Sump help

[freeze]

So I need a little sump help. It's a 92 gallon corner bowfront and this is the sump that canoe with it. Got it for a steal but now trying to figure out plumbing and sump layout. Here is the sump.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/c4pyro/D94F3983-A11C-4FA0-8D7A-AB191FFE26DC-1425-000002869CFAC106.jpg

I have an swc 160 cone skimmer for it. It's fits in all the chambers.

Here is the issue. As seen in the front right chamber there is a section at the bottom that is open. I want to have a camber with my skimmer in it coming from tank, a fuge and then a return or course. The basics. Just trying to figure out how to lay it out. I can do some lexan and silo coming if necessary which I am thinking it most likely will. My return pump is an eheim 1262. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/c4pyro/5BCA675D-CDF7-4A07-BDB2-76B36C304536-1425-00000286A3079BEB.jpg
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd76/c4pyro/7A4F977D-2F37-47C7-9D2A-03C2AD5127FD-1425-00000286A9DE652D.jpg

[gregzz4]

I'm thinking you could use the trapezoid chamber for your drain inlet and skimmer chamber, and have it go under the divider to one side of the back half which would become your fuge
Seal off the bottom of the trapezoid to the 'other' back half chamber, and use it for the return pump, utilizing the overflow of that center baffle
This will give you a decent bubble trap as well
And no adding extra panels, just a quick strip to seal off half of that under-pass

[freeze]

Sorry of there is confusion. The gap on the bottom is only on that one half of the sump. So then trapazoid as return would then naturally flow to the upper chamber through the bottom, would fill that and overflow to the lower as a return? Only question would be is because the bottom is open the sand bed in the fuge would spill into the skimmer area so I might have to throw something in anyways.

Thinking I could use the sealed lower chamber as the sump and the trapazoid as my fuge and just build a baffle and then both would drain into the upper chamber as the return...

[gregzz4]

Sorry I missed that
So the under-pass is only on the left side
Works well so far

You never mentioned sand ...
Maybe you could add a horizontal piece of bottom glass ( left to right ) in the fuge section, just back from the under-pass ( maybe 1/2 or 1 inch ), and just taller than your sand depth to keep it in place ?
Make sense ?

[gregzz4]

Hang on, I missed some more of your post ... :doh:

[freeze]

Sorry about not mentioning sand. Ya I have thought about a little wall.

[gregzz4]

I'm trying to absorb what you said, but with all my studying and the heat at work, my brain is mush

What do you think about my idea, or is it totally wrong ?

I see the water coming in the front (trap) then going left, spilling over and leaving from the right

[freeze]

So from what I am gathering from you is coming in at trapazoid on right, flowing underneath to the upper left chamber with the tape measure in it, then flowing over the wall to return in bottom left...

[gregzz4]

And just to clarify things
In your third pic, the end of your tape measure is in the trapezoid, and I'm calling the area with your tape the left chamber

[gregzz4]

So from what I am gathering from you is coming in at trapazoid on right, flowing underneath to the upper left chamber with the tape measure in it, then flowing over the wall to return in bottom left...
Ya, that's it
We were talking different left/right/up/down
I was thinking of the chambers as they sit with the longest edge against a wall, not the way they sit in your pics ( which is totally backwards anyway :eek:)

What do you think ?

[gregzz4]

The only drawback I see is it will put your skimmer farthest from the cabinet opening, which is not ideal for servicing

The trapezoid will end up against the wall, Ya ?

[freeze]

I am thinking I have two options and that is one of them and the easiest. I have some lexan I could silicone in and would be done.

The other is to have the skimmer in bottom left and return pump in the upper left. Throw in a bubble trap. Have the fuge in the right trapazoid and build a wall there as well to give me some volume and have water fall over it and then under into the top left return.

So just have returns going to both skimmer and fuge chamber and use ball valves to control flow.

[freeze]

Trapazoid is against the back part of cabinet so skimmer would be far away...

[gregzz4]

I am thinking I have two options and that is one of them and the easiest. I have some lexan I could silicone in and would be done.

The other is to have the skimmer in bottom left and return pump in the upper left. Throw in a bubble trap. Have the fuge in the right trapazoid and build a wall there as well to give me some volume and have water fall over it and then under into the top left return.
It would be better longterm if you used glass, not lexan, unless the area you place it in will stop it from moving - angled to fit with pressure holding it in place. Plex and glass don't silicone together well. Many have had success siliconing plex baffles in sumps, so you may be OK, but I'd use glass

OK, so your plan would be to increase the wall height and have the lower left skimmer area(drain from tank) go through a bubble trap, then spill into the trapezoid (fuge) and go under the glass to the return chamber ?

Sounds much more complicated

[gregzz4]

Trapazoid is against the back part of cabinet so skimmer would be far away...
Ya, I hear ya

I'm thinking ... :wink:

[gregzz4]

OK, for ease of access to the skimmer and return pump, but not much access to the fuge, this may work

Think of your sump the way you will see it when the tank is against the wall/in the corner, with the longest edge against you

Have the DT drain into the skimmer chamber on the front left
It flows under the baffle to the fuge, then spills over to the right front chamber where your return pump would be

You will need to raise the tops of the glass to make this work, but it will become a bubble trap, and no worries about sand migration (if your skimmer is on a stand)

The glass between the skimmer/fuge and skimmer/return would need to be taller. Simple strips will do

[gregzz4]

If you go with this latest plan, you'll still need a sand trap
On the inside of the fuge past the underpass. Maybe an 'L' shape to the center baffle between the skimmer and pump, or even just a simple strip on an angle between the baffle and the far left wall

[kien]

Another option is to scrap the 'fuge altogether. It would simplify your sump. That is unless you're dead set on having a 'fuge. Just throwing that out there.

[gregzz4]

Another option is to scrap the 'fuge altogether. It would simplify your sump. That is unless you're dead set on having a 'fuge. Just throwing that out there.
I thought the same thing, and also wonder about socks, but the OP wanted some options ...

Nothing wrong with the setup, just kinda hard to work with

[smokinreefer]

okay, if i got the orientation of your sump correct.
this should work.
if section 1 is at the back of the tank
section 2 is front left side
section 3 is front right side

tank drains into 1
flows under baffle into 2 (refugium)
over baffle into 3 (return pump and skimmer)

you'd need another baffle in section 2 just behind the current baffle.
(colored in red)

this baffle would go from the bottom of tank, and would be shorter than baffle leading to section 3

this way, water flowes under baffle 1 (bubble trap)
flows up over new baffle (into refugium)
and then over 3rd baffle into return chamber!

make sense?!?

http://i690.photobucket.com/albums/vv267/shaong/trisump_zpsfe58ea2d.jpg

[gregzz4]

Shao, if he has room for the skimmer and return together in one chamber, there's a chance of micro bubbles ...

Another option would be to use a HOB 'fuge with a powerhead or such to fill it. A small 'fuge would be easy to clean out when removed thus elimating a messy sump cleanup headache
With this idea, trapezoid is tank drain ( and socks if desired )
Left is skimmer and right is return
No baffle mods needed

[freeze]

Was thinking that a HOB fuge would be okay and resolve a lot of issues. If not I think I am gonna have to add baffles and that might be more trouble then it's worth. I won't put the skimmer and return in the same as I don't want to run the rail of micro bubbles.

[smokinreefer]

I won't put the skimmer and return in the same as I don't want to run the rail of micro bubbles.

depending on clearance in stand and your skimmer...
would you be able to have your skimmer in section 3 positioned so the output goes over the back baffle, back into section 1, where the display tank drains? eliminating the issue of micro bubbles.