sump/fuge for freshwater
- Thread starter wsstacks07
- Start date
How do you guys build the "overflow box" to bring the water to the wet dry or sump? I'm really interested in building a wet dry system for my 90 as well but I can't figure out how to build that part!
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Here's my redesign (not to scale) for your sump along with an explanation:
The water enters on the right and goes into a filter sock; the water then travels under & over a pair of baffles to the biological drip filter where it drips over the biological media. The water then goes under & over another pair of baffles to the refugium where the bare-rooted plants (easier cleaning & maintenance) are located; after this, it goes over a baffle and through a sponge & your chemical filtration (carbon, etc.). The water then goes under & over a pair of baffles to the pump which then pumps the water back to the main aquarium.
This layout is designed to allow for maximum filtration & water quality improvement. The filter sock accounts for the majority of your mechanical filtration & will eliminate particulates down to a certain micron depending on what filter sock you purchase. The biological drip filter will help eliminate most, if not all, of the ammonia & nitrite by converting it to nitrate, and the plants in the refugium will eliminate pretty much all of the ammonia, nitrite, & nitrate that remain. The sponge that comes after the refugium is for collecting any particles & plant pieces that happen to make it out of the refugium, and the chemical filtration will polish off the water before it gets pumped back out.
The various baffles are arranged in such a way to minimize, if not eliminate, the number of bubbles that make it back into the main aquarium. It's imperative to ensure that the final baffle is low enough to minimize bubbles yet high enough to maintain a sufficient water level for the pump. Also, be sure to allow for enough space in the sump in order to prevent it from overflowing in the event of a power outage.
I hope that helps.
The water enters on the right and goes into a filter sock; the water then travels under & over a pair of baffles to the biological drip filter where it drips over the biological media. The water then goes under & over another pair of baffles to the refugium where the bare-rooted plants (easier cleaning & maintenance) are located; after this, it goes over a baffle and through a sponge & your chemical filtration (carbon, etc.). The water then goes under & over a pair of baffles to the pump which then pumps the water back to the main aquarium.
This layout is designed to allow for maximum filtration & water quality improvement. The filter sock accounts for the majority of your mechanical filtration & will eliminate particulates down to a certain micron depending on what filter sock you purchase. The biological drip filter will help eliminate most, if not all, of the ammonia & nitrite by converting it to nitrate, and the plants in the refugium will eliminate pretty much all of the ammonia, nitrite, & nitrate that remain. The sponge that comes after the refugium is for collecting any particles & plant pieces that happen to make it out of the refugium, and the chemical filtration will polish off the water before it gets pumped back out.
The various baffles are arranged in such a way to minimize, if not eliminate, the number of bubbles that make it back into the main aquarium. It's imperative to ensure that the final baffle is low enough to minimize bubbles yet high enough to maintain a sufficient water level for the pump. Also, be sure to allow for enough space in the sump in order to prevent it from overflowing in the event of a power outage.
I hope that helps.
In his design they would be for sure. Personally, I would go with something like this:
It would give you the best filter IMO because of (a) ease of maintenance, and (b) biological media air contact.
Would my original design work if I used matrix or something submersable
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All around would I be better off with my original design (but with bio media after sponges) or with my bio media after the refugium before the return
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Your original design with submerged media should work fine. I think that either design will give you a nice sump. Your original design has direct access to the pump... on occasion this direct access is nice. I did not include this direct pump access on the quick drawing I posted... although it could be easily added.
You might want to consider where you will be placing the heater(s)? Would one design make heater placement easier than the other? The heater I use has the thermostat on the power cord about 18" before the heater... so I can easily set the temperature. If your heaters have the thermostat on the top like most how easy will it be to tweak the temperature setting?
One nice thing about the design I drew up is you could add more water and run submersed media in a bag on top of the pump or run less water and use wet/dry bio balls.
I also like the middle opening to the refuge... this directs the water more through the plants than over the top of the plants. Which ever design you decide to go with you might consider the pros-cons of water entering into the middle of the refuge.
I do like the sponge on the water exit from the refuge in your last drawing. It is a nice way to keep the plants contained and out of the pump chamber.
You should only need to run carbon if you are trying to clear up a particular problem. You should not need to run carbon continuously. It is nice to have the option to add some chemical filtration like carbon or Ammo Chips if your tank parameters go awry because you daughter decided to feed your fish the rest of her baloney sandwich.
You might want to consider where you will be placing the heater(s)? Would one design make heater placement easier than the other? The heater I use has the thermostat on the power cord about 18" before the heater... so I can easily set the temperature. If your heaters have the thermostat on the top like most how easy will it be to tweak the temperature setting?
One nice thing about the design I drew up is you could add more water and run submersed media in a bag on top of the pump or run less water and use wet/dry bio balls.
I also like the middle opening to the refuge... this directs the water more through the plants than over the top of the plants. Which ever design you decide to go with you might consider the pros-cons of water entering into the middle of the refuge.
I do like the sponge on the water exit from the refuge in your last drawing. It is a nice way to keep the plants contained and out of the pump chamber.
You should only need to run carbon if you are trying to clear up a particular problem. You should not need to run carbon continuously. It is nice to have the option to add some chemical filtration like carbon or Ammo Chips if your tank parameters go awry because you daughter decided to feed your fish the rest of her baloney sandwich.
