Hey guys, need some help and advice please. I've been running a 90gal FOWLR for 5 years now and after moving to my new home I've decided to upgrade(always wanted to, this is just the excuse I'm using) Lol. I've decided on a drilled 220 gal for my FOWLR. Well for starters, I ran an FX5 on my 90gal with good results. I have no experience whatsoever with a sump, and therefore do not know which route to go... What are the pros & cons of the DIY versus the sumps that are ready to go? Is one type any advantage over the other? Thanks for your help!
Setting up a 220gal
- Thread starter sammy77
- Start date
For a 220 your looking at a 55g sump. And good news on that, is there are a LOT of used 55g all over craigslist.
FOWLR/Reef sumps are easy to make. In a nutshell, you need 3 chambers. The first one is where your water comes in (via drilled or HOB overflow), it needs a decent footpring to hold a protein skimmer. The middle chamber is normally a refuge - where you grow macro algae such as chaeto algae to keep nitrates/phosp down, store heaters, keep fish in trouble etc. The last chamber is where your return pump goes, its the smallest chamber.
I have built them with bubble walls and to be honest, they are not needed unless you have a really small sump, like a 10g or something.
Keep it simple and have fun.
FOWLR/Reef sumps are easy to make. In a nutshell, you need 3 chambers. The first one is where your water comes in (via drilled or HOB overflow), it needs a decent footpring to hold a protein skimmer. The middle chamber is normally a refuge - where you grow macro algae such as chaeto algae to keep nitrates/phosp down, store heaters, keep fish in trouble etc. The last chamber is where your return pump goes, its the smallest chamber.
I have built them with bubble walls and to be honest, they are not needed unless you have a really small sump, like a 10g or something.
Keep it simple and have fun.
Big Country is dead on here. I have a 220 with dual overflows, I'm using a 55 gallon tank I picked up used on CL for a sump/refuge. Simple is better, three chambers with a bubble trap before your return pump(s). Have you given any thought to your return pump(s) yet?
Thank you. No idea on pumps yet. Are there any you guys recommend? It seems like Reef Octopus is most popular choice for a skimmer? What do you recommend?
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Your return pump size depends on how much water flow you want thru the sump, and how much GPH (gallons per hour) is already being produced by your existing powerheads in the main tank. For me personally, I did not want a river gushing thru my sump, so I create 90% of my water movement via powerheads in the main tank, then I run a small Mag return pump.
For a 220, a Mag 9.5 or 12 should do the trick I would think:
http://www.aquacave.com/Mag-Drive-95-Water-Pump-P506C772.aspx
http://www.aquacave.com/Mag-Drive-12-Water-Pump-P507C772.aspx
Bubble trap is 3 baffles 1" apart in your sump, it's sorta like a 3 layer wall. Bubbles from the protein skimmer output hit it and cannot get thru it. Therefore you do not have any microbubbles going back into your tank thru the return pump. Here is a pic of what one looks like (this pic is actually a good sump design for your 55g - yours being larger of course than the pic measurements etc):
And yes, Reef Octopus is a great skimmer. I have ran both a HOB Reef Octopus and just ordered a in sump Reef Octopus. For the money you cannot beat them.
For a 220, a Mag 9.5 or 12 should do the trick I would think:
http://www.aquacave.com/Mag-Drive-95-Water-Pump-P506C772.aspx
http://www.aquacave.com/Mag-Drive-12-Water-Pump-P507C772.aspx
Bubble trap is 3 baffles 1" apart in your sump, it's sorta like a 3 layer wall. Bubbles from the protein skimmer output hit it and cannot get thru it. Therefore you do not have any microbubbles going back into your tank thru the return pump. Here is a pic of what one looks like (this pic is actually a good sump design for your 55g - yours being larger of course than the pic measurements etc):
And yes, Reef Octopus is a great skimmer. I have ran both a HOB Reef Octopus and just ordered a in sump Reef Octopus. For the money you cannot beat them.
Before you decide on a pump though you have to get the rating for your overflow. Are you running a single or dual overflow tank? A 1 inch drain on a 220 is rated for 700gph, but figure that you won't do better than 600. If you have dual overflow, I'd recommend two smaller pumps as opposed to one large one. Redundant systems help prevent catastrophic failure. Example, your not home and a pump fails, the system can limp along with the other vs. your one large pump failing and the tank gets no circulation until you repair/replace. I personally would recommend two quite ones 4000s if you have dual over flows or one quite ones 6000 if you don't have dual overflows and your single can handle 1200gph.
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I will be purchasing my tank within the next week or so. Everything I was looking at has dual overflows(one in each corner inside tank) The tank looks just like yours(very sharp i might add!)I wish I could get your stand & canopy. That system sounds like a safe idea.