Help me with a sump design.

[eddiegunks]

Hey all,

I just got my first monster tank. 300 gallons. 8' x 2' x 2.5'. It came with a 55 gallon sump. And a stand. I want to get a bigger some put in but I'm limited on area in the stand.

The way the stand was designed I have 15 inches wide and about 25 inches tall of usable space under the aquarium inside the stand. The stand is 8 feet long.

My idea was to buy a 29 long and then drill a hole (down low) in the 29 and the 55 so water can go between the two and have only one pump returning water to the aquarium.

I was planning to have one overflow per sump. And then one pump and one return line.

I have a UV sterilizer to fit in the mix and a standalone carbon filter (that is powered by a power gead) that I could use. All of this I got with the tank and would like to use as much as possible and do this the right way.

Any ideas or suggestions? How would you tackle the project? Would you fill the 29 for a bio balls and then use the 55 with more bio balls? Any suggestions, drawings, and tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thx

Eddie

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

I would get something other than bio balls because they are really not efficient with their surface area.

Before you make plans to drill the two Aquariums you're using for sumps, I would make sure you're 55 isn't tempered, and that the 29 you plan on getting isn't tempered either. I remember hearing that most 55's are tempered, at least all of the panels but the bottom. Once you make sure all of that is ok, I recommend doing some calculations to figure out what you need for flow between the two tanks. I recommend sizing it for the total tank turnover in case one of the overflows ever gets clogged. You might find that you need one large or two semi-large bulkheads to handle the total flow.

Ok, next up, I recommend using two pumps instead of one. Two smaller pumps will have redundancy compared to one larger one. I recommend two of the Jebao DCP (two versions newer than the DCT pumps) 12000's. These will let you get great flow on a lower setting, and are very silent, and very adjustable.

If you can't get the 55 and 29 to work together, I think the 55 will suffice, as long as you don't have any crazy overstocking.

Btw, here is a picture of my 55 gallon sump I put under my 220:



I put the baffles in myself. I run about 1600gph through it.

 

[eddiegunks]

Fish Tank Travis

Thx. What do you use for media? I have a tone of bio balls but i can use whatever is best. I want the best/most filtration possible.

I would Like to keep an arowana, a stibg ray or two and maybe another monster.

I will check the temper. I just got a 55 gallon at the dollar per gallon sale, well it's now a half off sale for 55's, and it is not tempered. Some of them had a sticker that said all classes tempered, I found one with no sticker. I will check it again before I drill it but I know I have at least one. The 29 is also not tempered I checked that one.

Using two 2 inch bulk heads would be no problem. Thanks for the tip on the pumps. I was reading real bad reviews on that manufacture of pump, but maybe that was the earlier versions.

Again, should I have the 29 Fill the 55 or I should run them as independ tanks that are attached? I could run two pumps out of one aquarium. I just thought it might be better to have one spot to pop out of then I can get more media in the other tank. What do you think?

thanks

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

Fish Tank Travis

Thx. What do you use for media? I have a tone of bio balls but i can use whatever is best. I want the best/most filtration possible.

I would Like to keep an arowana, a stibg ray or two and maybe another monster.

I will check the temper. I just got a 55 gallon at the dollar per gallon sale, well it's now a half off sale for 55's, and it is not tempered. Some of them had a sticker that said all classes tempered, I found one with no sticker. I will check it again before I drill it but I know I have at least one. The 29 is also not tempered I checked that one.

Using two 2 inch bulk heads would be no problem. Thanks for the tip on the pumps. I was reading real bad reviews on that manufacture of pump, but maybe that was the earlier versions.

Again, should I have the 29 Fill the 55 or I should run them as independ tanks that are attached? I could run two pumps out of one aquarium. I just thought it might be better to have one spot to pop out of then I can get more media in the other tank. What do you think?

thanks

I run mostly ceramic bio rings. However, I think lava rock is probably the best option, and is very economical.

I would run the two tanks in series, personally. Put filter socks at one end and the pumps at the other. You don't need baffles if you don't want to install them, but if you do then go for it.

There are a ton of people on here using the Jebao pumps. I like the DCP over the DCT because of the adjustability. The DCP can be adjusted anywhere between 30 and 100% by 1% increments. The DCT pumps can only be put on setting 1 through 10.

 

[Champagnereef]

Fish Tank Travis

Thx. What do you use for media? I have a tone of bio balls but i can use whatever is best. I want the best/most filtration possible.

I would Like to keep an arowana, a stibg ray or two and maybe another monster.

I will check the temper. I just got a 55 gallon at the dollar per gallon sale, well it's now a half off sale for 55's, and it is not tempered. Some of them had a sticker that said all classes tempered, I found one with no sticker. I will check it again before I drill it but I know I have at least one. The 29 is also not tempered I checked that one.

Using two 2 inch bulk heads would be no problem. Thanks for the tip on the pumps. I was reading real bad reviews on that manufacture of pump, but maybe that was the earlier versions.

Again, should I have the 29 Fill the 55 or I should run them as independ tanks that are attached? I could run two pumps out of one aquarium. I just thought it might be better to have one spot to pop out of then I can get more media in the other tank. What do you think?

thanks

I think it is not a bad idea, thanks for your comments

 

[duanes]

Whether you use bio-balls, lava rock, or old hair curlers, bio-media is just a surface area for benificial bacteria to colonize.
The idea that one thing type is better than another, is highly exaggerated.
That bacterial population is more influenced by stocking level, flow rate, and whether or not the media gets gunked up with debris,
because the bacteria is aerobic.
If it is smothered with gunk it won't be as effective as media that is cleaned often enough, and has a strong enough flow to keep oxygen available to the bacteria.
I use a dual sump system, sumps are connected by 2 one inch PVC pipes, where one side is just bio-media, the other tank ( beside bio-media) has a ton of mechanical media, nad also serves as an algae scrubber.


I don't have my sump directly under the tank, the one with mechanical media, sponges and pumps is off to the side to make regular maintenance easier (more accessible), and allow the algae scrubber to get more and longer duration of direct sun to promote the algae growth, and more efficient algal species..