Tank to Sump ratios

I have a 72 gal. bowfront. how do you figure out what size fuge/sump that I will nead.

 

Figure out how many gal in one inch of water for the tank, and how deep the groves in your over flow are, multiply gal by depth of grooves, round up to next higher sump size, my 72 bow had a 20 gal sump but I did not feel there was enough of a safety margin or room for equipment so I upgraded

 

thank you. I have a 20 gal. long but did not think that would work, and you just confirmed that.

 

math challenged

This is for those who may be math challenged (I am not usually so pc). Everything is in inches. Multiply the length times the width and divide by 231 cubic inches per gallon. This will give you the number of gallons per inch of tank height. Another way would be to take known tank gallonage and divide by height.
Then continue with Bears method.;D

 

Gee, I just go with how big of a sump I can fit. Bigger is better.

Then again I'm nuts. I just build a 150+ gal sump/refug with 200+ gal over flow capacity for my new 300.

 

Oi!!

Nuts? No, just lucky, or good.
Is this in your garage? ;D
I don't think I'd want that weight on anything less than cement!
You must have the best spouse available! (or single?)

 

No, the 300 is a room divider between my living room and dining room. The sump is in the basement. I reinforced the floor under the tank with 3 sets of 4x4s. It looks like a coal mine under the tank. I'm almost done with everything. I'll be posting lots of pictures soon. There are a few already in my gallery.

 

Pics

Great!!
Will be waiting impatiently.;D

 

So would this math produce the total number of sump capacity, or should it be the sump capacity minus the bio capacity? My LFS is recommending the CPR 192 for my Oceanic 46g bow front. The total compacity is 4g and the bio capacity is 1.5g. Is this sump truly sufficient for my tank?

 

Not by my math. I personally don't like the the CPR product, but to each his own.

Remember, a larger sump makes your tank act like a larger tank. You will have a more stable environment and the ability to handle a larger bio load. Bigger is almost always better. I'll always recommend the largest sump you can install. It also lets you select external skimmers, heaters, UV and other items. If you can fit a 20 gal tank under you tank in your stand you might want to consider a DIY and spend your bucks on an upgraded skimmer. You can even grow some Macro algae in it if you go that route.

Good luck!