need sump creation help

I am wanting to set up a sump, mainly to get my skimmer and heaters etc out of my main tank. I have a 125 gallon tank, how many gallons should my sump hold, what kind of overflow box should i get ? how many gallons per hour should it be rated for and what size pump will i need ? I am not a DIY type when it comes to plumbing.... Have been looking at overflow boxes and pumps online, but don't have a clue what I will need. I appreciate everyones input.....

 

I always recommend going to melevsreef.com and checking out his sump setups. As far as size is concerned ,the bigger the better. The bigger the sump the more stable the tank will be, because there is more water volume.

Are you considering adding a refugium?

 

Go with as big a sump as you can set up comfortably to offer you the greatest amount of space and increased surface area. Then I like the Megaflows for the overflows and the Durso standpipe set-up. Make sure you get a strong enough pump for your return to the main tank taking into consideration, that gph lost due to head(amount of gph lost due to pushing the water from your sump to the main tank again)>longer the distance, the less gph from your pump so a bigger sized pump may me needed.

 

I run a 30g long as a sump/refugium on my 120g. I use a CPR overflow rated at 800gph and a Quiet One 3000 return pump but I would recommend going up to the 4000 which is rated at 1050gph at 1 foot of head pressure with a max of 10 feet.
Just remember you have to take into account the number of feet of head pressure that a pump must pump against and that every 90 degree bend in the return line counts as 1 foot of HP. Mag 9's are very good pumps but the Quiet One's are more efficient, use less power and are very quiet.
Build the largest sump you can if your planning on keeping a refugium for nutrient export. You want the refugium as large as possible with as much algae you can fit in it. A 55g would make an excellent refugium and sump.
Hope this helps some.
Larry