Help! New Freshwater Sump Built 29 gal for 90 gal

BrokerTamara · May 10, 2013

This 29 sump was built for me. The design was for my filter pad media section and bio balls that are already seeded. I took another look and see no room for my bio balls plus grate area unless I skip the filter pad or put the pads on the small area.

I did not realize it was bulit by design for ceramic media and media socks and not bio balls. The tallest has three holes for overflow.

Any advice appreciated. Pump is rio2500 and heater go together. ( I was told to float bio wheels with pump?

tanker · May 10, 2013

You can still use BIO Balls in that. Just put into the middle section (the 9" section). You will need some way of "Spreading" the water over that section, maybe something like a "tray" that has lots of holes that fits over the BIO balls and let the water "spread: over the balls.

The water comes into the 7" section. Overflows into a square tray that fits over the balls. The tray streams water over the BIO Balls. On the o the bottom put a mesh of somekind (like a few plastic scouring pads). The water will flow past the mesh into the 2' section, then into the final section before being pumped back into the tank.

If the mesh/pads get clogged the water will flow through the 3 quarter inch holes.

Problem solved!!

BrokerTamara · May 10, 2013

Thanks so much. That is great. Where would my filter media go or bonded padding/etc .

authmal · May 10, 2013

I would normally say in the first section, but most sumps I see have 4 dividers, while yours has 3. The first is like your second, with a gap at the bottom, and sponges/bonded padding/whatever at the bottom, bio balls on top so the intake sprays water over it, then up and over what is your first divider, and so on. Obviously, there's more than one way to skin a cat, but I'm not clever enough to be able to give you an easy answer on this.

isellcars · May 10, 2013

Are you trying to use the BIO balls as your only source if filtration? If so this sump is set up wrong. Also why is the last chamber with the pump so big? That should be the smallest and only really wide enough to contain the pump. The middle chamber should be the biggest since that is where most your media will be kept. There is also no room to put a reactor if you ever decided to try a planted tank. The first chamber is usually set up for a filter sock. That way it gets most of the impurities out of the water before going in the sump. It will also slow down the water flow a bit to stop you from having the sump filled with air bubbles. Just my two cents put if your going to build a freshwater sump maybe you should ask people that are currently running one or have had experience with one. Personally I would have your dividers completely redone to accommodate more media and ease of use.

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BrokerTamara · May 10, 2013

Thanks for the replies. I am using bio balls and other media like filter pads maybe combined with sponges. This is the new design with bioballs right before sump and heater in small area: