Diy sump idea

[Lady Sphinx]

I like to elevate the return pump so if you ever lose flow from the tank to the sump you don't overflow the tank.

Rmelz good point I would definitely take that i to consideration

 

[Lady Sphinx]

I like to elevate the return pump so if you ever lose flow from the tank to the sump you don't overflow the tank.

Rmelz good point I would definitely take that i to consideration

 

[DN328]

Yeah adding some Mechanical filter is a good point. I'm considering adding a good filtering sponge to the first chamber and some aquarium floss underneath the sponge for filtering, second chamber maybe some activated charcoal and zeolite in separate stockings and last chamber some type of ceramic media, haven't decided yet.

Also I'm considering using a overflow weir on my tanks ao that my water will only drain to a certain amount in the tanks and because I'm doing a drip system I'm planning to add a overflow to my sump in order to prevent the sump from over flowing, that water in turn will run into a container which I will use to water my veggies and plant when it is filled, maybe even later I will do a aquaponics system in the future but I will definitely look into a check valve as it could prevent other problems.

Yup, the overflow weir will help. I have an internal overflow taking up one end of the tank. When the return is off, it will still drain down to the lowest drain (I have a Herbie setup but with a dry e-drain like Bean Animal).

I use socks for mechanical. After my bio-filter and before the return chamber, I have a final tray where I use a sturdy accurel felt sandwitched between two blue-white bonded poly filter. This helps keeps the water clear and helps to minimize detritus before the pump.

 

[celebrist]

Just remember that whatever you use for mechanical you need to access fairly easily to clean or replace

 

[knobhill]

Looks like a neat little project!

Looking at the design, my only worry is that with the baffles and water flow, you might overflow one of the chambers if your media gets clogged. I'm not sure what type(s) of media you are using but you may want to lower the baffles from the top a bit and drill some "safety" holes in the baffles just in case you encounter a clog.