My 55g Reef Build.. Pics Updated Daily

Maybe you should check out this guy's web site and get a better understanding of how sumps work. I know he's got a lot of designs and good information there.

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

My suggestion on the overflow / drilling.....go with glass-holes.com. You can buy their overflow kit and it comes with everything, including the drill bit. For a 55, you will only need one hole. Great company to work with. Watch the installation video and you'll see how it's done.

A mag 7 should be fine for a return pump. However, I would still include a tee with a valve that returns back to the sump to dump any excess you might have.

Looks like a plan!

EDIT TO ADD: Wow, the filters on this sight are tight. The company's name was "*****" out. It is a real company and here is the link:

http://www.glass-holes.com/main.sc;jsessionid=9440BEAD79F376C7061ACD3F9F1DC1F7.qscstrfrnt02

SECOND EDIT: Now the "*****" is gone. I can't figure it out! The origin filter had "gl*******s"

You'll need to get the water flowing through the media. Currently, it will only flow over the top of the sump from left to right.
I'd suggest left divider keep as is but put another one right of it. Space about 1 inch between it and 1.5 inch from the bottom so the water will pass under it to the next chamber.
Next divider (middle) can stay as is. Water is coming from the bottom of the second media-chamber and then over the top of the middle one.

Then repeat this on the right side, put an extra divider next to the last one (left of it)
Raise this one again and the water will come in bottom, go over the top into the pump-chamber.

For your overflow, you're spot on, 2 inlets merging into a 1" hose, gives more flow-capacity into the sump than out by the return-pump.
The inflow is regulated by the return-pump so no matter how big you make it, it will only flow as fast as the return-pump can manage.

Your return-pump should be ok, 10x your volume and some loss on head.

I'd advise to put a T in your return-line, where the top of the T is your return-line and the bottom of the T is connected to a valve with a hose that goes back into the first chamber of your sump.
If your flow is too much in the display tank, you can open the valve a bit and the water runs back and through your sump for extra filtration.
You'd have a chance of shorting the life-span of your pump if you just restrict flow. And besides: why not have some extra filtration on your water?
Make sure to drill a small hole in your return-line just below water-level to avoid the tank syphoning empty during a power-failure.

That's all I can think of. I'm in the process of doing exactly the same. Have a look at the pictures there. (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177028).

Good luck.

redfishblewfish said:

It is a real company and here is the link:

http://www.glass-holes.com/main.sc;jsessionid=9440BEAD79F376C7061ACD3F9F1DC1F7.qscstrfrnt02

Click to expand...

This is a great site. It's cheaper to buy the whole kit than to buy just parts.

Luc has some good advise.... I suggest 2 holes on the return nozzle hanging in the tank..just incase debris plugs one...or a snail.

The other thing that nobody mentioned when I started cementing pvc and making my set up was the drain line to the sump.... if it is going to be submerged you should have a vent for the air...like a T at the end of the line one going up out of the water and one going down where the water will flow to...so that you can avoid the Gurgling.

Noise reduction was one issue I was not warned about...I got lucky using bigger pvc so no gurgle at the overflow... since my pvc was cut back more I only had to put a very large filter sock on the end to kill the noise it made.

Also I was told returning 10x the volume was ideal ...I didn't do it though due to funds limited. The only thing you have to worry about is not going over the limmit of the overflow itself...

There are head loss calculators ...reef sanctuary may have some..i forget where it is.

PS after looking at the drawing ...I wondered why with all the bends and things on the over flow?
Why not just have a 1" going to a 90...to another 90....then to one more bend but using a "T"draining into the sump? thats one less bend... and going from 1/2" x2 to 1" pvc is there some design reason for it? (just curious cause I know basics but not advanced on plumbing ).

DIY Projects

Calulators

Pump Head Loss Calculator - External Link
Aquarium Volume Calculator, All types - External Link
Aquarium Calculators - External Link

7itanium said:

I have decided to drill the tank for sure... and I modified the plans accordingly

I went with a bit bigger plumbing on the side that syphons out of the tank and an overflow box. That way the pump wont get ahead of the flow out of the tank. and the overflow box will prevent the sump from flooding as well.

What do you think?

Click to expand...

I just noticed you are a Washingtonian to... dude you might find stuff cheap at www.reeffrontiers.com there is a for sale section there. I found many deals there. A lot of them local for us. Plus the Reef Clubs for our state are there to...and many store sponsors... Good resource for stuff you want to buy and or get local help on.