i would make bigger chambers and make it more simple. One big wet/dry area, then one bio submerged bio area.You don't want to have to clean each chamber. While it looks better to complicate things on paper, its not when you actually build and have to maintain it.
Sump design question
- Thread starter johndirst
- Start date
Great advice everyone!
BadOleRoss - the reason for the dead zone in the first chamber was so that any debris that was not caught by the filter socks could settle at the bottom of section "1". I saw a few designs like that, which is why I was thinking of doing it. Maybe this is just wasted space though...
Also, the design you showed seems to be too elaborate.
Are you thinking then just 3 chambers?
BadOleRoss - the reason for the dead zone in the first chamber was so that any debris that was not caught by the filter socks could settle at the bottom of section "1". I saw a few designs like that, which is why I was thinking of doing it. Maybe this is just wasted space though...
Also, the design you showed seems to be too elaborate.
Are you thinking then just 3 chambers?
johndirst;4268242; said:
Looking at the pic above:
Imagine section "1" is not there.
Water will come into section "2" and goes up into section "3" which will hold some mechanical ceramic rings. Water then falls into section "4" which will hold the Bio-Media (substrate pro and scrubbies). Imagine that in section "4" that piece with all the holes is closer to the bottom where water exits to the pumps.
This loses the polishing pad idea (original idea for section "4"), but I may be able to incorporate this back in somehow.
My goal is crystal clear water, lots of water turnover, and if possible, less gravel cleaning (the tank is 3 feet tall and my arms are only so long
).Ok. Redesign... well kind of...
I found where I had see the first section with a "dead zone" and in fact it isn't so since the intakes will be below the mechanical that will sit in section "1".
The basic idea I am "borrowing" can be seen here:
Here is an overall shot with my auto-water change solution (not my idea, just my implementation).
So water will come into section "1" and through a filter sock, then up through ceramic rings (mechanical).
The water overflows into section "2" that will be populated with foam or scrubbies or something else?
Water will go up through section "3" that will have the Eheim substrate pro.
Then some water into section "4" that will have the polishing pads and some over section "4", both leading to section "5".
Return via the pumps.
Auto-Water change
I will have an auto-drip system adding about 2.25 GPH to the tank which will add the entire tank size every week (i.e. 380 gallons a week). This will result in the filer to overflow, but I have a bulkhead at some level in the filter that will drain water to a holding tub with a traditional sump pump in it. When the water level in the holding tank gets high enough, the pump ejects the water to a drain.
So, what do you think?
I have thought that if I want the bio media (Eheim substrate pro) to be wet but not submerged, I could eliminate section "1" and enlarge section "5". Is that better?
I found where I had see the first section with a "dead zone" and in fact it isn't so since the intakes will be below the mechanical that will sit in section "1".
The basic idea I am "borrowing" can be seen here:
Here is an overall shot with my auto-water change solution (not my idea, just my implementation).
So water will come into section "1" and through a filter sock, then up through ceramic rings (mechanical).
The water overflows into section "2" that will be populated with foam or scrubbies or something else?
Water will go up through section "3" that will have the Eheim substrate pro.
Then some water into section "4" that will have the polishing pads and some over section "4", both leading to section "5".
Return via the pumps.
Auto-Water change
I will have an auto-drip system adding about 2.25 GPH to the tank which will add the entire tank size every week (i.e. 380 gallons a week). This will result in the filer to overflow, but I have a bulkhead at some level in the filter that will drain water to a holding tub with a traditional sump pump in it. When the water level in the holding tank gets high enough, the pump ejects the water to a drain.
So, what do you think?
I have thought that if I want the bio media (Eheim substrate pro) to be wet but not submerged, I could eliminate section "1" and enlarge section "5". Is that better?
I just see the first chamber being nothing but a mess, but thats me. With fish waste clogging the filter socks and then getting all caught up in the ceramic rings it just doesn't sound very effective. It sounds like a lot of cleaning. If I were going to incorporate a settling area in a sump I would do that after the prefilter and before the biological filter. I do like the overflow to drain you have for water changes.
My sump is very simple and very effective, pretty much a single chamber. Well, its a 10G tote in a 50G tote. My water enters the 10G container in the sump after leaving an overflow box that contains a prefilter spong. The water falls over 3 filter pads (50 and 100 micron and the standard blue/white filter material) and then passes through 4" of Poret foam (2" of 20 ppi and 2" of 30ppi). The water then falls out the bottom of the 10G tote into a 50G tote where it gets pumped back into the tank. The 50G tote acts as a settling area but is always spotless. No waste gets past my filter pads, I have to change them and clean them about every 3 weeks. Nitrites, nitrates and ammonia are always zero.
My sump is very simple and very effective, pretty much a single chamber. Well, its a 10G tote in a 50G tote. My water enters the 10G container in the sump after leaving an overflow box that contains a prefilter spong. The water falls over 3 filter pads (50 and 100 micron and the standard blue/white filter material) and then passes through 4" of Poret foam (2" of 20 ppi and 2" of 30ppi). The water then falls out the bottom of the 10G tote into a 50G tote where it gets pumped back into the tank. The 50G tote acts as a settling area but is always spotless. No waste gets past my filter pads, I have to change them and clean them about every 3 weeks. Nitrites, nitrates and ammonia are always zero.
BadOleRoss;4271042; said:
I was actually thinking that would be the case and it is good to hear from some one with more experience. I am going to eliminate the first chamber and expand the pump and media areas. Thanks for the help, it is appreciated.
For the bio media (be it scrubbies or whatever), should you rinse them occasionally? Or will that destroy the BB? In my canister they get somewhat dirty with fish waste, so I clean them, but only lightly. Is this bad?
If you filter the water coming with a 100 and 50 micron filter sock do you need an mech. filtration afterwards? Seems to me as long as they are changed out often enough the water should be clear by this point
epond83;4272305; said:
That very well could be the case. I have read that the downside of the wet/dry is mechanical due to the gravity fed nature of the intake, so I want to help with the gravel cleans
I just want to leave the option open to add more mechanical if needed, but it sounds like it will be fine
epond83;4272305; said:
I have a series of filter pads and sponges to mechanically filter my water and my tank seem to be doing fine. I change or clean out my filter pads every 2-3 weeks.
As far as cleaning bio filter media, I will rinse my Poret foam off with tank water every 6 months, thats it. Very little fish waste makes it to my bio filter foam so I dont need to clean it often.
