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  #1  
Old 01/11/2008, 01:41 PM
sploke sploke is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Eastern CT
Posts: 13
re-engineering my sump

Alright, here's a crappy paint drawing of how my sump operates now:



The sump is a 20L tank. Pump pushes about 700 gph . The overflow drain splits with about 75% going into the left chamber for the skimmer and 25% going into the fuge. The skimmer was operating in HOB mode until it started overflowing all over the place periodically, so I fudged it around so its inside completely, so if/when it overflows again it just drains back into the sump.

I'm not happy with it for a few reasons. Its the first time I've done one like this. First problem - I'm putting way too much flow through it - like borderline my bulkhead barely keeps up with the flow. Result is a ton of microbubbles in the display. I alleviated the problem partially, but never got it fully worked out. The water just moves so fast through the thing, the bubbles don't get a chance to pop.

I'm planning on downsizing the pump to something closer to 300-350 gph and just getting more powerheads to make up for it. So what i'm thinking is making the sump just 2 chambers instead of 3, a larger fuge and then a place for the return pump. My only question is, how to do this with whats already there. My first inclination is to remove the bubble trap, put the return pump where the fuge is now, and make the other 2/3 of the tank into a fuge. I think it would be large enough to deal with 100% of the overflow. I would probably put the skimmer body in the same compartment as the return pump, but hang it over the divider. Downsides are skimmer pump is then in the fuge, and I lose the bubble trap.

If I go the other route, and keep the bubble trap, I think a smaller pump will fit in there because I don't think the one I have now would fit. I'm still left with the same skimmer issue though. So, let the brainstorming begin. Oh yeah, display tank is a standard drilled 55 with corner overflow box.
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Last edited by sploke; 01/11/2008 at 01:47 PM.
  #2  
Old 01/11/2008, 02:28 PM
FishTruck FishTruck is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Downers Grove, IL
Posts: 232
What is the problem with the skimmer? I am not clear on this.
  #3  
Old 01/11/2008, 02:34 PM
sploke sploke is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Eastern CT
Posts: 13
Its a coralife 65gal super skimmer. i've had issues every once in a while where it would just kind of tweak and fill the skimmer cup with clear tankwater in like 30 min, and it would overflow out the vent in the cup lid. when it was running in HOB mode, this enabled it to drain teh water right out of hte sump. I think 3 times in the past year or so it pumped somewhere between 5-10gal of water onto my living room carpet. Not happy about that. Previously it was hanging on the left end of the tank with the pump and return in the left compartment. Now the entire thing sits in the return pump compartment with the pump and return in the left side.
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  #4  
Old 01/11/2008, 05:30 PM
ocndyver ocndyver is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: So. Cal
Posts: 29
This is how I will be doing my this weekend hopefully

http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/s...***/index.html

second sump pic down
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  #5  
Old 01/11/2008, 09:13 PM
chastjw chastjw is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Mount Vernon WA.
Posts: 23
how funny I'm planning on this same project this weekend, except from scratch, I got the 20gal tank, gonna have the bubble trap glass cut tomarrow. only difference is my return pump is quite large, Odyssea 1000GPH, but the pump itself says Qmax 1340GPH. Has anyone ever used this pump or even heard of it? its can be both inline or submersible. I got it at a local fish store going out of business. Im sure this will be to much flow even with the head pressure etc, but I can pinch back the flow, and if it doesnt work I could get a mag pump. I have a rio 3100 as the return on the system now in a rubbermaid tub, I could possibily use that to temp but want to get away from that or use that on my skimmer, a with a kent inductor, but I was planning on ordering the turbo upgrade for that. Does anyone know that it makes that big of difference? And in the future shopping for a new skimmer. Hope Im not hijacking the thread, just along for the ride.
  #6  
Old 01/11/2008, 10:13 PM
sploke sploke is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Eastern CT
Posts: 13
I'm using a Rio Hyperflow 17HF, will probably be exchanging that for a Mag 7 and two or three koralias or something along those lines. I feel like the flow design becomes exponentially more sensitive when you start pushing higher flows through a smaller area like that.
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  #7  
Old 01/11/2008, 10:17 PM
sploke sploke is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Eastern CT
Posts: 13
Hm thats an idea ocn. Keep the drain line where it is, into the smaller section, and use a short baffle with some eggcrate to separate the fuge and return pump. I can't silicone the short baffle in, but I can silicone it to the eggcrate and then just wedge it in there. Might be enough to keep the fuge to itself....It would give a much larger area for microbubbles to dissipate as well.
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