300/55gal wet/dry sump setup, newbie questions

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OhioCatman

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 10, 2012
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Dayton, OH
So I have never used a wet/dry sump before so I really know nothing about them other then the basic principle behind them. I am turning an old 55gal into my sump properly partitioning it from using ideas of others on here. This is going to basically be a show tank as it will be setup in my living room. I am building my own stand to be able to house the 55gal. I have also aquired a fx5 to be my main mechanical filtration (also adding because it will help pull waste from lower in the water column) while my sump is for bio filitration.

I have decided on a mag drive 18 for my pump and a eshopps 1800 overflow box. Would also make a DIY overflow but as I mentioned this is more or less a show tank so I dont want any large pvc pieces inside tank. So with these choices I could really use help with plumbing as I dont seem to grasp all the plumbing I have looked at. To me there seems to be more then is needed for all of them I looked at. My thinking is what gets pumped in must return as long as the overflow box is big enough to handle the pump.

Need help in deciding whether to use pvc hardline or vinyl tubing? I am leaning towards vinyl tubing as it seems it would flow smoother with having to have less 90 degree fittings. My idea is the overflow has 2 bulkheads, I will run tubing from each bulkhead into a 150 micron filter sock (each tube will have its own sock). Water will then flow through the partitions and up over to my drip tray over the bio balls. Heres the next question. I was planning on 10-12 gallons worth of bio balls. but there is quite a few different types and sizes, which one is reccomended and how many should I purchase or should I use more then 12 gallons worth? I plan on building it so all the bio balls are above the water line in the tank. Thinking about building it so they are roughly 8" off the bottom of the tank and the last partition before sump being about 7" high which will give the ability of an extra 1" for the water to flow over it. Coming off the pump I want to use pvc so I can put in a single ball valve/union so I can remove pump easily for servicing. I would then like to Y off the pvc into 2 vinyl tubes to run up into 2 U pipe directional returns, 1 in each corner of the tank.

The only things I have for certain so far are the fx5 and the 55gal tank. Nothing else has been ordered yet but I want to get everything ordered tonight so I can get to finishing this all up. So please feel free to critique/change my plans. Any advice is welcomed.

Thanks in advance.
 
I ran the same setup on my heavily stocked 300g. My sump had about 15g of bioballs and a few bags of submerged media as well. I ran a CPR 1200gph overflow and an Eshopps 900g? overflow. I used the black sump pump tubing it is cheap. And ran one to a spraybar made of pvc and the others just dumped right on top of the filter padding and driptray. I started with the MAg 18 but eventually went up to the 24. I packed the fx5 with biomedia ripping most of all the pads out of it.
 
If it were me i would run a bigger sump than a 55g on a 300. On my 225g i have a 55g sump w/ 2 quiet one 6000's. Its around a 10x turnover rate. I would do a bigger sump on this tank if i did it over again just so i could fit more media in there as well as some pothos.
 
I already own the 55 and not going to go buy a 75 or 90 just to make a bigger sump. Everything I have read says 10 gal of media is enough for 300 gal, but of course more is better, thats why i was shooting for more like 12 gal. As far as pumps I am not looking to create all of my turnover rate with just the sump. As I stated it will have 1 fx5 which will give me roughly 2 x turnover rate added with mag drive 18 which will give me 4-5 x turnover rate for a rough estimate of 6-7 x turnover. I also already have a 750gph hydor water circulator to add that is currently in my 125 and I was thinking about adding a second for 1500gph more of circulation.
 
That would be great if you're willing to help. Dont think I can send any private message though for contact info. Always been a lurker till taking on a project like this so I dont have enough posts.
 
I would consider going with a Laguna Max-Flo 1500 pump.

The Mag Drive 18 Cost ~$140, consumes 150 watts and pushes around 1,200GPH at 5' Head Pressure.
The Laguna Max Flo 1500 Cost ~ $135, consumes only 100 watts and also pushes around 1,200GPH at 5' Head Pressure.

The Laguna is less expensive and way more efficient (50 watts might not seem like a big difference, but running 24/7 it can really add up- for me that translates into about $132/year). I have the 4200 model and it's a good quality pump (moves a ton of water and does it quietly).

In regards to your sump, your plan sounds good. You are correct that the size pump you use is basically limited by the GPH your overflows can handle.

In regards to your questions, I've done both flexible vinyl tubing and rigid PVC plumbing and I'd say it's a toss up. Flexible vinyl tubing is easier to work with (just cut it to size, push it over the barb fitting and hose clamp it just to be safe- no gluing needed), but in my opinion, hard plumbed looks better. You are right that you will have less head loss using flex versus having to use 90 ell fittings. But you also have a 3rd option- flex PVC. You would use standard PVC fittings with flex PVC so you would have to glue (you really shouldn't used barbed fittings on flex PVC), but you can avoid using 90s in most cases if you go with the flex PVC.

Good luck setting up your tank. Take your time and do it right the first time because making changes after you already have livestock is a PITA.
 
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