Sump Design Check

[jamesucla]

I am about to install all the baffles in my sump system, and wanted to run the design by you experienced folks before i glue everything together. Hopefully this drawing makes sense & is self explanatory, but if not I am happy to answer questions. I tried to design this so that there is no "trickling" from 1 section to another.

Basic stats: 70 Galon, 90" x 15" x 12" (l x w x h), there are 2 herbie drains on either end of the tank that will all be plumbed to the center of this sump. I have 2 return pumps on either end of the tank where i will be keeping the heaters. The (2) bio media sections will sit on egg crate to allow water to flow under them to the return. in case any 1 section is blocked, there is 2" of clearance at the top of each baffle for water to bypass any 1 section to the return section. Normally I will have 4" of head space to allow for power outages. Each pump on either end is Jabao 18000 DC pump. I have air stones in there to provide extra oxygen for beneficial bacteria.

Appreciate any feedback as i will be gluing this up tonight. Already have all the baffles cut but can change if there's a problem.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

It looks like you won't have a very stable water height in there. And I'd want some section to use as a refugium, hospital tank, etc. But otherwise, looks fine.

 

[jamesucla]

It looks like you won't have a very stable water height in there. And I'd want some section to use as a refugium, hospital tank, etc. But otherwise, looks fine.

Thanks, what makes the water height unstable? (I've got a spare 75 gal in the garage for hospital tank).

 

[TwoHedWlf]

Because, as either the water evaporates, or pump/drain rates change due to debris or phases of the moon the water height in the sump will change. It's why many sumps are set up with something like a final baffle that the water flows over before falling into the pump chamber, because that will set the height for the water before it. And it limits the variation in volume between the tank and sump. So you don't risk something like clogging the return and draining the sump resulting in the main tank overflowing. Size it right and the pump will just empty its section before the main tank overflows.


Probably not a big issue, just something worth considering.

 

[celebrist]

with a return pump on each and you do run the risk of draining one of your pump sections dry I think

when I ran to return pumps and a long sump I had the returns come in each end of my sump and then the pump chamber is in the center with both pumps

 

[jamesucla]

Because, as either the water evaporates, or pump/drain rates change due to debris or phases of the moon the water height in the sump will change. It's why many sumps are set up with something like a final baffle that the water flows over before falling into the pump chamber, because that will set the height for the water before it. And it limits the variation in volume between the tank and sump. So you don't risk something like clogging the return and draining the sump resulting in the main tank overflowing. Size it right and the pump will just empty its section before the main tank overflows.


Probably not a big issue, just something worth considering.

Got it. So putting another baffle before the return pumps from the bottom of the tank to a certain height would set the min height of water in the sump. And limit the sump volume from flooding the tank in the event of a drain clog. Like I show in green below

 

[Oughtsix]

I believe TwoHeadWolf is saying is a final baffle the height of your biomedia will keep the biomedia covered. Personally I don't think this is needed.

Where do your heater(s) go?

You have a lot of bio media. If it were me I would consider making the biomedia compartments a bit smaller and the mechanical media compartment a bit bigger so the mechanical media will last a bit longer before becoming clogged. I would put the mechanical media up on eggcrate an inch or so off the bottom for better penetration through the entire stack of media.

I would put very fine filter pads on the entire bottom of the sump for the purpose of catching any fine particles that settle out of the water under the other media. These pads would not be for the water to flow through. When it comes time to do a sump clean out pull these pads, wash them and put them back in. This will be a lot easier and quicker than trying to vacuum all the settled debris out of the bottom of the sump.

It looks good. I think it would be fine exactly as you have it. My suggestions are just a little food for thought and nothing I would consider essential.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

Where do your heater(s) go?

Presumably where the arrows marked heater are pointing. Right next to the return pump.

 

[TheWolfman]

I like the design as is. I personally prefer for have the return section and the bio media share the same water volume. It will allow you to do small gravel cleanings without needing to top off the tank between water changes. It's not a problem with a large sump like that. If your drains are setup properly and it sounds like yours are there really isn't a risk of draining sump and flooding the display tank.

 

[jamesucla]

I like the design as is. I personally prefer for have the return section and the bio media share the same water volume. It will allow you to do small gravel cleanings without needing to top off the tank between water changes. It's not a problem with a large sump like that. If your drains are setup properly and it sounds like yours are there really isn't a risk of draining sump and flooding the display tank.

Yeah I don't like the extra baffle if anything it adds another restriction to those hungry pumps. Hopefully 4 drains is enough redundancy against clogs.