My 29G Sump/Refugium - plans

I'm working on the plans for my sump/refugium.

The inlet is on the left, return in the middle, and refugium on the right... this way I can control the flow, etc.

Thank you all for your input!

 

By the way... I know it's not drawn/done to proportion. Sorry.

 

If you have your baffle walls at 13" high and your tank is only 18" high that only leave under 5" of space left for water when the power goes out. Don't forget that you have to allow for the displacement of water in your display tank when the pump quits. If it was me I would cut the walls down to 10" and just make sure you do your calcualtions of water volume.
30.25 x 12.5 x 5 comes out to just over 8 gallons it will hold.
3Reef Calculators
Now take your display tanks measurement and input them. You have to measure down to the bottom of your return tubes or OF which ever is lower.

I didn't know what your tank size was...:-/ You can add it to your signature so it will help with further questions you ask. ;D

 

Thanks for the input. I have a 90 gallon... and I added it to my signature.

I was thinking that 5" would do my pretty good... but maybe I'll lower it a bit. Thanks.

The baffles between the return pump and refugium are .5" a part (while the baffles on the opposite side are 1" a part). I did this since the water flow coming OUT of the refugium would be VERY SLOW so I figured that it wouldn't need as wide of spacing. Does that pose any concern?

Thanks again for your thoughts!

 

That looks good to me. Just make sure you do your calculations on how much water this is going to hold during a power shut off. Believe me you don't want water all over the floor just because you miss calculated 1" of water.:-/ I had to upgrade a 30 gal sump to a 75 gal because when the pumps shut off I didn't realize how much 3" of water was across 84" x 24" A lot more water then a 30 gal holds....

 

Right now this is what I have (the one on the left):
The Aquarium Online - Detail

My sump is about 6" longer, 2" wider. Additionally, since it doesn't have a baffle... AT MOST I ca put about 8-9" of water in. That's the max. Anything higher and it would overflow. The height that they give isn't actually the "height" before water can start overflowing. I'm not at home either to check.

So, let's say the "edge" is ~3" less than what they give... 15". That's about 7". Now, my tank is a bit wider and lengthier. So, I think if make the baffles 10" I should have MORE than enough.... maybe I'll even make the baffles 11 or 12 so my "total" sump would be a bit more than 19.

I'll get some better measurements during lunch. Sorry for the rambling... just ready/excited to get this project going!

 

A good rule of thumb for the fuge should be 1/10 of the tank volume, so about 9 gal of space in the sump and 9 gph flow across it. If I was you I would go with 10" just to be on the safe side, wet carpet after work sucks! :-/

 

Ok...

So... baffle sizes from left to right (not at my home computer to redo this...)

[live rock rubble filtration: 4"]
1. 12"
[protein skimmer & pump, pump for phosban, etc 7.5"]
2. 13"
[1" spacing]
3. ~17.25" (From top to bottom... leaving 1.5" at the bottom)
[1" spacing]
4. 10"
[Return Pump area 7.5"]
5. 10"
[.5" spacing]
6. ~17.25" (From top to bottom... leaving 1.5" at the bottom)
[.5" spacing]
7. 17" (since there's "teeth" water will only be up to 16")
[Refugium 6.5"]

If my refugium needs to be 1/10 the tank... that's 9 gallons. I'm short of that. I really don't know how to make MORE room though. I'm looking to some day get the Danner Mag-Drive Supreme 12 (Pump Size (L x W x H): 6.4" x 4.5" x 4.6"). So... I really only need about 5.5-6" in the return area.

I REALLY can't do much on the side with the protein skimmer, etc...

The only area I can adjust is the inlet with LR rubble, but I think 3" would be TOO small, don't you?

So... right now...

LR Rubble: 4"
Protein Skimmer, Etc: 7.5"
Return Pump: 6"
Baffles: 3"
Fuge: 8"
TOTAL: 28.5

I'm giving myself 1.75" for glass, etc.

With that, my fuge is about 7 gallons. I need to get it to 10.5" based on your input. I don't think I can get it there... based on everything else.

I guess it's a good starting point... and better than nothing.

 

I guess I could make that last baffle 18" high... with 1" teeth. That would bring my water level up an extra inch... would make it roughly 7.3 gallons... LOL.

 

If you divided the sump in half and feed the refugium part with a T off the return instead of the pump, do you think that would help get some more room? You could put all your live rock in refugium area and forget the other part . I,m also trying to design a 30gal sump.