Return pump question & critique my sump design.

kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#1
So I'm in the process of planning my 180gal build. I'm going to have a 125gal sump under it. The tank is drilled for 2 returns. I'm looking at the fluval sp6 for the return pump. Would this pump be adequate for pushing both returns or should I get 1 pump for each return and run them independently. I'm going to have approximately 7 feet of head. With the return lines being ¾". Other pump recommendations are definitely welcome, it will just need to be a submersible pump. Here's a picture of my sump design as well. Let me know if you think I should make any changes. View attachment 14760
 
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Dr.DiSilicate

Great White Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#2
I think one of those will do well for you. I also think they have good reviews for longevity.


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kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#3
I think one of those will do well for you. I also think they have good reviews for longevity.


Sent from my iPhone using MASC - Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado
So you think the 1¼" outlet of the pump split into two ¾" returns would be enough turnover? If I'm doing the math right it would be right around the 1800gph range.
 

Dr.DiSilicate

Great White Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#4
For sure. Movement within the tank is more important than turn over. You are really just getting the water to the sump for the skimmer,heater and fuge if you have one.


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kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#5
For sure. Movement within the tank is more important than turn over. You are really just getting the water to the sump for the skimmer,heater and fuge if you have one.


Sent from my iPhone using MASC - Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado
Awesome! That's kind of what I was thinking. I just didn't want it to be too little turn over.
 

Haddonisreef

Orca
M.A.S.C Club Member
#6
I have my skimmer before the fuge, it sure if there a benefit to that. Other then keeping micro alge out of skimmer. I’d flip those two compartments if you can.
 

TheRealChrisBrown

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#7
I love your drawings! So neat and tidy. You're like a human CAD machine.

Going with what Charlie was saying, I'd think you want the skimmer first so that any micro bubbles it creates have a chance to pop as they go between 2 sets of baffles. And your pods that grow in the fuge might get sucked into the skimmer rather than sucked into the return and fed to display? Any detritus that gets to the sump might settle out in that skimmer chamber as well, leaving the fuge cleaner....or at least you might not have to clean it as much. Those are my random thoughts, not nearly as tidy as that skimmer you drew in your human CAD scale drawing. (It's awesome, I wish I could do that level of planning....but my crayons get dull quickly)
 

Dr.DiSilicate

Great White Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#8
Ya all are old... the Triton method insists that the skimmer is after the fuge. I joking but serious too. That’s how all those new sumps are designed.


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kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#10
I have my skimmer before the fuge, it sure if there a benefit to that. Other then keeping micro alge out of skimmer. I’d flip those two compartments if you can.
I love your drawings! So neat and tidy. You're like a human CAD machine.

Going with what Charlie was saying, I'd think you want the skimmer first so that any micro bubbles it creates have a chance to pop as they go between 2 sets of baffles. And your pods that grow in the fuge might get sucked into the skimmer rather than sucked into the return and fed to display? Any detritus that gets to the sump might settle out in that skimmer chamber as well, leaving the fuge cleaner....or at least you might not have to clean it as much. Those are my random thoughts, not nearly as tidy as that skimmer you drew in your human CAD scale drawing. (It's awesome, I wish I could do that level of planning....but my crayons get dull quickly)
Ya all are old... the Triton method insists that the skimmer is after the fuge. I joking but serious too. That’s how all those new sumps are designed.


Sent from my iPhone using MASC - Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado
Haha, I'm not very good at any of those cad programs and don't have the patience to mess with it. So it's all pencil and paper for me. So my reasoning for having the skimmer after the fuge was the water level. The skimmer needs the water level to be between 7½" and 8". I didn't see a way to raise the water level back up to have enough for the fuge. And I had to put the skimmer on a platform to have the water level high enough for the return pump. But also since the skimmer is 24" tall I didn't want to raise it too high that it would be hitting the bottom of the tank.
 

kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#11
So after looking at it, it dawned on me that the skimmer won't be able to be located there due to the center bracing on the aquarium. So I think my fix for that will be to move the ATO section over to the other side.
 

SynDen

Administrator
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#12
So after looking at it, it dawned on me that the skimmer won't be able to be located there due to the center bracing on the aquarium. So I think my fix for that will be to move the ATO section over to the other side.
Since you are putting many dividers, those can effectively act as the bracing for the tank, so you could also easily remove the top brace to make room for the skimmer
 

kchristensen8064

Sting ray
M.A.S.C Club Member
#13
Since you are putting many dividers, those can effectively act as the bracing for the tank, so you could also easily remove the top brace to make room for the skimmer
Yeah, I never thought of that. That's a really good idea. It will make it to where I can get light to the fuge as well without the bracing in the way.
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#14
You can cut the braces out of the tank if you are going to use it as a sump and silicone in baffles and stuff. The baffles add strength and you don't need the top... just use 1/4 glass and make sure that the silicone is clean and cures well.

I think that I have a SP6 laying around if you want to borrow it to try out the head and flow.
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#15
Oops... I did not read far enough. In any case, if you can take the top brace off, then you can keep it in case you ever need it again... but most people just cut them.
 

flagg37

Anthias
M.A.S.C Club Member
#16
Ya all are old... the Triton method insists that the skimmer is after the fuge. I joking but serious too. That’s how all those new sumps are designed.


Sent from my iPhone using MASC - Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado
I put my skimmer after my fuge for the sole reason that I could run more volume in the fuge if it was in front of it. I had a vertex alpha 170 and it ran best about 9-1/2” deep. In my case I didn’t have enough room to elevate it in the sump. About every 4-6 months I had to clean out the slimmer area of a small amount of macro algae and never had an issue with micro bubbles.
 

jda123

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#20
Late to the party, but the fuge and the chaeto do different things. If you put the skimmer first, then it will get the dissolved solids and larger solids - the fuge will still get the nitrate and phosphorous. If you put the fuge first, then particulate matter that the skimmer could have gotten, will settle in the rocks and algae. I would put the skimmer first so that your fuge chamber stays as clean as possible. If you plan on running socks, then it might not matter much.
 
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