multi level sump

Setting up a 240g reef tank with a sump in the basement. I have 11' ceiling to floor clearance and I’m considering a multi level gravity sump and refugium. I want to maximize volume in the sump and still have a good flow.

Does anyone have a similar set up they would care to share ideas and concerns? I was thinking about a two or three tank setup.

The top tank would have a settling area, baffles and then the skimmer. Flow to the next level, baffles, refudium , weir, return tank with calcium reactor, heaters and auto fill.
I could have as much as an 18’ head loss to overcome on the return pump, less if I do two levels.

 

All I'd ask is why set it up with the sump and fuge over head ? 18" of head is nothing if you size and plumb properly with the correct pump.. As for baffles never found a need to add them I simply use a tank 1/10 the size of the main system in your case a 25 or 29 gal and allow grass to grown in it over a 5 " sand bed and then it simply drains about 25 gph back into the sump and then the pump simply pushed the water back up to the tank and out to the chiller in the garage and then to all my reactors and skimmer all on one properly sized pump.. I have about 20 ft of head and about 100 ft of horizontal runs

Sump is the basement the chiller is out in the garage and is setting 5ft high you do not want to depend on gravity to feed the main tank like it does a sump..

 

11' floor to truss plus 20" bottom of truss to ceiling, tank set at 36" tank hight 25". Thats 17'-9" not counting the flooring and any bends. Now I want to set up in the basement with the sump, tank is upstairs, two level sump gravities into one another.