Help with my sump please!

I

InEssex

AC Members
Jan 9, 2005
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Essex, England
I am having an 84"x24"x30" tank custom built. Below there is going to be a sump tank which is 36"x18"x18". I have no experience with sumps at all. The manufacturer of the tank has asked me to send him a diagram of how I want my sump to be designed. All I knew was that I wanted it split into 4 or 5 chambers. When I told him this he wanted more info with regards to the bottom of each chamber. I have absolutely no idea what he means and I was hoping someone on here could give me an idea of what I should be sending him? Any diagrams or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Steve
 
Why do you want your sump split into 4-5 chambers? A bubble baffle is common to keep bubbles from the overflow from getting to the return pump and getting spewed into the tank. What all are you planning to put in the sump? Is this for a freshwater or a Saltwater system?
 
You will have to accept my ignorance, as i said earlier, I have no experience what so ever with sumps. It is for a freshwater setup not marine. I was told that there would/should be different chambers holding different types of media etc. I was told the chambers will be different heights and the water will flow up and then down, and then back up between the chambers. I was told the first chamber will be mainly floss/wool, then there will be a chamber with bio balls, a chamber with media of my choice, maybe some carbon in one of the later chambers. I really dont know what i'm talking about...but like i said the manufacturer wants a diagram of how i want it done. I was hoping there may be standard sump setups that i could print out and send to them? or a diagram of a members existing setup.

Steve
 
Ok. What your looking for is a Wet/dry also known as a Trickle Filter. Its alittle more then a simple sump.

11gallonsump.jpg


This is my DIY wet/dry. Starting top left you see the drain from the tank. Which passes into a tray with a Bonded Filter Pad. Then there is a defution plate (which is nother more then a flat peice of plastic with alot of holes evenly drilled in it). This spreads the water out befor it trickles over the bio-balls. Then the water passes into the sump. The water must flow down almost all the way to the bottom which keeps the small bubbles from getting to the return pump. Past the heater and into the return pump. (Ignore the HOB. I was playing with peat filtration) As you can see the Bioballs are above the water level in the bio-tower. Having the water trickle over the bio-balls in this maner gives the bacteria more OXY to work with for convertion of Ammonia and Nitrite. My Wet/dry lacks a chamber for carbon as i dont use any and dont plan to.
 
Its all out of 1/4" acrylic. The Main body is 18x10. Hight of bio-tower is 20". Hight of max water level is 16". Standard Water level is 12". The bioball area is 10x10x6 giving me about 2.5 gallons of bioballs neatly stacked to maximise space. When the waters at standard running hight as in the photo its about 9 gallons of water. Overflowing at around 12.5 gallons, so plenty of space for backflow when the pump is turned off. Heater is a Ebo-jag 150w. Return pump is a Mag-Drive5 pushing 500gph or about 310 at 4' of head which is my guess at what my system runs.
 
The question the maker asked was doubtless related to the baffle structure which is very clear in Phycha's photo. That structure type is pretty standard in sumps. You want the downstream component low enough to serve as minimum sump operating level - a waterfall here can generate bubbles which could hit the pump (noise at least, potential blockage at worst). the bottom-open baffle preceeding it (upstream of it) is the bubble block from the "dry" part of the tower. If the space is sufficient between the two, an open-cell foam block in here can serve as a polisher - note the dead bacterial sloughed films beneath the tower out of the flow path- that is what you would capture in the foam block (rinse weekly). Phycha is using a foam strainer on the pump intake I believe to serve the same function.
 
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