My sump situation pros and cons?

Due to my limited space inside my 55g stand I am force to use a sump that is 10" Wide. So I decided to go with 2 10g sump

I will have a HOB overflow with 2 drains. One drain will go straight to my 1st area on 1st sump. The second drain will go directly to my refuge.

Here is the 1st sump layout.


Sump Dimensions 20" L x 10" W x 12" H

1st area 5" Wide, is Live Rock rubble with a baffle of 10" Height. This baffle would have a bottom opening of 1/2"

2nd Area 8" Wide, water will flow below the baffle in to the skimmer feeding pump section with Mag 9. Will have a baffle of 9" Height.

Water will flow above the 9" baffle and come down in to another Live Rock rubble area of 3" Wide.

Water will flow below the 3rd baffle of 10" Height with a bottom opening of 1/2"

Last area will be 5" Wide with a bulkhead at 9 1/2" Height for the water to transfer to my 2nd 10g sump.



Is there any cons or pro in having my skimmer flowing the water out in the refugium area?

 

Here is my 2nd sump layout.

Water is transferring in to the first area 3" Wide from the 1st sump, coming down to Live Rock rubble and flowing below the 10" baffle with a bottom opening of 1/2"


Second area will be 2" Wide will be used for heater if needed. Water will come up and flow out through my second baffle with an opening of 1/2" at 8" Height of the 10 1/2" baffle.

3rd area will be 5" wide for my return area. Last area will be 10" which will be my refuge with the same flow idea in to my return area.

My skimmer will be inside my refugium.

 

OK... way too complicated... waaayyy too much rock rubble and wasted space.

Rock rubble is nothing but a detrirus trap and is not needed for anything. It will need to be regularly cleaned. If you do not have enough LR in your tank, you have room for some with 2 10g tanks... but not rubble.

All you need is for your drain to enter the sump... either make a compartment to get rid of bubbles, or don't does not really matter. the skimmer should be in that compartment.

Use a 3 partition bubble trap between skimmer and return pump. Over, under, over. Return pump at the end.

Drain into fuge tank. You will NEED to take care of bubbles. Make a compartment if you want, you have room. Look for ideas, plenty out there. Make a fuge compartment. Does not have to be deep. Put in two bulkheads for redundency.... overflow it directly into return section in other tank.... but be sure not to have a "water fall" in the return section to create more bubbles. The fuge and return section can be "equalized" at the the same level to keep that from happening.

That's one 3 partition bubble trap and two bulkheads. If you must put live rock in... put it in the fuge, but if you have a DSB, keep it off the sand bed.... raise it witha self... or put it in the skimmer compartment... but it really needs to be in the display tank. If you have enough in there, then you do not need any in the sump/fuge.

 

I forgot to mention I am doing a 55g frag tank. I will have some DIY rock in my DT after is cure but will be small pieces and no sand. The rock rubble was to reduced the bubbles.

Quick question if I do drain in to my refuge I will have to take care of the bubbles BEFORE it gets to my return?

In my refugium I was planning in doing miracle mud or sand bed with sea weed and Live rock.

 

OK... some will use rock rubble as a way to filter bubbles... but I can't stand anything to clean or replace and you can make it without. You will have large bubbles from the drains... not micro bubbles from the skimmer. So you can just dump into the skimmer section.... but there are little compartment boxes you can make to limit splash, or have a compartment with a bottom out let.... but the important part to remember is that you need a bubble trap between skimmer and return... so that one trap will eliminate all... if you have splash, then you can deal with that.

the fuge does not need a bubble trap.... but you will have bubbles from the drain, and you just need to make sure they do not make it to the return... shouldn't though. I suppose one baffle would do it to get the bubbles on top. Even just one bulkhead is good, just make sure it is big enough for anything, and put a screen on it for algae. So it can just flow to the return as long as it is bubble free.

For a DSB to work it needs to breath... putting rock on it chokes it. If you are going to put LR in the fuge.... just put some PVC stands and some egg crate to keep it off the sand bed. DIY rock is OK, but it is not as porous as reef rock. It sounds like you are going minimal rock (which is cool) but you may not have enough LR for your system. Filling up your sump/fuge with it will be hard... it will just slow flow and catch all the ditritus. You might want to reconsider using reef rock for your display tank since you do not want a lot of it.

does that explain things?

 

Basically the main thing is AVOIDING ANY BUBBLES big or small from going to the return section. This I can accomplish well. I am thinking in putting a small piece of LR not DIY in my fuge since I am limited in my fuge size and will be on top of egg crate.

