I have a 30 gallon hex and to eliminate equipment in the display tank i am going to build add a sump. However due to size constraints i have not been able to find anything on the market other than a standard 5 gallon aquarium that will fit in my stand. So I am going to build a sump from scratch tank and all, I am planning to use acrylic that I am going to buy from a local sign shop that sells their scrap.
Okay here is what I have planned, I am going to build a 4 baffle 4 compartment sump. This is my 1st sump so I am unsure if my design will give me optimal results so I would like some feedback from experienced sump builders. Here is how I see the sump working.
I am putting the return in the middle as to have the refugium in front and have it as the 1st visible compartment when the stand is opened.
Here are some pictures of my design.
The overflow and return pipes are actually level with eachother, I just drew it out this way to visualize the return .
Any feedback will be appreciated and I thank you in advance for your help.
Okay here is what I have planned, I am going to build a 4 baffle 4 compartment sump. This is my 1st sump so I am unsure if my design will give me optimal results so I would like some feedback from experienced sump builders. Here is how I see the sump working.
I am putting the return in the middle as to have the refugium in front and have it as the 1st visible compartment when the stand is opened.
- Water flows into compartment A from Overlow, baffle #1 has holes as to let water into compartment B which will hold a Tunze 9002 skimmer (if you know of a better skimmer that is roughly the same dimensions and is in tank let me know)
- Water then flows under baffle #2 via slots carved into the bottom of the baffle, I designed it this way to create a bubble trap with two baffles instead of three due to size constraints. The slots are so that nothing gets into the return.
- Water flows over baffle #3 into the return and is pumped back into the display tank at roughly 300-350 gph. I plan to use a 450-500 gph pump so that I can divert the excess flow through the refugium using a T and a ball valve.
- Water flows over baffle #4 from the refugium into the return to either be pumped back into the display tank or back into the refugium.
Here are some pictures of my design.
The overflow and return pipes are actually level with eachother, I just drew it out this way to visualize the return .
Any feedback will be appreciated and I thank you in advance for your help.
