Sump planning

[straightrazorguy]

You can easily calculate the volume you need to accommodate in case of power failure by calculating the volume of water above your return nozzle, the volume in all overflow boxes, etc. Err on the side of caution, ie. allow more volume than you think you need. Nobody likes water on the floor...

[WarDog]

If the drawing is to scale, then i would personally make the return section smaller and increase the size of the fuge.

[target]

Originally Posted by WarDog

If the drawing is to scale, then i would personally make the return section smaller and increase the size of the fuge.

It is to scale. If I make the fuge bigger, I would lose emergency overflow space unless I made the fuge not as deep. Why a bigger fuge?

[smokinreefer]

i agree. bigger fuge, smaller return.

not sure what the purpose for your fuge is; either to grow algaes or pods, but either way bigger fuge means grow more algae and pods.

personally id remove the ATO section from the sump and have a seperate ATO container. unless you are doing that because you have no other space for it.

[Ryan]

I like a larger return section simply for the dead space for emergency overflow if the power goes out.

IMO a fuge is a waste of space. You can achieve better results using a reactor. About the best thing it does is house pods but not sure how many would make it through a return pump.

[target]

Originally Posted by smokinreefer

i agree. bigger fuge, smaller return.

not sure what the purpose for your fuge is; either to grow algaes or pods, but either way bigger fuge means grow more algae and pods.

personally id remove the ATO section from the sump and have a seperate ATO container. unless you are doing that because you have no other space for it.

I'd have room to add a separate 10g tank in the stand. Would take up about half the remaining room in my stand but I don't know what else I'd need down there.

Originally Posted by Ryan

I like a larger return section simply for the dead space for emergency overflow if the power goes out.

IMO a fuge is a waste of space. You can achieve better results using a reactor. About the best thing it does is house pods but not sure how many would make it through a return pump.

That was my thinking as well. What kind of reactor would you recommend? I've never used any reactors before.

I should have my return pump by Monday so want to finalize the sump plans so . Lol

[cvrle1]

As others have mentioned take out ATO and do it as a separate container. Once you see how much evaporation you will have, you may find that 10G is an overkill. Personally I am not a fan of putting skimmer in same section as drain without any baffles, but thats just me. I also dont like having fuge after the return, as it harder to get water there, since return is pumping it back into the DT before it gets to fuge. Also, depending on skimmer that you use, make sure you have enough room in the skimmer section, as well as pump if it is external of skimmer. Finally, make sure that you will be able to adjust water level in the skimmer section, as some skimmers have different min/max water levels that they need. These are all the things I was thinking about when i was planning on going with 40g breeder as sump.

[titus]

Hello

Originally Posted by target

I'd have room to add a separate 10g tank in the stand. Would take up about half the remaining room in my stand but I don't know what else I'd need down there.

I used to use a Rubbermaid garbage can as ATO. It was probably 30G. Depending on how long you want to let the tank run on its own you may want more or less.

I do agree for the removal of the ATO because that allows you to have a larger sump volume. The original 32.6G sump space for a 180G to me is a bit small for my liking.

Fudge before or after return section is preference. If you have fudge is before return and a wider baffle space after skimmer it helps to reduce bubbles getting into display.

Do plan for room for reactor and filters. I like the idea of having a filter there just in case there is an issue and the need to run carbon or whatever media you need for a week.

Titus

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by target

That was my thinking as well. What kind of reactor would you recommend? I've never used any reactors before.

Depends how much money you want to spend. I had a large vertex reactor laying around so I ordered some flexible LED off Amazon and made my own. However if you are more of the plug and play then there are some great prefab cheato reactors.

[straightrazorguy]

Originally Posted by Ryan

I like a larger return section simply for the dead space for emergency overflow if the power goes out.

+ 1 on that idea; you can never have too much emergency space.

Originally Posted by Ryan

IMO a fuge is a waste of space. You can achieve better results using a reactor. About the best thing it does is house pods but not sure how many would make it through a return pump.

I have and have run both. Reactors are good while the tank is new, to bring down phosphates, nitrates, etc. And while I agree that a fuge takes more room, it is more beneficial in the long run. It adds biodiversity; it creates an ecosystem of sorts, and it lowers nitrates and phosphates, without GFO and other media. I haven't run GFO in years. The pods are just an added bonus...