good sump idea?

[Crispy]

So I currently run a 55g wet/dry sump (drawer style) on my 190g and now that I'm looking into a large plywood build (500g+), I'm gonna start building my sump.

Sump is 130g (72x18x24) and I plan on two bulkheads feeding large drawers on each side. Now in a sump this size it seems as I'm wasting a huge space just holding water at the bottom.. I was thinking of putting 4 large sponge filters in the bottom to increase the bio-area.

I'm not one to believe submerged media is really doing it's job in a sump, but I think having the large sponge filters fed by 2 air pumps will really increase my bio-capacity. Also helps if you ever need to instantly cycle a Q tank or such.

I do keep a single sponge filter in my sump now and I believe it works good.

So I guess I'm asking if this setup would be using my space wisely? (heaters will be in there also)
Sorry for my poor paint skills...lol

I'll also add that 2 fx5s are also purchased for mostly mech.

 

[Crispy]

sorry for the double post, but I wanna keep things simple (I love the drawer systems), cheap, and don't wanna silicone in baffles.

 

[happydownunder]

If you look through the post you will find a lot of different ways of setting up a sump, you can get some ideas there, the sump you have designed should work. If i where you would think about a second pump just for backup.

 

[scalesandfins]

yea i would do 2 pumps just to make sure there is a safety net, unless you already have soemthin in place. that seems like a great idea tho. love the amount of bio that thing can hold its insane even without the sponges, just the two bio towers will hol denough for just about anythin

 

[Crispy]

If you look through the post you will find a lot of different ways of setting up a sump, you can get some ideas there, the sump you have designed should work. If i where you would think about a second pump just for backup.

2nd pump is not necessary since it will only drain what is being pumped in. Also, 130g can hold alot of water.

I've already looked at many sump setups, but none like what I have designed. Just wondering if I'm maximizing my sump for bio, cuz why has noone done this yet? I see lotsa bio-media sitting submerged, but why not sponge filters?

Hmm... 77 hits and only 2 responses?? c'mon sump guys!

Seems to me they would work so much better for something so simple...

 

[Clay]

Water always takes the path of least resistance, so in order to maximize flow THROUGH the sponge, you will need to ensure that there isn't another path around the sponge. You will certainly seed the sponges with bacteria, but maximizing flow would be my concern with this design.

The typical left to right flow designs are classic and work well. The center style returns always seem less efficient to me, unless the water is channeled, forced, or guided.

 

[Crispy]

ok, that sounds logical to me clay.. so I move my drawer systems together on one side and put the return pump at the other end, thus drawing water from one direction to the other. I see a possible benefit to this...

 

[revival]

haha....u were right crispy...we both asked the same question....and we spent all this time drawing our stupid pictures..lol.

 

[revival]

This is how i got the idea.....this is MFK Monolicious Tank