suggestions on 20 gallon sump design

[Grumpy Marine]

I have been the proud owner of an aquarium for over 8 years. I have been a cichlid owner since 2015. I am now getting ready to move my 70 gallon tank to a new custom built stand and add a sump. I have been searching the internet for the last few months and think I have finally settled on a design. I have finally understood how to avoid flooding my main tank and the sump in the event of power failures or blockages. I apologize if this has been posted in the past. I am hoping to get some input on the design so that i can start cutting the baffles and constructing the sump.

I apologize for the crude drawings as i have very little artistic skill, but I have wrote notes on the tank that will be used and don't have to worry about scale and all that high teck stuff with 3d drawing programs i can't understand. I have put what pump i plan on buying as it seems to allow flexible speeds easier and will provide more than needed for return flow which means i can upgrade in the future if needed.

The water comes in from the left and filters through the course sponge material to remove debris, then it flows from bottom up through the submerged bio-balls. It then flows down through the chemical filtration area (if needed) and runs through an empty baffle. Then the water is routed through the drip system and finally into the return chamber. The return chamber is 10.5 inches wide to allow the most space for it and hopefully avoid any evaporation issues or having the pump run dry or suck air.

I have a 1 5/8' gap on the bottom of the first two chambers and again in the third chamber to try and keep the area clear of gunk. The top will have 1 5/8 inch gap to allow overflow if the bottom is blocked to prevent flooding. My tank and baffles are glass as that is what i have available for the project. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jhay3513]

I have been the proud owner of an aquarium for over 8 years. I have been a cichlid owner since 2015. I am now getting ready to move my 70 gallon tank to a new custom built stand and add a sump. I have been searching the internet for the last few months and think I have finally settled on a design. I have finally understood how to avoid flooding my main tank and the sump in the event of power failures or blockages. I apologize if this has been posted in the past. I am hoping to get some input on the design so that i can start cutting the baffles and constructing the sump.

I apologize for the crude drawings as i have very little artistic skill, but I have wrote notes on the tank that will be used and don't have to worry about scale and all that high teck stuff with 3d drawing programs i can't understand. I have put what pump i plan on buying as it seems to allow flexible speeds easier and will provide more than needed for return flow which means i can upgrade in the future if needed.

The water comes in from the left and filters through the course sponge material to remove debris, then it flows from bottom up through the submerged bio-balls. It then flows down through the chemical filtration area (if needed) and runs through an empty baffle. Then the water is routed through the drip system and finally into the return chamber. The return chamber is 10.5 inches wide to allow the most space for it and hopefully avoid any evaporation issues or having the pump run dry or suck air.

I have a 1 5/8' gap on the bottom of the first two chambers and again in the third chamber to try and keep the area clear of gunk. The top will have 1 5/8 inch gap to allow overflow if the bottom is blocked to prevent flooding. My tank and baffles are glass as that is what i have available for the project. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

View attachment 1278563

Good stuff I love sumps. I have a 75 gallon marine land with a 40 breeder sump that I built. A few questions and comments
1. How are you planning to overflow your main tank to get water into the sump? (Drill, HOB Overflow, PVC Overflow)
2. Bioballs aren’t that great of a media when used fully submerged. I’d suggest a really porous submersible media like seachem matrix, lava rock, ceramic rings etc.
3. The two “2 3/4” from the top” baffles need to come down. These baffles will set the water height inside the sump and will leave no room for your display to drain when the pump shuts off. I would do the first one 8-9” in height from the bottom and the last one 6-7” in height from the bottom but again that’s going to depend on your over flow style and return style.

4. I am using the same sump pump on my set up and my Overflow is rated at 750 GPH. I can’t turn my pump up past the first setting without my Overflow surging. I wouldn’t buy that pump until you’ve planned out what over flow you’ll be using to make sure it’s the right pump for your setup.

Let me know if you have questions

 

[Jhay3513]

Skip to 3:00 to see my sump setup

 

[Grumpy Marine]

1. How are you planning to overflow your main tank to get water into the sump?

I plan on utilizing the ESHOPPS PF800. I have thought of the PF1000 to get double outlet from the tank to aid in if one line gets cloged or if i want more flow into sump.

