Duplex sump concept

[Malifluous]

Mark, I had a similar set up. It was an ongoing problem for me cos i could not acess the benthic layer. I also had my return pump there. I had to pull all the rocks out each time there was a problem. I siphoned out detritus from the bottom about 4-5 times in 2 years . Nitrates were always about 0-5ppm with my tests.

[mark caruana]

That really sucks to hear. I guess I under-estimated the importance of accessing the benthic zone.
How did you finally resolve the issue Malifluous?

[gaspar]

Here is another duplex sump project that is well on it's way thanks to all of the
contributors to this fine forum and with special thanks to our esteemed Mr. Wilson.

I have been keeping salt water tanks for years and this is my first "graduation"
into the world of under tank sump design and installation.

Here are two design sketches to introduce the project followed by some photos.





This is the sump - in progress - set into the cabinet that I built into the wall behind
the display tank. You can see the Aqua C EV-120, the Mag 5 for the skimmer
[behind the CV-120 in the sump] and the Enheim 1262 return pump.


The display tank is a 40 gal breeder. This shows the inflow/return arrangement.

So here come the questions and open invitation for comments:

1. The tank to sump inflow pipe is 1 1/4". Is an expectation of +/- 700 gph
inflow to the sump realistic?

2. The Mag 5 running the EV-120 should pump about 500 gph, which per the design
sketches above will bypass the bentic zone/fuge area of the sump. This should leave
a flow of +/- 200 gph flowing through the bentic zone/fuge area. This should leave
the 40 gal display tank cycling 15 - 20 times per hour through the sump and 5 or
so times per hour through the bentic zone and fuge. Sound reasonable?

3. I bought a SCWD to alternate the outflow back into the tank through the two 3/4"
outflow fittings that can be seen in the tank photo above. The Enheim 1262 will be
pushing a lot of water. Possibly 700 gph back into the 40 gal tank. Is this too much
blast out of only one 3/4" outflow at a time? Also the tank is in our living room. Will
the SCWD alternating all this gph 'woosh/woosh' make a lot of distracting noise?

4. Now about AIPTASIA... A friend gave me ten or fifteen lbs of nice looking live rock
and some "starter sand" from his tank. I added two 25 lb bags of 'live' pink aragonite
sand. The new sand bed and these live rocks have been in the display tank with
25 gallons of water, compact floresents on timers and a gentle [80 gph] pump
slowly flowing the water around for the last three or four weeks. Aiptasia has
popped up all over the live rocks. Should I go through the process of killing all of
these things one at a time or just get rid of the "infected" live rocks before running
this new tank through the new sump?

One last question for this time around:

5. Has anyone out there ever set up a sump and display tank system that has no
live rock in the display tank? I had a 26 display tank that was pretty darn robust
for years [until it biologically crashed a few months ago while I was away on vacation!]
with only a beautiful coral collection and no live rock at all.

That tank had no protein skimmer. Only an under-gravel filter and a Wisper 60
hanging on the back. I would really like to set up this up this duplex sump and
new tank display tank the same way.

Here is a photo this previous tank. Thanks for reading all of this.

[gaspar]

Here is another duplex sump project that is well on it's way thanks to all of the
contributors to this fine forum and with special thanks to our esteemed Mr. Wilson.

I have been keeping salt water tanks for years and this is my first "graduation"
into the world of under tank sump design and installation.

Here are two design sketches to introduce the project followed by some photos.





This is the sump - in progress - set into the cabinet that I built into the wall behind
the display tank. You can see the Aqua C EV-120, the Mag 5 for the skimmer
[behind the CV-120 in the sump] and the Enheim 1262 return pump.


The display tank is a 40 gal breeder. This shows the inflow/return arrangement.

So here come the questions and open invitation for comments:

1. The tank to sump inflow pipe is 1 1/4". Is an expectation of +/- 700 gph
inflow to the sump realistic?

2. The Mag 5 running the EV-120 should pump about 500 gph, which per the design
sketches above will bypass the bentic zone/fuge area of the sump. This should leave
a flow of +/- 200 gph flowing through the bentic zone/fuge area. This should leave
the 40 gal display tank cycling 15 - 20 times per hour through the sump and 5 or
so times per hour through the bentic zone and fuge. Sound reasonable?

3. I bought a SCWD to alternate the outflow back into the tank through the two 3/4"
outflow fittings that can be seen in the tank photo above. The Enheim 1262 will be
pushing a lot of water. Possibly 700 gph back into the 40 gal tank. Is this too much
blast out of only one 3/4" outflow at a time? Also the tank is in our living room. Will
the SCWD alternating all this gph 'woosh/woosh' make a lot of distracting noise?

4. Now about AIPTASIA... A friend gave me ten or fifteen lbs of nice looking live rock
and some "starter sand" from his tank. I added two 25 lb bags of 'live' pink aragonite
sand. The new sand bed and these live rocks have been in the display tank with
25 gallons of water, compact floresents on timers and a gentle [80 gph] pump
slowly flowing the water around for the last three or four weeks. Aiptasia has
popped up all over the live rocks. Should I go through the process of killing all of
these things one at a time or just get rid of the "infected" live rocks before running
this new tank through the new sump?

One last question for this time around:

5. Has anyone out there ever set up a sump and display tank system that has no
live rock in the display tank? I had a 26 display tank that was pretty darn robust
for years [until it biologically crashed a few months ago while I was away on vacation!]
with only a beautiful coral collection and no live rock at all.

That tank had no protein skimmer. Only an under-gravel filter and a Wisper 60
hanging on the back. I would really like to set up this up this duplex sump and
new tank display tank the same way.

Here is a photo this previous tank. Thanks for reading all of this.

[stan the man]

I'm in the process of completing a 10g nano which will have an internal refugium using this method. I have a wall about 5" from one end with an overflow going into the first chamber (3" wide or so) where it flows through some floss and a Purigen filter pad. It will the go down to an opening and flow up over a bubble trap (another divider about 3/4" from the side of this overflow chamber) and into the refugium area. I am looking at 4-5" of sand, 2 inches or so to an eggcrate shelf, then a layer of live rock rubble with macro on top. The refugium area itself will only be about 5" wide by 5" long. The final chamber will have a powerhead intake which will then return to the display side at a flow of around 130gph.
The display itself is 15"x10"x12" high, and lit by two 18 watt CF bulbs. The refugium will be lit by a 13 watt CF desklamp (with daylight bulb) on an alternating cycle.
I plan on housing a pistol shrimp/goby combo and some zoos, mushrooms, and maybe some green star polyps.
If anyone's interested, please tell me how to post a pic...

[Serioussnaps]

Originally posted by Fredfish
From the video it looks like there is an opening between the top and bottom section at either end of the sump so it is not a plenum at all.

Steve tyree is the one that pioneered this approach:

http://www.dynamicecomorphology.com

Fred

Steve popularized it....not pioneered it.