29 gallon sump

[flinster]

Planning a 29 gallon sump/fuge. What height should the baffles be?

[flinster]

I saw a thread about this a month ago. Anyone got a link?

[dngspot]

You will need to first determine the amount of water your sump will need to hold when the power is off to the pump. The over flow will hold water, the return plumbing will and the tank will drain some of its water into the sump also. Once you figure this you will then need to calculate this into the dimensions of your sump. The baffles that touch the floor of the sump then cannot go any higher than the space you need for the water that drains back into the sump.
To help you figure how much space you need do a search for "Aquarium Volume Calculator"
Good Luck

[flinster]

thanks. I understand the overflow possibility....I want maximize the amount of water the sump holds wothout attaching the empty 29 to the system and taking measurement. I read that 9-10" was a fair height for baffles....anyone second that?

[dngspot]

On my 150, I use a old 50G tank for my refigium. My tank is 20 inches tall and the baffles are 13 inches tall. This gives me a empty space that will hold about 17.5 gallons of water if the pump is shut off. If the display tank was smaller I would have made the baffles taller.

[archer8681]

I'm still new, but I'm in the process of setting up a 90gal RR using a 30 gal as a sump/fuge. I made the height of the wall from the intake to the return section 9" tall, and the wall between the fuge to the return section 11" tall. Here is a link to my build thread.

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=967722

[FlipFlops24/7]

flinster,

let me know when you get those dimensions. I'm turning my old 29g into a sump also

[Hampton]

I'm confused. What does overflow have to do with the height of the dividers? If you have power failure, water will drain into the first section until it exceeds the height of the first baffle, which may be immediately. Then, it will continue into the second and third sections until the drain is complete or the sump overflows.

As long as the baffles are below the height of the walls, it should have no effect on the overflow capacity of the sump. The only exception is that a tall first baffle will decrease the increased capacity of the first section. If that's what you meant, nevermind.