2. Bioballs aren’t that great of a media when used fully submerged. I’d suggest a really porous submersible media like seachem matrix, lava rock, ceramic rings etc.

I don't plan on using bioballs in the submerged areas, i plan on having that be ceramic. I haven't looked at matrix or lava stone. But i like the idea of lava stone.

3. The two “2 3/4” from the top” baffles need to come down. These baffles will set the water height inside the sump and will leave no room for your display to drain when the pump shuts off. I would do the first one 8-9” in height from the bottom and the last one 6-7” in height from the bottom but again that’s going to depend on your over flow style and return style.

Here is where my questions to your comments come in. If i lower the baffles to those numbers that would remove alot if not all of the space for the drip system in the last baffle area. As they are now the baffles you speak of are at 9 1/4 from the top of the tank. lowering the 2nd baffle to 7 inches would only leave about 4 inches of space for media in the drip area.

To prevent overflow in event of power failure i was watching you tube and it said to fill DT until it starts to enter the overflow then stop. Then fill the sump up to 1-2 inches from top and then turn on the pump. Once the water levels out, mark that point and you have your max fill line to avoid any overflow during power failure.

The return line is where i haven't looked at yet, i cannot drill my tank as i have not the skill nor the ability to do it while the tank is full and stocked. So everything going in or out is having to go over the top fo the tank.

4. I am using the same sump pump on my set up and my Overflow is rated at 750 GPH. I can’t turn my pump up past the first setting without my Overflow surging. I wouldn’t buy that pump until you’ve planned out what over flow you’ll be using to make sure it’s the right pump for your setup.

I am planning on getting 600GPH through the sump, it will be sitting about 5 feet below the DT. If i use PVC pipes i will have 4 90 degree elbows in it to get water back into DT. If i use soft hose like yours that removes the concern of resistance caused by bends and turns. Knowing that your system is using same pump does help me decide. I think that one is overkill for my system, so i will need to find a smaller DC pump or go with a RIO model.

Thanks for your input, i have been waiting to see if i am not seeing something that would cause problems once filled with water. Please disect at your will and i appreciate the feedback.

Your video was very nice to see the pump in action and what your talking about water levels. My stand is very similar. Once done i will post a pic of the project as it has been in the garage for a while waiting this sump to be built.

 

[Grumpy Marine]

i forgot to ask what is the purple mat under your tanks and where did you get it at?

 

[Jhay3513]

1. How are you planning to overflow your main tank to get water into the sump?

I plan on utilizing the ESHOPPS PF800. I have thought of the PF1000 to get double outlet from the tank to aid in if one line gets cloged or if i want more flow into sump.

2. Bioballs aren’t that great of a media when used fully submerged. I’d suggest a really porous submersible media like seachem matrix, lava rock, ceramic rings etc.

I don't plan on using bioballs in the submerged areas, i plan on having that be ceramic. I haven't looked at matrix or lava stone. But i like the idea of lava stone.

3. The two “2 3/4” from the top” baffles need to come down. These baffles will set the water height inside the sump and will leave no room for your display to drain when the pump shuts off. I would do the first one 8-9” in height from the bottom and the last one 6-7” in height from the bottom but again that’s going to depend on your over flow style and return style.

Here is where my questions to your comments come in. If i lower the baffles to those numbers that would remove alot if not all of the space for the drip system in the last baffle area. As they are now the baffles you speak of are at 9 1/4 from the top of the tank. lowering the 2nd baffle to 7 inches would only leave about 4 inches of space for media in the drip area.

To prevent overflow in event of power failure i was watching you tube and it said to fill DT until it starts to enter the overflow then stop. Then fill the sump up to 1-2 inches from top and then turn on the pump. Once the water levels out, mark that point and you have your max fill line to avoid any overflow during power failure.

The return line is where i haven't looked at yet, i cannot drill my tank as i have not the skill nor the ability to do it while the tank is full and stocked. So everything going in or out is having to go over the top fo the tank.

4. I am using the same sump pump on my set up and my Overflow is rated at 750 GPH. I can’t turn my pump up past the first setting without my Overflow surging. I wouldn’t buy that pump until you’ve planned out what over flow you’ll be using to make sure it’s the right pump for your setup.

