sump/fuge plan help lol

ok so with part of my tax return i want my fuge going. my tank is in my sig. i have a i believe 29 gal tank for my fuge/ sump. im getting a new stand to accomidate the sump. id like my skimmer still as a hob to put on the left side of the sump. i figure i have a bigger fuge that way. i want a fuge with the normal sand and rock with macros and whatnot. what i need to know is what i need to make this happen. i need some kind of overflow that doesnt include drilling my tank. i also need a return pump. and i dont know what else i need. i need recommendations on the pump and overflow kit. also would it be better to have my skimmer in the sump? i also want my heater and thermometer in the sump as well.

 

evening bump? anyone have recommendations?

 

Eshopps Overflow box. $70.
Reef Aquarium Filtration: Eshopps Overflow Boxes

A god return pump would be Eheim or Mag Drive. The recommended rating on return pumps is 10X turnover. So for your 38g tank you will want about 350-400gph, at however much head pressure you have(distance b/w the pump and top of tank).

Water Currents and Movement in Aquariums: Eheim Hobby Pumps

Mag Drive Pumps

 

i have a skimmer that has a pump rated at 650 gph does that matter? the return has to be that plus what i want for my phosphate reactor and fuge doesnt it?

 

The pump on your skimmer will run the skimmer on its own. Let it run the skimmer and get an extra pump for your return. If you want to run a reactor off of the return that is fine too...just be sure to add however much flow is needed for that, when considering the appropriate sized pump for you. $380gph + the 100gph or so for the reactor. So look for a pump that can push out 480gph at (X) # of feet(head pressure).

P.S. - Some reactors may need more flow than others, depending on the media be used in the reactor, as well as the size of the reactor. I used 100gph as an example because ecoBAK needs about 100gph going through the reactor.

 

i have a maxijet to run my reactor. the reason i asked about the skimmer is because if i have it in sump and its sucking up 650 gph wont it run out of water really fast if i have 380 gph of fed water into that and my fuge? im new to all of this so im confused lol

 

I don't think that it matters what your skimmer pump is running at, gpa wise. Your skimmer is going to pump out water as fast as it draws it in.

 

Eheim makes great return pumps--not much noise or heat. Powerheads will take care of water circulation, so do not worry about having too much turnover in your sump. I would say 3-5x total turnover for your 38g display. Of course head pressure can, and will, decrease the amount of the water that is returning to your display tank from the sump. For instance, my Eheim is rated at 320gph but puts 120gph in the tank after head pressure. For my 30g tank that is 4x turnover, which is plenty.

 

i thought with the skimmer being in the sump that i would want more turnover 10x or something so its not constantly tryin to clean cleaned water?

 

Well, it is possible to get a skimmer that is just too big. For my 30g I will be looking at getting something in the 65-100gph range. Any more is just wasted electricity.