Sump advice

[torface]

I just read some advice that Squiggle gave to another member regarding his sump so I thought i'd post a picture of mine and ask all of your advice about what I have planned for this sump, because I have virtually zero experience with this sort of thing!

This is the sump as I bought it:

I have made an extra trickle plate and have a piece of perspex ready to go in as a second vertical divider/ baffle. I've made it so it reaches approx just under where the egg crate is in the photo.

I was thinking of putting the trickle plate i made where the egg crate is currently and putting the egg crate on the lower notches. I'd then put filter wool at the top, with bio balls underneath and then ceramic noodles in the new section created by the new wall i was planning to put in.

The pump I have in my current sump will be going in. I think it pumps something like 600 l/hour. I have no idea what pump it is as it came with my current tank and sump set up which i bought it second hand. Those figures are based on a little experiment i did with a 2 litre jug and a stopwatch!! Is that sufficient (my tank is 150l)

Im assuming i need a second pump to attach to the chiller im getting. Should that sit next to the other pump?

Anything else I should consider?

[Squiggle]

Ok, after looking at the sump, I would remove the plumbing from the lid all together & have your tank drain hose y going straight on to the drip tray you've made, this way if you lower the egg crate you'll have much more space for more bio balls. I would have two pumps as you've stated for return & the chiller. Make sure you measure the space for the pumps before you put the new divider in so they'll guarantee to fit, also don't make the divider to high as this will be the water level on the filter side of it & you don't want too many of the bio balls to be underwater, it will reduce the amount of oxygen supplied to the bacteria, that's why a wet/dry system works so well, because the trickle section has so much oxygen available. Then I'd put a piece of course sponge in the bottom of the new section & make sure it's thick enough to be higher than the existing divider in the picture, you might need two layers depending on how thick the sponge you source is. This sump is pretty small so there is limited space to add any other media, so if there is room, I'd sit a bag or two of Purigen on top of the course sponge to polish your water, if they don't fit there then next to the pumps will work too. Hope this helps :encouragement:

[torface]

Thanks Squiggle :)

If I remove the plumbing from the top that makes life a whol lot easier for me cos then i dont need to figure out how to plumb it into my existing pipe!

I deliberately made my new divider a certain height so that the bio balls stay above the water level. Hopefully it works.

And I shouldn't have any issues fitting the pumps in. The sump is the biggest size i can fit under my tank, but it's still 2ft long. It's bigger and heaps better than my existing one (which is basically just a 12 inch cube with a pump in the bottom and media on top).

Actually maybe I can use said cube as my next nano tank.... :P

[Squiggle]

Wow that's a 2ft tank, the pic makes it look so much smaller, you should have plenty of room then :encouragement:

[torface]

:) i'll let you know how i go!

[torface]

Oh and should I have some carbon in there? I have a carbon pad in my current sump but its probably due to be thrown out. Could chuck in a bag of activated carbon with the purigen maybe? Or is there no need?

[Squiggle]

If you're going to use Purigen you definitely won't need activated carbon. Purigen is way better than activated carbon, it absorbs way more organic compounds than carbon, it's rechargeable & doesn't leach the stuff it's absorbed back in to the tank when it's exhausted like carbon can :encouragement:

[torface]

Awesome thanks

Do you know if it comes in bags or do you have to buy the bag separately?

[smicko]

Hi torface. If the pump for the sump isnt big enough to run the chiller as well buy a bigger pump. Having 2 pumps creates a huge mess if one stops workin. Totally aggree with sqiggle on all advice he's given. Just make sure that when the pump is turned off the sump can hold the extra water from the tank.

Cheers mick

[torface]

Hi Smicko. How would you plumb it with just one pump? Pump to chiller to tank? Or somehow split the pump outlet pipe so one goes to the tank and one to chiller? How big of a pump would I need for that? I doubt my current one would cope.

[smicko]

Exactly sump to chiller to tank. Pump size depends on the head height, the 600lph pump would only pump around 2-300lph at 1 metre high

(tank inlet height) I would go for 1000lph as that would still be around 5-600 lph at 1 metre. You can check the side of the box when you buy a pump and it will tell you head heights.

Cheers mick

[torface]

The pump i have is actually 2000 l/hour I think, the 600l/hour is what it actually pumps (thats what comes out of the tank and into the sump, so for the sump level to remain the same, i am assuming it pumps the same ammount back). I don't know how old it is, so it may have lost performance a bit if it's old i guess. Head height is approx 1.5m though i reckon, so that could be why too.

Doesn't the chiller require lesser flow though? If I pump 600 l/hour through will it still effectively cool? Sorry if this is a stupid question, i've never had a chiller before! :)

[BlueBolts]

Exactly sump to chiller to tank. Pump size depends on the head height' date=' the 600lph pump would only pump around 2-300lph at 1 metre high

(tank inlet height) I would go for 1000lph as that would still be around 5-600 lph at 1 metre. You can check the side of the box when you buy a pump and it will tell you head heights.

Cheers mick[/quote']

I'd increase the pump size x 2. I initially had a 1000 lt pump for my breeding racks, at head height of 1.5,m and 2m. After several exchanges, I'm using a 3500 lt pump now ! Each tank has a valve, so I can adjust the outflow where required.

[torface]

Reckon this might be any good?

http://guppysaquariumproducts.com.au/pumps-power-heads/submersable-sump-pumps/pump-submersible-multi-purpose-4500l/phr-hqs-4200/prod_72.html

It comes in stainless steel too, although im not sure what difference that would make.

I have a valve to reduce flow. I don't think i could ever pump back more than 600l/hour though because thats all that flows out of the tank. If i pump any more the sump level will drop.

[Squiggle]

Yeah Purigen comes in a bag but you can buy larger amounts but you need get "the bag" for it, "the bag" is a seachem product which is specifically designed for Purigen cause it's so fine. I think that two of the pre-bagged packets will be perfect :encouragement:

I have one of those pumps & they get a bit noisy as they get older, just my experience :encouragement: