Sump flow?

I am getting ready to buy a pump for a return on my sump. I have 2 overflows in a 125 gallon tank. My sump will have a refugium too. I know the refugium needs a slower flow so it will be in a seperate compartment. What is the flow I want to achieve for my sump? It will contain a skimmer, filter floss, carbon etc. Thanks in advance.

 

Ryland

Typically the rate is between 5 and 10 x your tank volume through the sump per hour

so if its a 100 gallon DT, then between 500 and 1000 GPH going through your sump

if you set up with a return pump capable of 10 x - you can then T off the overflow and allow a smaller volume of water to enter the fuge whilst the majority is routed to the sump

Steve

 

I prefer staying around the 5x the display volume for a return rate but it also depends on the size and configuration of your sump and refugium. If the sump is as large as the display then you can push that number but if its a 20 gallon sump then 5-10x could create problems with high velocities and microbubbles. Proper sizing and proper baffle placement need to be looked at.
I do as Steve suggested and tee my overflow so a portion gravity feeds my refugium which then overflows into the main sump compartment so the fuge does not get all the flow.

 

I run 10 times the sump's volume with my pump.