i am new to saltwater tanks and im trying to find out what sizer skimmer and pump i would need to run a 90 gal reef tank with a 40 gal sump. im going to try a simple 3 chamber sump.
pump and skimmer
- Thread starter metro609
- Start date
You only need two baffles to catch bubbles after the first section. Ditch the first one.
What overflow do you have? This will dictate your maximum flow for the return pump. For example if the overflow can handle 600gph you want a pump that will put out about 600gph at that head height. The head height is the height from the water in the sump to the water's surface in the display. Do you have a brand of pump in mind?
I would recommend you use smoked glass for your baffles. They will prevent the light from the fuge from growing light throughout the whole sump.
The water level should be determined by the following: Fill the display tank until it is overflowing into the sump. Then with the return pump OFF fill the sump allt he way to the trim. Then turn on the return pump. The water level in the sump will drop (probably only an inch or two). Mark the glass with a permanent marker so you know the maximum fill/topoff line when the pump is running. This will alow the most water possible (highest volume) without risking flooding if the power goes out.
What overflow do you have? This will dictate your maximum flow for the return pump. For example if the overflow can handle 600gph you want a pump that will put out about 600gph at that head height. The head height is the height from the water in the sump to the water's surface in the display. Do you have a brand of pump in mind?
I would recommend you use smoked glass for your baffles. They will prevent the light from the fuge from growing light throughout the whole sump.
The water level should be determined by the following: Fill the display tank until it is overflowing into the sump. Then with the return pump OFF fill the sump allt he way to the trim. Then turn on the return pump. The water level in the sump will drop (probably only an inch or two). Mark the glass with a permanent marker so you know the maximum fill/topoff line when the pump is running. This will alow the most water possible (highest volume) without risking flooding if the power goes out.
i dont have a overflow yet. i was looking today at 600gph and 800gph i wasnt sure which would be best for the 90 gal tank. the smoke glass is a great idea and im def goin to do that. like i said i am brand new at this and im getting all my equipment ready and taking everything slow so i dont waste alot of $.
metro609;5090163; said:
Bigger is always better. You really can't have too much flow through your sump. Besides an overflow rated for 600 gph will never end up pulling 600 gph. Same with a pump rated for 600 gph at a certain head height. There are a number of restricting factors, particularly if you use PVC and not flex hose. I would do at least a 800 gph, a 1000 gph or 1200 gph would be even better.
For example, I have a 1200 gph overflow box and run a mag 18 return pump. It is flex hose down to the sump and pvc for the return pipe. I have some horizontal run, so I could probably use a bigger pump than the 18 to maximize my flow.
reptileguy2727;5089853; said:
Good points here, except one thing. Make sure that with the water filled to that maximum line it all can fit into the tank when the power goes out and turns back on. The reason here being that when the power goes out the pump shuts off, the overflow keeps going until the siphon breaks. Like reptile stated, all that water must fit in your sump. What he didn't mention is when the power turns back on and your siphon doesn't restart(more on this problem later). All the water in your return pump chamber(after the last baffle) has to be able to go into the display tank without overflowing the display tank. This will then also cause the return pump to run dry because all the water will be pumped into the display tank and not returned(broken siphon of overflow). This is a very important point many people overlook.
To remedy this, you can do 1 of 2 things.
1. This is the best option. Drill your tank or buy one that is drilled if you don't already own a tank. This will eliminate the need to buy an overflow box and having to deal with power outages and broken siphons.
2. If you already own the tank. Get a CPR overflow box with aqualifter pump. It will restart the siphon when the power goes out and turns back on so you don't have to worry about overflowing or running your pump dry. (This is not foolproof, if the aqualifter fails you would still have a flood, so I would still follow the guidelines from the 1st paragraph even with this overflow)
Good point. I never had the power go out long enough to break the siphon in my overflow box, but that is important. You could even make a DIY aqualifter add-on to other overflow boxes if you really wanted (I like the Eshopps overflow box better than CPR's, but it does not already have an aqualifter option).
Make sure the return's output is close to the surface. 1-more surface agitation, 2- break the siphon when the power is out. The last thing you want is the overflow box to be fine but you drain 1/4 of the tank because the output from the sump is too low.
I did not use the flex tube drain. I hard-plumbed the drain from the overflow box. This was more secure and allowed me to increase the size of the pipe so that the corners did not slow the flow of the drain. I used vinyl tubing for the return.
Use black tubing whenever possible. I used clear originally and had coralline algae growing it. I replaced it with black, again to prevent algae from growing outside the fuge.
Make sure the return's output is close to the surface. 1-more surface agitation, 2- break the siphon when the power is out. The last thing you want is the overflow box to be fine but you drain 1/4 of the tank because the output from the sump is too low.
I did not use the flex tube drain. I hard-plumbed the drain from the overflow box. This was more secure and allowed me to increase the size of the pipe so that the corners did not slow the flow of the drain. I used vinyl tubing for the return.
Use black tubing whenever possible. I used clear originally and had coralline algae growing it. I replaced it with black, again to prevent algae from growing outside the fuge.