Sump - Help?

Okay, so I basically want to get into the marine aquarium hobby. I mean really get into it. To do that, I need to know how to set up and sustain a sump. What I know is that it is, in short, a refugium connected to the main tank that holds another body of water. In this refugium are creatures, such as macro algae and filter-feeders, as well as LR and LS. This filters the main tank's water and keeps water parameters stable and regular. What I don't know is:

- What actually needs to be in the sump (do I need certain things more than others?)

- What to do to prevent the sump from overflowing

- How to prevent the contents of the sump going back into the tank along with the water

- How to actually connect the sump to the main tank

- What size the sump should be when considering gallonage

- How to prevent the contents of the main tank going into the sump with the unfiltered water

So that just about covers everything, I think.

Thanks, Brent.

Whoops... Meant to post this in "System Equipment."

Moved it for ya.

Thanks. (:

Oh and have you done any reading up on sumps? Its pretty self explanitory.

Yes, I have. What I haven't found (or have been too lazy to find) is listed above.

Okay, first of all take a look at RC and NR. In the sump, well first of all do you want a refugium in the sump i.e. sand, caulerpa and pods?

- What to do to prevent the sump from overflowing
Depends on how you hook it up to the tank.

- How to prevent the contents of the sump going back into the tank along with the water
See above answer

- How to actually connect the sump to the main tank
Overflow box or drill your tank.

- What size the sump should be when considering gallonage
There is a calculator on reef central for that

- How to prevent the contents of the main tank going into the sump with the unfiltered water
You will need an overflow box

I see. Thanks. (:

Yes, I would want the caulerpa, copepods and some LR (pruned so as to prevent the nasties from getting in there). Sand would not be an option as it would likely find its way into the main tank (if you know how to prevent this, by all means-).

I want to avoid the overflow box, so if I simply screen off the PVC (that is my desired tubing) that should prevent the larger things at least from reaching the refugium, correct?

Instead of drilling the tank, would a PVC pipe attatched to a pump suffice? I was thinking I could simply run the tubing up the side of the tank and in to the water via the top opening, then pump water from the tank into the fuge, through the protein skimmer and then back up into the main tank.

Oh, and I'll check out RC and NR as well.

I tried the dual pump thing with my tank and I think you would have problems. Then again if you done it where they were the same length and pump it may work. Mine had diffirent lengths coming back into the tank than going out. May have been my problem.

I could expirement with it... What pump would be best // what did you use?

I used an azoo1200 (317GPH) One to fuge one back.

For what sized tank and fuge?

20L and that 6 or 3 or whatever I was using for a display.

Okay. Well, I think it would need to be significantly higher in gph for the 80-120g I want for my birthday. Fuge would likely be a 25g.

Id go for around 500-750 GPH and use spray bars if you can so its not just random flows.

I agree on the gph, though I may even go higher than that (900gph or so).

Spray bars are just elongated tubes that direct the flow to wherever you want it to go, correct?

more like a tube with a plug in the end and holes in the side for water to spray out. Look at the ones I made for my 20L in the thread for it.

I've been thinking long and hard about what system to use. and have decided on this one:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1310585

Do you think the system would be more of a hassle (to build, mainly) or of help? I don't mind noise, really. It's the failsafe that I absolutely need. Is there a better system out there?

Looks pretty good to me. No work that would go to waste IMO

Okay. Feels great to have someone elses opinion! Haha.

Now, I have a quick question (as I really don't understand this part of the set up):

How do the valves work? I noticed that the two on the either sides were perfectly straight- up and down, but the middle one was slightly closed. What is the purpose of the partial close? I take it to somehow add to the suction of the syphon. Also, I don't get this whole "vortex/whirlpool," crap. Care to explain, anyone?


Sorry for the hard questions. x]

Im going to leave that one up to someone else because I am completely lost.

Join the club... And google is no help. >.>

The pumps just control how much water you want going into the sump. I'm not sure i understand your question about the "vortex,whirpool"?

I understand that part, but I don't understand why the middle valve is partially closed.

As for the vortex question, there was mention of possible formation of eddy currents that can creat a vortex in the sump. I don't understand how this happens, or how to prevent it from occuring.