I am planning on getting 600GPH through the sump, it will be sitting about 5 feet below the DT. If i use PVC pipes i will have 4 90 degree elbows in it to get water back into DT. If i use soft hose like yours that removes the concern of resistance caused by bends and turns. Knowing that your system is using same pump does help me decide. I think that one is overkill for my system, so i will need to find a smaller DC pump or go with a RIO model.

Thanks for your input, i have been waiting to see if i am not seeing something that would cause problems once filled with water. Please disect at your will and i appreciate the feedback.

Your video was very nice to see the pump in action and what your talking about water levels. My stand is very similar. Once done i will post a pic of the project as it has been in the garage for a while waiting this sump to be built.

The purple mat is a foam board from Home Depot. I cut it to the same width as the 2x4 that I built my stand out of. It’s bad to sit a glass trimmer tank on top of a full styrofoam mat so I just did the trim. When you’re planning your sump your minimum water level is set by your LOWEST baffle that water flows OVER. As an example, look at my video. I designed my sump with just 3 glass baffles. The middle one is the only one that flows over into the next chamber so that dictates my water line. If I made that baffle higher, I would have had to add more water to get water to flow over into it. I hope that makes sense. It’s pretty tough to explain this stuff in writing sometimes lol. As far as pumps are concerned you could always step down to the DCT-4000. If I had to do it again I would have done the same as the 6000 on my set up is actually too much. If you need more flow inside the setup just use a power head to accommodate the sump pump. That’s my next purchase for my tank. I personally like using soft hoses because it makes disassembly and moving things around easier in my opinion but I think that’s more of a personal preference. I’m actually glad I went with a 40b for a sump this time because now I never have to top it off between waterchanges. I had a 10gallon sump on a 55 gallon tank and had to top it off nearly everyday. Building your own sump will take some trial and error and the great thing is you can learn from your mistakes and get better and better at it to suit your specific needs. Things I addressed in my current sump that were errors in my first one was inlet chamber size. On my first sump i made the first chamber like 8” wide which was pretty pointless. I made this one 4” and now I just run a filter sock in it. Another was final chamber width and water level. The inlet on that pump is about 2.5-3.5” or so. Knowing that this time I knew to make the middle chamber about 8.5” to give it plenty of room for evaporation. These pumps will shut off if they run dry so that part isn’t that alarming and if your feed your fish and monitor your tank daily like most you’ll notice evap before it ever becomes a problem. With my current design I can go 2 weeks without starving my pump if I fill the water to the height of the middle baffle. One design flaw in mine that you might have in yours based on your drawing is protein film build up in your last chamber. All of the scum that used to build up on your aquarium surface will now build up in your sump since the overflow skims the top. Mine was building up bad in my last chamber as well because that’s the only chamber that has zero surface agitation. I knew I wanted to keep a sponge filter to potentially instant cycle any new tanks but I put it in the second chamber. When I noticed the scum in my last chamber I moved the sponge there and it solved that for me.


You’d be surprised at how much media you can pack in a 4x12” space in a sump. Plus you can add more media under the drip system and in the final chamber space as well if you feel that you need more. I would go with the bigger overflow to be safe as well. I hope I touched on everything lol

 

[Grumpy Marine]

So it begins...two baffles installed all cut to size...mostly straight lines...lol

Once these two are set i can put the middle and 4th baffles in...going to be tricky with silicone in tight spaces, any ideas?

I put a bead on each side then stick in baffle, tape in place then do a bead on both sides too give a good seal.

 

[Jhay3513]

The best you can do is a thick bead on the easy side and try and get the silicone to slide in through. What type of silicone are you using

 

[Jhay3513]

I’m still nervous about you installing those baffles that high. I hope it all works out and guy get it dialed in. Where’d you get the baffle glass

 

[Grumpy Marine]

I’m still nervous about you installing those baffles that high. I hope it all works out and guy get it dialed in. Where’d you get the baffle glass

Those are the tall baffles, where water flows under, the ones for flow over top are cut to sizes you suggested. So water level should sit around middle of the sump.

Water test will show me how close or off i am.

Ii am using DAP aquarium safe silicone.