Sump/Fuge, two 10g tanks 1 overflow/return

[Moloch]

Looking to replace my current filter setup on my 55g reef and 10g tanks are the only kind that will fit in the stand. One 10g isn't really large enough to do the job so now I've got the great idea of using two. The overflow from the DT will drain into the fuge tank which will be drilled and overflow into the sump tank. Each tank will have two chambers, the fuge will sit ~6-8" higher than the sump.

Here's a quick sketch. The equipment isn't drawn to scale, but for the tanks & baffles, each grid-square is 1"x1". In the fuge I don't really think the baffle after the intake is NECESSARY, but I put it there just to keep macro from clinging to my filter sock and to make changing the sock easier. In the sump tank I have the skimmer sitting on a stand and the heater suction-cupped to the bottom, then a bubble trap to the return pump.

The idea (of course) is that all water levels stay constant except for the return pump area, which will have an ATO anyways. If anyone sees a reason why this WON'T be the case...PLEASE tell me. I'm still not 100% comfortable with water flow through a sump with baffles & whatnot. Its starting to make sense but I still have to really sit down and think about it :\

The numbers in the corner are from doing a rough calculation on how much the water will rise in the sump tank during a power outage.... I just measured how much water drains into my current sump, calculated the volume and then did the math to fit that volume into the smaller length/width. Might not be exact, but I think it gives me a good enough idea to feel safe with putting the baffles at the height I have them at...maximizes space in the sump for whatever I want while leaving enough room to be safe in a power-outage.

So...any tips?

 

[jshill103]

the point of a wet/dry is to turn ammonia to nitrate. nitrate is absorbed by plants or corals. this suggests switching the order of the tanks. firstly filter through the wet/dry then to the fuge for better plant growth.

 

[Moloch]

...What? There is no wet/dry in my setup, and my primary biological filtration is the LR in my DT. I also have some LR rubble & a few pieces that didn't make it into the aquascape in my sump currently, and I'll be adding macro-algae for nutrient export (all this will go into the fuge tank). Also, switching the order means having my return pump in the fuge tank which means less open area for the fuge...thats no bueno.

Thanks for the idea but I don't think it fits.

 

[cramdub]

Is your fuge just for nutirent export?
Otherwise any benificial little critters will get caught in the filter sock then skimmed....before they go back into the DT.
I would overflow into sock, skimmer, then fuge and pump back to tank.

 

[Moloch]

Hmm thats a much better point for changing the order...I hadn't ever really thought about pods and such getting to the dt. ill have to reconsider things with that in mind and see what I think.

Thanks.

 

[Moloch]

Reversing the order isn't going to work, the skimmer has to sit in the lower tank due to space (height). I can take the second filter sock off, its only there for extra polishing, then pods & such only need to be able to swim past the skimmer in order to make it to the DT.However, thats not really my primary concern. I have (what seems to me like) a pretty a healthy pod population on the LR in my DT and I don't currently have anything relying on them for nutrition.