Sump Parts/Design?

[Randall_Vee]

Hey everyone,

So I'm planning on placing a sump on my fiance's soft shell turtle tank - I wanted to ask for some help with the design as well as materials to use.

The breakdown is that I have a 75 gallon tank that I will be drilling with an EShops Eclipse Medium - I will be using a spare 30 gallon tank as a sump underneath the tank, the essential design that I am going to use is this one from KingofDIY since it seems easy enough - I haven't really gotten a straight answer if I need to make a refugium so at this point I'm assuming it's not necessary..

With the design out of the way, I was curious what I should looking at GPH wise and manufacturer wise for the return pump. I was thinking in the realm of 700-800gph but I wasn't sure if this was too much. Also with this idea in mind and given the size of the tank and sump, what size piping should I be considering for the overflow and the return? I'll be running bio balls and ceramic rings as well as some bio blocks in the sump so I feel like I have that covered.

Any input or advice is greatly appreciated everyone!

 

[Matteus]

Backfromthedead Itsadeepbluesea J jaws7777

 

[Backfromthedead]

Sounds like you have a good plan in place for the sump itself. Im not a big fan of hang on back overflow boxes, but some people claim they work fine. I dont have much experience with those but i believe Ulu does.

Be sure to install a ball valve in your drain line to control the flow, same goes for the line from the return pump.

Go for a pump rated a bit higher imo. A pump rated for 800 gph will probably only pump 4-500 at 3-4 ft head height on full power. This is probably enough for your tank but ideally you want the pump to run at around half power to minimize generation of heat, energy usage, noise level, and lifespan of the pump itself. So i say shoot for a pump rated 1000-1200 gph at 0 ft head. Its always good to have some extra pump.

For example, on my 135 setup, which has only one full siphon 1" drain, i use a pump rated for around 2000 gph. With my drain only half open, i still need to run the pump at about half power to keep up with the drain.

A refugium could be a good idea if you plan to keep feeders or something for your turtle. Im not a turtle guy so i dont know if your particular one likes live food or not. Some of the more naturalistic keepers around here will keep shrimp in some of their sumps. In any case a refugium is as simple as cordoning off an area of your sump away from the return pump. In my 150 setup, my drain comes right into the center of my 75 gallon sump; my refugium is off to the left where i keep extra filter media and occasionally a fish, while the bio media and return pump is on the right side.


Of course my setup is simple, lots of keepers have a lot of complicated baffles and gidgets that i cant begin to understand.

Good luck with your setup! Keep us posted.

 

[Ulu]

I may not be the best example. I don't really use any conventional overflow "boxes". My current overflows are hand-made of plastic tubing. Here's one under construction.

I like 1.5" siphons and a substantial standpipe. A big open box means extra evaporation, and I don't like hanging too much water on the edge of a tank. This is an old one that sat on the stand.


I built a 1.5" ABS siphon, but the clear tube was 1.625" from a big gravel siphon. Internal overflow is 3" ABS and external is 4" ABS.



But for simplicity I would drill the tank if possible, and forgo external overflows and siphons.

 

[Randall_Vee]

Thanks guys - the overflow I'm going with actually requires me to drill the tank - so I'm a bit nervous but I figure it's cant be all that bad. I'm hoping playing aquarium legos will help me destress from the hecticness of my work lately lol.

I'll keep everyone posted! Thanks for the assistance guys!

 

[Backfromthedead]

Thanks guys - the overflow I'm going with actually requires me to drill the tank - so I'm a bit nervous but I figure it's cant be all that bad. I'm hoping playing aquarium legos will help me destress from the hecticness of my work lately lol.

I'll keep everyone posted! Thanks for the assistance guys!

After a second glance i can see it mounts on the side of the tank like a bulkhead. No worries then.

 

[Ulu]

I drilled my 125 for a drain and an emergency drain. And they are plumbed straight to the sump with no external boxes.

The only purpose I can see of the external boxes that it allows you to set the height of the tank water by adjusting something in the Box. The big downside is that it's just something else to eventually leak.

I adjust my water level by the design of the strainer on my service drain. I can raise it and lower it slightly to make fine adjustments, just by turning the pipe a little bit in the bulkhead.

My bulkheads are glued up solid, as is the plumbing coming from them, so they can never unscrew.

 

[jaws7777]

Use that attached pic as an estimate. Match the plumbing to the gph your aiming aiming for.

No need to glue the bulk heads in place.

The sump itself can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. You can go as simple as just having a sock holder, media and pumps. Baffles arent a must either

 

[Ulu]

I simply won't go smaller than 1" return and 1.5" drains.

As the pipe gets smaller, the elbows become very restrictive.
(Using sweeps instead of elbows is a big deal on the flow rate.)

Restrictions mean noise. Larger pipes mean a quieter flow and a smaller pump.

 

[jaws7777]

I simply won't go smaller than 1" return and 1.5" drains.

As the pipe gets smaller, the elbows become very restrictive.
(Using sweeps instead of elbows is a big deal on the flow rate.)

Restrictions mean noise. Larger pipes mean a quieter flow and a smaller pump.

Thats not entirely true. Any sized pipe can be silent... just need to remove air via a gate or ball valve. I have 2 inch e drain that sound like toilet bowls flushing.


Matteus

Thx for the tag but as long as this stupidity with needing my posts approved by a mod continues i wont be taking part in any discussions.

Op good luck with the build.