sump design

Alright so i have a 55 gallon reef tank that is sps dominant. And i and gonna start making a sump/refugium. The tank that i am gonna use is a twenty gallon long.. I plan on getting a hang on the back overflow that is rated at 300gph. The tubing that is coming into the sump is 3/4 in. I am also planning on having the water coming in on both ends of the tank and putting the return in the middle. One side of the tank will be my refugium / propagation area. And the other side will be where i put the skimmer, heater and hopefully a fluidized sand bed filter(do you guys even think a bed filter is necessary?). On the return I am gonna use a pump rated for 350gph or get one maybe a little closer to 300gph. and use 1/2 in for the return. Let me know on what you guys think about this setup and if there is anything that i could do to make it more effective.

 

If you have live rock in the system, and I presume you do as you will have SPS, then it will handle the biological filtration and a fluidized bed filter will only raise nitrate levels, though a DSB may help lower it.

I would get a bigger overflow with a 1" diameter hose. With overflows, they will run quieter if not run at capacity. Also, try and curve the hose between the overflow and sump. The straighter it is the more noise it will make.

I have a 40 gallon breeder system with an internal overflow from Glass-holes.com with a 1" diameter hose and a 320 gph return pump going to a 1/2 inch return. Works just fine