sump idea

[TheBlackPearl]

so i have everything i need to redue my sump now my question is instead of acrylic between the stages, can i use plastic sheet which are black. just asking because' i need 9 sheets and acrylic is running me 10$ for each and plastic is 3$ so i can save a good grip here lol just wondering if plastic will grow algae or anything i would have to worried about

 

[sprayin70]

I think your sump is to complicated. All you really need is a drain chamber that your tank drains into. In that chamber you would install your skimmer. The next chamber could be a refugium. then 3 baffles then the last is a return chamber that your return pump lives in. In that section you would install your ATO floats. You can use plastic, acrylic or glass. Just make sure it's safe for your aquarium.

Here is a great site that explains everything.

http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

 

[TheBlackPearl]

i see i want to over stock my 300g tank this a 60g sump and this is for freshwater

 

[flowerwana]

way to go bro ^_^

 

[TheBlackPearl]

thanks i think it should be gravy

 

[Conner]

I do think its overly complicated. It is going to be a major pain to clean out all of those filter pads.

I would do EITHER filter socks OR filter pads at the beginning of the sump, but not both, because that's kind of redundant and not needed. Having a set of pads after the plant area is good to keep any dead plant debris out of the biomedia chamber. If you're going to use bioballs (or pot scrubbies), then I don't think you need to add the ceramic media underneath, but I guess you can if you want.

What head height are you pumping against? I use 2x quiet one 4000's, pumping up about 4.5 feet, and I'm getting almost 1,500gph, so I'd think 2x 6000's would be more than 1,600gph. You just want to make sure you're not pumping more than your overflow can handle.

 

[TheBlackPearl]

hmmm i see what your saying also i am using about five to six feet of over head also i have valves on returns so i am guessing if i push to much i can adjust also should i use a spray bar for return? and i am using lava rock instead of ceramic

 

[TheBlackPearl]

here a new design less hecteck

 

[Conner]

You should be good on the head height and flow then.

Spray bar or simple pipe returns is up to you. People seem to really like spray bars here on mfk, but I'm not a big fan of them, to be honest. I think they take up too much room and I don't like the look of them in the tank. But its purely a personal choice. You just have to make sure they have enough holes (or large enough holes) so that you don't restrict the flow of the pumps any further.

As for the lava rock, it won't hurt, but I'm not sure you'll need it.

 

[Conner]

Also, you need to make sure that your inlet chamber has an overflow into the rest of the sump, in case the filter socks get clogged and water starts to back up out of them. You don't want to flood the inside of the stand because the water can't flow into the rest of the sump.