good pic but gives you an idea.. This in in temp sump until 75gl is setup.

I set this up last weekend (Sun) and took the pic, but today (wed) I can already see the brown/green algea being trapped in there....will take more pics after a week or so to see the progress.

 

[bbyatv]

Sid,

 

Funny. I did the same thing and added a scrubber to my refugium on Monday 9/8.

I kind of did it like I suggested in the drawings above.

In just a few days I have some algae growing on the screen.

 

I have 66 square inches of screen.

 

Here are some pics.

 

 

 

 

 

Bruce

Edited September 11, 2008 by bbyatv

[Coral Hind]

Not to be a Mr. Negative but I tried a turf scrubber back in the mid 90's and here are the cons I had. Mine was bigger and might have caused more issues then your smaller versions.

 

1. My tank evaporation was doubled which means more humidity in the house.

2. With the exposed algae came the smell. My fish room smelled like a swamp once the screen became covered.

3. Breeding ground for hair algae which ended up in the tank. I had to use a prefilter on my pump to limit that.

 

I think a properly maintained macro algae in the sump gives you the same end results and it is a lot easier.

 

Just my 2 cents and I applaud you for taking steps to try to improve the tanks water quality.