Sump design help

I need some help with a sump design. I think I have everything well worked out, but I wanted to run it past the keen 3reef eyes before getting out the glue in the morning.

These will be the sumps for coloradoreef's fish store build:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/my-own-fish-store-build-78207.html

These will be run on FOWLR systems, so bio-balls should do a fine job of keeping the fish happy and healthy.

Here's is how we are planning on laying them out:

The overflow line will be split between a wet/dry at one end of the sump and skimmer compartment at the other end. The return section will include the middle area and also the volume of water under the wet/dry.

The wet dry side doesn't seem to make many bubbles as it's been tested so far, so it will have a simple underpass baffle to catch bubbles but still keep that part as part of the return volume.

The skimmer side will have a bubble trap that I'm planning on spacing out to 2" between baffles. There's quite a bit of room and the larger spacing should slow flow through the bubble trap giving bubbles more time to dissipate.

Let me know if there is anything at all that you think I missed or if there's something I should re-consider.

Thank you.

 

What are you making it out of? If you are using a glass tank, then you must use glass dividers. When I built mine, I did a ton of research & watches a countless videos. All stating you can use acrylic on glass. Not so, there is no aquarium safe silicons that will hold. I even used a silicon that is used in tank building & takes 5 days to fully cure & failed. I spoke to a rep at All-Glass & even the silicon mfg both stated silicon will not adhere to acrylic.

So that being said, glass tank use glass dividers. Acrylic tank, use acrylic dividers.

 

Here's the link on my sump design on a 40gal sump..

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/cjs-new-90gal-setup-57820-3.html

 

Do you have a distributor plate on top of the Bioballs between the overflow line and the bioballs to distribute the flow evenly across the full surface area of the top??

 

In this configuration, you won't have a lot of evaporation loss margin before your pump starts cavitating. How are you working ATO?

 

Mike,
That looks like it should do everything you want it to. from the pic it looks like the bioballs will be out of the water and have a trickle plate over them to spread the flow over them evenly? if so you should be good to go.

 

Last comment, where are you keeping the heaters??

Hope those comments helped.

M

 

BTW trickle plate = distributor plate in my post. Didn't know if there was a standard name for that.

M

 

thats a good point!

 

not sure, trickle plate was just what came to mind as I was typing