Submitting Ecosystem Design for Review

[BlackGrouper]

Hello All,
I have spent some time the last few days reviewing my fellow RCers sump/ecosystems designs. I decided to save some money and start a DIY Ecosystem project.

I'm looking for suggestions/feedback on the attached desing. I would like to identify any flaws and improve the design. This ecosys will be used to support a 65 gallon RR tank.

These are the most concerning at this point (in order of priority):
1. Functionality (removal of micro bubbles, performace, etc.)
2. Optimal number of chambers/divisions
3. Optimal chamber/division size
4. Baffle size/placement
5. additional equipment (pumps, plumming, etc)
6. any other items I should be concerned with?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

[BlackGrouper]

kepping in front page . . . Hoping for feedback soon :)

[tang_man_montreal]

This looks almost identical to my setup. Except it's 24" long instead of 30".

On mine, I didn't make the baffles go all the way up. You concept should work, but I felt that it was safer to have the water spill over the baffles instead of run through an opening under water.

Other than that, 4" on both sides is what I did as well. Just enough room for a Mag12 to fit in. :)

[BrianB]

BlackGrouper,
I agree with TangMan's comments. I have the same set up you are planning to use. It has worked great and has been in service for about eighteen months.

Two quick comments if you don't mind:
I would lower the two baffles that go all the way to the top of the sump/refugium to at least one inch below the rim.
I would make the baffle on the right so water flows under it instead of through it. This would allow a little more volume for evaporation, just make the opening less than the diameter of your bioballs (but at least 1/2 inch) so they don't pass through to the pump chamber. The water level in the last two chambers on the right will always be equal.
In your sketch the second chamber from the right has the water level too high, it will be equal to the level in the far right chamber.

I hope this helps, sorry if I confused you...

[BlackGrouper]

Thanks a lot for the feedback, it is very much appreciated.

I will re-do the design and post later today.

[tang_man_montreal]

forgot to mention...

You may wanna do away with the bio-balls...

They're known as Nitrate factories.

[BlackGrouper]

BrianB and tang_man_montreal,
Any issues with micro bubbles and your mud filter? How do you minimize/deal with those?

[tang_man_montreal]

I had some micro-bubble issues at first.

But once the macro-algae grew in, the bubbles got trapped there.

If you have Visio, you can see my sump here:

http://myhost.no-ip.com/my-tank/Vince_SUMP_design.vsd

Hope that helps.

[BlackGrouper]

I have VISIO. Thanks :rollface: ;)

[BlackGrouper]

I implemented some of the suggestions and modified my design.

Here is the new copy

Let me know what you think. Thanks

[Handyman]

Did you take into account what will happen when the pump is off and the excess water flows down.
I lose all the bioballs and put another baffle on the left. 1� space in between baffles is enough and 1� on the bottom of the up baffles is also enough. I’d also set it up to use 4� of sand.

[tang_man_montreal]

Yup,

I agree with Handyman 100%.

[BrianB]

I like the modifications! I have pretty much the same set up (including the bioballs) on my 120 gallon mostly sps reef. I have a protein skimmer (Aqua-C EV180 - love it!) that feeds from, and returns to, the first chamber. I also run a K2R calcium reactor.

In response to your micro bubble question, the bioballs in the first chamber help to reduce the number of bubbles in the main caulerpa chamber. I have a 32 oz 7-eleven Big Gulp cup sitting in the first chamber (surrounded by bioballs) and have the - I hope I can explain this well enough - sump intake line from the tank sitting in the 32 oz cup so the bubbles get some upward movement up out of the cup when they first enter chamber one. This dramatically reduces the amount of bubbles entering the caulerpa chamber.

I would like to add that the bioballs in chamber 3 will keep broken pieces of caulerpa from entering into the pump chamber and ultimately won't allow them to be pumped back into your main tank. Compared to the surface area of a sand bed, the bioballs are nothing.

Good luck, my opinion is your system will work very well. I hope this helps.

Brian

[Toutouche]

I used to run a refuge designed similarly to what you've posted. I'm gonna recommend somethings speaking from experience of changing my original design and building a couple refuges for others.
A question I have is how is the water entering it? Is it going to be drilled for a bulkhead at the entrance, or is there just going to be a pipe/tube going down into it from the top?
First off, lose the bioballs. Second, make the baffle in the very first chamber go all the way to the bottom with no slits in the middle. Let the water flow OVER the first baffle ( it doesn't matter if you get bubbles going IN the refuge area). Make this first section as small as possible while still having enough space to do whatever you want to in it ( if you're planning on adding anything like a heater and such). If you're drilling it, make sure to take into account the space needed for the bulkhead ring, and for you to be able to get in there with a wrench and such to tighten the bulkhead.
Next, the water should flow calmly through a refugium, and not disturb the buggies living in there, as they like it best VERY calm. Having the water enter the main chamber ( macro chamber) from the top of the baffle will accomplish this.
After this, have the last baffle also be a flow OVER the top. Again for the reaons of keeping the water calm in the actual refuge, and to have the current area as far up from the sandbed as possible. If you're concerned about pieces of the macro going over the baffle into the pump area, simply add a fishgate style eggcrate all along the top of that baffle.
From here, have the water fall directly into the section where your return pump will be.
For lighting, use the most intensity you can without using expensive, hot, high wattage bulbs( the regular screw in type PC bulbe they sell at HD is perfect..., the type that curls like a pigstail). The reason you want the intensity is because the more intense the light, the faster it will push your macros to grow, therefore removing the nutrients that much quicker. Also, when the macros grow well, they become incredibly thick, and rather often, the light will simply not penetrate enough to the bottom and what is down below will die off from lack of light.
Hmm? Have I forgotten anything?

BrianB,
Having your skimmer pull from and return to the 1st chamber, is not good. Your skimmer and refuge basically do the samething. Both the skimmer AND refuge have to be getting/receiving DIRTY water to be effective. If your skimmer is pulling from the first chamber that's o.k. as long as the refuge gets enough water. BUT, if your skimmer is also returning the water to that same 1st chamber, you are essentially pulling a mixture of clean AND dirty water into your skimmer ( skimming already skimmed water and creating a looping effect), AND more importantly, your refuge is receiving clean ( skimmed) water with no nutrients to feed the macros properly. Your skimmer SHOULD be returning water into the last chamber where the pump is also pulling from and completely bypassing the refuge area..