20g long sump suggestions

[Camps23]

I picked up a new 20g long (30x12x12) tank last week and Im looking to install my baffles soon. Im not looking for anything to fancy. I have always just ran a drain/skimmer section, bubble trap, refugium (live rock & cheato), bubble trap, return section.
I picked up a bubble magus nac 7 with a footprint of 9.5x8.5. Im thinking of making the return/skimmer section 10x12.
The bubble traps will take up around 2" for each which only leaves me with 16" for a fuge and return section. Do I need two bubble traps ? Im open to any suggestions on layout.
BTW this sump is for the 50g cube Im in the process of setting up.
Thanks

 

[Camps23]

Also they suggest keeping the skimmer in 9.5-11" of water but from what I read around 9" seems common. I was thinking of having the skimmer section baffles at around 10.5" but no clue on the heights of the others..help...lol

 

[reefin]

If you make you sump in this fashion

Skimmer/fuge/return then you only need to have one bubble trap as long as the water is not flowing over the side of the baffles as you see in the video the water going from the skimmer section flows thru the baffle about 7" down. I would be careful with only a 2" bubble trap as it makes it very difficult to keep clean and I know alot are done that way

I have posted this before but this is the design I went with and it works great for me and my setup


How To Setup A Sump Refugium

 

[unibob]

My current sump has no bubble traps, I have eggcrate down in my sump before I installed baffles, so some of my water sneaks under baffle and some goes over. No bubble issues.

 

[Camps23]

Thanks Reefin !


This is a pathetic sketch but the general concept I was thinking. Let me know what should be modified.
Thanks

 

[phi delt reefer]

I have the same size sump.

You don't need a double baffle after the first, and only need a double for the last chamber.

The flow through on a nano system is so slow you don't as many traps. I have 0 bubbles in mine.

 

[Camps23]

I have the same size sump.

You don't need a double baffle after the first, and only need a double for the last chamber.

The flow through on a nano system is so slow you don't as many traps. I have 0 bubbles in mine.

Hey Vince,
So no bubble trap after skimmer into fuge ? What about my baffles heights ? They look ok ? What size are your 3 sections ?
Thanks for the info !

 

[phi delt reefer]

First baffle is 10.5"
Second is two 8" baffles, with the first of the two lifted one inch off the bottom and the second silconed right to the bottom. I spaced the double baffles about an inch apart.

You put ur chaeto in the first chamber... u want the algae to abosrb from nutrient rich water, thenskimmer then return.I run a couple filter socks as well. 100 mmicron mesh. My sump stays relatively clean. I keep a power head in the skimmer section to keep stuff from collecting at the bottom.


You want to make sure the Skimmer section is deep enough to run a variety of skimmers. I can run a skimmer up to 9" deep in my setup though the last two I used run best under 7" so I just put some egg crate under em.

 

[reefin]

Thanks Reefin !


This is a pathetic sketch but the general concept I was thinking. Let me know what should be modified.
Thanks

yeah you could get rid of the first bubble trap, and open up the last one to 2" or 3" so you can clean it out and you can put in a sponge to keep yur return area clean, same thing with the sponge as the socks you will still have to clean it out min once a week but I think yur on the right track! And like phi delt reefer says min 9" to 10" deep in the skimmer section so you can fine tune yur skimmers.

Just make sure you can have room for your DT to drain to yur sump with out overflowing during power loss. 

 

[phi delt reefer]

Heres a pic of mine...

 

[Camps23]

So Phi,
You have your drain draining into the live rock & cheato, then goes to skimmer & return ?
I guess it makes alot of sense to have Cheato before your skimmer.

Anyone else running there sump like this ?

 

[unibob]

I have my skimmer first, then fuge/liverock then return. Having your skimmer after your fuge just skims out pods and all the good living things before it gets to tank does it not?

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

Mine is a eshopps sump ...with only 2 baffles.  2 inchs apart.  And there is a sponge  between them  Baffles.  And the pump is on that side..... the socks and skimmer are all open on other side

 

[phi delt reefer]

I have my skimmer first, then fuge/liverock then return. Having your skimmer after your fuge just skims out pods and all the good living things before it gets to tank does it not?

if you are using your chaeto to house pods and what not then yes it makes sense to go that route. In such a small sump, you really aren't going to get a decent pop population thriving or chaeto doing very much in terms of nutrient reduction due.

ideally you should feed your fuge separately and have that feed to the return on it's own (so no water hits the skimmer)

sorta like this...

i keep a lot of live rock in chamber one... i want the bacteria within the rock to be immersed in an oxygen depleted environment so de-nitrification occurs. In chamber too the water is skimmed and oxygen is put back into the water due to the nature of the skimmer.

 

[reefin]

maybe its just me but I would rather skim first then fuge then return! I don't know if it makes that much of a diff but I like to be able to have all the live little creatures in the fuge before my return with the cheato. I also run bio pellets and have the out from that reactor going to the skimmer input.

if you look at the skimmer input you can see the line from the bio pellet reactor

 

[Camps23]

I have my skimmer first, then fuge/liverock then return. Having your skimmer after your fuge just skims out pods and all the good living things before it gets to tank does it not?

This is a very good point. My last setup was similar to my original drawing and I always had an amazing amount of pods living in the fuge making there way back to the display. I think I will stick with that general idea of skimmer/fuge/return. I will take the advice though and eliminate the first bubble trap. Im thinking I will go 10" for the first section, 10" fuge, 2" bubble trap and 8" return with ATO. Im still thinking of keeping my skimmer section around 10" of water height. I see you guys have sand in your fuge. Has this caused any problems in the past ?

 

[spyd]

I wouldn't bother with sand in your fuge... It really isn't going to provide you with much, if any, nitrifcation. I think sticking with live rock and chaeto is enough. This helps avoid any potential problems with a sand bed in your fuge as well.

 

[reefin]

[/quote]

This is a very good point. My last setup was similar to my original drawing and I always had an amazing amount of pods living in the fuge making there way back to the display. I think I will stick with that general idea of skimmer/fuge/return. I will take the advice though and eliminate the first bubble trap. Im thinking I will go 10" for the first section, 10" fuge, 2" bubble trap and 8" return with ATO. Im still thinking of keeping my skimmer section around 10" of water height. I see you guys have sand in your fuge. Has this caused any problems in the past ?
[/quote]

I've had sand in the last 2 sumps that I built and it hasn't caused me any problems at all........that said I like having it in there for the pods and such. I also keep about 15 or 20 hermits and a hand full of snails in there too.

You have to remember there are sumps out there that have nothing but equipment in them no rock no lighting just pumps skimmers and heaters. I kind of thought this was a very clean setup when I seen it a while back

Sump Room Tour

 

[Camps23]

Do you guys use glass or acrylic for your baffles? I have some acrylic at my disposal but would need to find somewhere that cuts glass.

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

Mine s all acrylic but the sump from my old tank ad acrylic baffles siliconed in a glass tank.  Yu dont have to worry about breaking glass baffles and cutting yur hands ...period