FW sump design: fluidized bed and a refuge?

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S

simko

Exodon
MFK Member
Apr 27, 2015
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23
Canada
Hi Everyone

Im trying to design a sump for my new tank. tank is about 112 gallons, the sump is a 30 gallon (36wx12Dx18H).

Ive got a messy sketch i was hoping you could look at. http://imgur.com/AUfFewj
explanation:
A) Chamber directly below the intput (from the tank to the sump), allowing the water to "settle" before overflowing into B [is this chamber necessary?]
B) The moving bed, I was thinking of just using some K1 media and an air pump to have the moving bed. A space of 12” here with a height of 11” and a front to back of 12” gives ~ 7 gallons of water in this space, im not sure how much media can go in there, but I thought that would be sufficient?
C) Im not sure how I would rig up C and E, they just give me a bit of a chance to direct the water flow, I was thinking of putting some foam in here for mechanical filtration, I will abandon the pot scrubbers and get something similar to what you mentioned (that foam). The finer filtration before the pump, I may use some quilt batting (polyester)
D) I was thinking D could be some kind of refuge if my fish breed, or to store some plant clippings. If needed I could always add some more media.
E) Mentioned previously
F) A place for my heater(s) and pump
G) I’m not too sure about G. My tank is plumbed with a bean animal and a coast to coast overflow. The overflow box has a volume of ~7 gallons. I figured since my tank is 36”Wx18”Hx12”D I could keep 6” unused, this should give me room for the overflow to empty into the sump if my return pump fails for some reason. I really only want to build a sump once, does my logic and my diagram seem reasonable ? What should i change?

thanks in advance everyone!
 
Similar to mine, but backwards. Depending on what your keeping, having the fuge first gives lucky fry a place to live and grow. If you have the K1 first, any fry that go down the overflow will get ground to bits. After the fuge I run all the water through a coarse filter, then into the K1, then trickle over batting and pot scrubbers before being pumped back to the display. A coarse filter before the K1 saves a lot of plant matter from ending up in there, but, again, depending on what you're keeping, may not make a difference.
 
I think you will be better off using a stationary bio media. K1 is great, but is not very space efficient. You would probably be better off using a 55 gallon as the sump and use the entire tank as a large K1 chamber. I think your setup looks good, but I would just put something like ceramic media, which is much more space efficient, in the chamber you were planning on putting the K1 media in.
 
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matseski said:
Similar to mine, but backwards. Depending on what your keeping, having the fuge first gives lucky fry a place to live and grow. If you have the K1 first, any fry that go down the overflow will get ground to bits. After the fuge I run all the water through a coarse filter, then into the K1, then trickle over batting and pot scrubbers before being pumped back to the display. A coarse filter before the K1 saves a lot of plant matter from ending up in there, but, again, depending on what you're keeping, may not make a difference.
Click to expand...
Thanks Matseski, I agree, I think i will design my sump more along your build. I also found a nice diagram online that simplifies the sump even more, i may go with something like this:
http://advancedaquariumconcepts.com/build-your-own-custom-aquarium-filter-sump/
but adding more mechanical filtration towards the return pump.

Fish Tank Travis said:
I think you will be better off using a stationary bio media. K1 is great, but is not very space efficient. You would probably be better off using a 55 gallon as the sump and use the entire tank as a large K1 chamber. I think your setup looks good, but I would just put something like ceramic media, which is much more space efficient, in the chamber you were planning on putting the K1 media in.
Click to expand...

To be honest, I already have the 30 gallon so that is what i will use but i realize a 55 with that extra foot of length would be preferable. When you mention ceramic media, do you mean using it in a fluidized bed, or just in bags in the sump? I could always add ceramic/bagged media to the sump if the k1 fluidized bed isnt cutting it.
 
Yes, I meant to use ceramic media, but in a non-fluidized way. K1 is great, but in order for it to be effective, you need a lot of it, which required a lot of space. I don't think the space you have available in your sump will allow you to run enough K1 to effectively filter your tank. However, ceramic media, or something similar, is far more effective in smaller areas, such as the area you have in your sump. It also doesn't require any air or a pump for fluidization. I really think that with your 30 gallon, you will be better off using a stationary media, like ceramic rings, instead of a moving bed type media, like K1.
 
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No problem. I think K1 is great stuff. It just requires a lot more room than what you have available.

Btw, if you change your mind about looking for a cheap 55, here is a picture of my sump that I just installed the baffles in last weekend.

image.jpeg

The left chamber will be full of ceramic rings with filter floss/sponges on top for mechanical. The middle will be a refugium area, and will house the heaters. Then the right section will be for the return pumps.
 
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You are a bad influenced, i just emailed someone on local classifieds that has an ugly 55 for sale.

Have you ever used lexan for baffles? I have a decent supply of it, and i can cut it at home, whereas glass, i cant really cut that.
 
I picked up the 55 in my picture for $40 off of a Craigslist ad. The guy had it less than a year and only had it set up for a few months of that time. It was still almost brand new. A little denatured alcohol and it cleaned up great.

The baffles in the picture above are 1/4" lexan/plexiglass. I haven't put water in it yet, but I can pick the tank up by the baffles, not that I would actually carry it around that way. I am hoping to water test it this weekend, after about a week of it sitting to cure. I will post it in my thread about installing the baffles. It's in the setup and filtration section and shouldn't be too old.

I really think you will be much happier with the space that the 55 will give you. I might eventually switch mine to a 75, or even a 5' 110, if I can find a good deal on one.
 
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