I am also going to add 50/50 of DIY rock and LR not DIY in my DT, BUT it won't be a bunch of it since is a frag tank but I have an idea to make the rock useful for my frags to avoid as much as i can the egg crate looking.


Yes it explains a lot of better thank guys!

 

Right, OK, well that sounds good. Sounds like it will work.

Micro bubbles just get swept along and are hard to get rid of. So yes... you definitely want to make sure no bubbles make it to the return pump. A 3 partition bubble trap is most effective. Since you just need one and you have a lot of length, no big deal. Space them 1.5" apart for a 3" trap total. Doing 2" apart for 4 just makes it even more effective... but the 1.5" will be enough.

I didn't get that the display is a frag tank, but ya, that will work fine. You can keep the big fish load to a minimum. Get some 6 lines or wrasses to eat critters and keep bugs off the frags. Nice big fuge and DSB in the one tank will be plenty... bigger than you need, and you will have plenty of bio filter for the fish load you will have.

 

I came up with a better layout that will reduce the bubbles a lot and the return with fuge will be at the same water level.
Also gave a bigger much better room for my fuge. I am trying to decide what size of bulkhead should I go for to join both tanks. Would 1" do it or 2" is better?

Working on the new layout will post as soon as I am done with it.

I was settle on getting only 2 tangs and nothing else. I have heard on getting a 6 line or a wrasses. Also having a clean up crew in my fuge would it be ok not needed?

 

Going from left to right, starting from the 1st sump ending with the 2nd sump.

Sumps are both 10g 20" L x 10" W x 12" H

I will have control valves on my drain line and return line. For return I will be using a mag 12. My skimmer feeding pump will be a Mag 9.

1st sump

1st Area(5"L x 10" W x 12" H) water comes down in the skimmer feeding pump area but no skimmer. Water will flow out under the 1st baffle. The 1st baffle will be off the bottom 1/2". The baffle will be 10" H

2nd baffle is 2" L from 1st baffle, 10" H, water will come up and flow out above it and come down again.

3rd baffle will be 2" L from 2nd baffle, 10" H and 1/2" off the bottom where the water will flow out again. Water comes up again and flow out above the 4th baffle.

4th baffle will be 10" H and 2" L from 3rd baffle.

Last area on my 1st sump will be my return area where my bulkhead will be.
return area (9" L x 10" W x 10"H)

My first bulkhead on the 1st sump will be around 1" between 8 1/2" and 9 1/2", so the bulkhead can stay below my water level.

2nd SUMP
My 2nd sump will also have a 1" bulkhead between 8 1/2" and 9 1/2", so the bulkhead can stay below my water level.

1st baffle will be 2" L, 10" H.

2nd baffle 10" H and 1/2" off the bottom.

3rd last baffle will be 10" H last area in this 2nd sump is my refugium.

My refugium will have my skimmer outlet.
refuge area 14" L x 10" W x 10" H

My refugium will be having a drain line as well in a way where it doesnt come down and splash to hard.

 

First, do not put valves on your drains. You can put a valve on the fuge to control flow to it, but the other drain needs to be free flowing to ensure no floods. However you split your drain to your fuge, you just need to do it in a way that you have a flooded line going to the fuge to make it easier to control. Not a line half filled with air and half filled with water. So it should come off the bottom of a horizontal run or a tee going to a valve and then lower.

Second... not sure where your skimmer is. Don't know why you want to feed it to the fuge, no real point in that and it also put the majority of flow through the bulkhead to get it back to the return section.

You do not need a 4 baffle bubble trap. 3 is all you need. Make the opening in the bottom at least 1". You want slow flow, the narrower the passages, the faster the water flows, and the more easily bubbles can be swept along. With the size of your tank and the amount of flow a 3" trap will be plenty... 1.5 between panes. So dump your drain in the sump. Have your skimmer in a compartment, put a bubble trap in and let it overflow into the return section.

Your fuge does not need a 3 baffle bubble trap. Most bubbles will not make it over. But it does not hurt either if that is what you want. I only hade one baffle overflowing to the return, but I also had no bubbles in my drains.

The skimmer compartment should be 10", unless you have a external one. But the other sections should probably be more like 8". You have not left much room for drain back, so you do not want to use the full tank. You need to allow some drain back room for when you turn off the return pump off and the return lines siphoning water back.