First attempt at sump filters

[Fishdude401]

Ok so i am getting a green terror and some plecos for my 55g. I have two aquaclear 110s, but i feel that those filters are too simple, i need something that i can screw around with

Here is my plan:

( i copied the idea from someone else but vamped some of the stuff up )

I am very open to criticism and advice, post your own ideas, videos, plans and so on.

Ok now for the questions:

How many gallons should the tank be?

How many GPH? my 2 aquaclears are 500GPH EA.

Should i put the heater in the sump or in the tank?

Is a sump loud? is a good sump loud? what makes a sump loud?

Thanks a lot

 

[Toby_H]

If you go to the thread you borrowed this design from... there is a further adapted form that I agreed there would be a bit more efficient...

 

[Fishdude401]

I still have my own questions though, plus i changed it.

 

[Fishdude401]

I guess i dont under stand how after the heater, the water is pushed down through the coarse sponge and than magically pushed up through the egg crate on the next chamber, wouldnt it overflow?

 

[Burko]

"wouldnt it overflow?"

Well yes...the first chamber will overfill until the height of the water exceeds the second.

Just redesign it so each chamber has an gravitational advantage over the next.

 

[Toby_H]

It will not function as illustrated…
　
The water in the third chamber where the weight is on top can not higher than the water in the first/second chambers…
　
The wall between the course sponge and the fine media will need to be taller… this will allow the water level to build up in the first/second chambers… causing enough pressure to push the water over the lip of the fine media chamber to spill into the bio chamber… In my opinion this wall between the course sponge and the fine media should be about 2” below the top rim of the sump. You want it low enough so water can spill over it in the event that the sponge is completely clogged, but you want it as high as possible to allow pressure to build to help push water through media…
　
Further you asked…
　
How many gallons should the tank be?
　
Meaning the sump… It could be as large or as small as you like. The larger it is the more flow it will permit, and the more media it will hold.


How many GPH? my 2 aquaclears are 500GPH EA.
　
The maximum GPH will depend on the intake your tank uses and the size of the tank/chambers.


Should i put the heater in the sump or in the tank?
　
I would definitely put the heater in the sump. I like the placement in the illustration


Is a sump loud? is a good sump loud? what makes a sump loud?
　
Sumps typically cause noise from two places… water flowing within the sump itself. This is fairly easy to control and is generally muffled by being contained within a stand. The second place is the intake. If the intake sucks air, it will likely slurp/gurgle. This slurping/gurgling sound can come from either end of the intake tube. Either at the surface where it takes water in, or in the sump where it drops water off…

 

[cichlid2006]

lol, sure you can steal my first design. j/k. the second design on my thread is the better one though and easier to clean. im also having acrylic to act as a lid to the sump so that should help do cut down on the noise as well as it being in the stand like nc_nutcase stated.

 

[Fishdude401]

Thanks guys, i am not going to fuss with this, i will just get a canister

 

[JAFRIAS]

it will work, u drew in the water line wrong, it would b more level at the 1st n 2nd b 3rd sections then falling thru the bio section to the pump simply, try it

 

[Bee0912]

Thanks guys, i am not going to fuss with this, i will just get a canister

I built a sump to tinker with but now that it is running it is no work at all. I clean the sponge once a month and that is. Go with a sump you wont be sorry. it is the only filter on my 180 gallon and its a 20 gallon standard wet dry home made setup and my water is crystal clear!