Large sump?

[Dr.DiSilicate]

I have a 200is gallon display with a small 20gallon satellite tank connected to a trigger systems sump. I think it holds around 40 gallons of water.

I’ve been thinking about adding a large 100 gallon stock tank the the situation. My thought is that the water added to the system could help provide more stability... what are people’s experiences, worth the time and effort. Small or big advantage??? Opinions welcome.


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[MuralReef]

Honestly, I am nervous because we cleaned the sump on the library tank on Friday and it’s been growing SPS consistently having never had a real water change. I am a believer in the if it ain’t broke don’t fix it way of thinking. You’re probably right that it would give the tank more stability, but you already do that with your consistent husbandry. Will it give you more confidence?


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[TheRealChrisBrown]

Following along, also interested.

 

[Angelo]

I'm extending my Trigger 39 cause I'm running dual returns for a 300gal and I need more space for equipment. 2nd pump running a uv sterilizer to the display. The big problem is that you'll need more water in your return chamber to manage the outflow of 2 or more pumps. I just bought a 10gal Trigger ATO reservoir so I get a bigger return chamber. I'm raising the guard in the sump to hold more water since I'm only filling about 5gal of the 10gal reservoir. I plan on plumbing it this weekend.

I've also got a 40gal breeder satellite tank running off of my 140gal that I drilled the return too low. This causes a huge drain from both tanks if all pumps are shut off. Luckly the sump handles it since I didn't install check valves. I've installed ball unions in case I want to isolate the tanks. The pump that I feed the 40gal is plumbed to a UV sterilizer and then drains straight to the return chamber to the 140gal when open.

I can pull that pump out of the sump and drop it in the 40gal as it's plumbed with soft tubing to my UV. This creates a small qt if needed. It's a frag/copapod tank for now. Running it isolated for testing at the moment. The pump circled is usually in the sump and the UV is on the floor. My fishroom under my stairs is still a work in progress. View attachment 17855 View attachment 17856

 

[JuanGutz]

I was thinking about doing this same thing with the 150 so wondering what people think. Doing it to a running tank but also to a new system.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

If I do it I’ll have the tank drain into the trigger and then the stock tank and have the return pump in the stock tank. That way I don’t need to worry about flooding the sump... the change would just take some major reorganization of the room everything is in... that’s my only hesitation I guess.


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[Angelo]

It's definitely a project that needs to be thought through.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

It's definitely a project that needs to be thought through.

For sure... I’ve had a similar set up in the past. This would require moving marts of my controller and such which is where the complexity comes in.


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[TheRealChrisBrown]

I wonder what people think of having just an added vat of water to boost system volume and minimize swings vs. the same vat filled with live rock or deep sand or something. I too was thinking of keeping my sump as is with all of the equipment, having it gravity feed to a stock tank and then have the return go from stock tank to display.

 

[Dr.DiSilicate]

I wonder what people think of having just an added vat of water to boost system volume and minimize swings vs. the same vat filled with live rock or deep sand or something. I too was thinking of keeping my sump as is with all of the equipment, having it gravity feed to a stock tank and then have the return go from stock tank to display.

Exactly one of my questions. I was thinking just a big cat of water... volume for stability. I’d be happy to add rock as I find it cheep as well but then I’d be running a cryptic fuge too... also, would that produce more waste?? Or reduce too much?? Could I add a million fish, that could be a great benefit.


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[Angelo]

If you keep it as a vat, you'll probably be able to avoid stocking it. Lol. I know that's what will end up happening to me

I was thinking that my frag tank was going to serve more as refugium type scenario than for frags. I don't like racks in my display. I would like some macro, pods and ghost shrimp that I can feed my fish. My worry is that I take out too much nutrients. I run an algae scrubber my system as well.

.

 

[MuralReef]

Isn’t this essentially the idea behind the Triton method. If you turn that vat into a giant refugium. A ton of LR would be good too.


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[JuanGutz]

Maybe I’m crazy here but my plan would be to have the tank and sump drain into the vat. Have the return pump sit in some kind of tube to help detritus from being pumped back into the sump/DT. Then just use a gas syphon pump and filter sock or the like to easily clean the bottom of the vat....

 

[Angelo]

I think that we'll all have similar setups with different plumbing techniques. I like the tiered idea. I didn't think about it when I started mine.

 

[Balz3352]

As someone who is currently moving and has a hundred plus gallon sump make sure you have it up so that you can gravity siphon instead of relying on pumps this will make things a million times easier it is one thing I will change in the new house vs. What I did last time

 

[TheRealChrisBrown]

Ok, high tech drawing time! First up is my system as is now. 155g display, 75g sump, return pump back. (I have a gravity fed 40b on there that I am ignoring for now)
View attachment 17859
High tech drawing #2 is how I envisioned it. Display drains to sump as is, Sump drains to 150g horse trough, external return pump connected to horse trough via bulkhead, return to display.
View attachment 17858

High tech drawing #3, Display drains to 150g horse trough which is elevated above the sump so it can gravity feed into sump. Sump stays as is to return pump and back to display.
View attachment 17857
My only concern with version #3 is elevating that trough high enough to gravity feed into sump, in my case it would have to be about 5 feet off the ground. I felt more comfortable with the 150g trough under the sump, but sitting on the concrete. It might not be all that difficult to relocate my sump to the concrete floor and have the 150g trough above it and gravity feed down.

I'm just not sure I know the benefit of one placement over the other?

End of high tech drawing time.

 

[Angelo]

Good drawings. Definitely helps the conversation to have a visual. I would think that you would want your mechanical filtration sump before the horse trough right? I'd assume a bunch of detritus build up if not.

 

[JuanGutz]

Good drawings. Definitely helps the conversation to have a visual. I would think that you would want your mechanical filtration sump before the horse trough right? I'd assume a bunch of detritus build up if not.

But then you just use an easy pump to clean the detritus out, stick this in to suck out The detritus and have it flow thru a filter sock twice to once a week and you’re good to go View attachment 17875

 

[SynDen]

#2 is basically how I setup my big tank with the 80g display macro tank and the 210g cryptic fuge tank. The DT gravity drains to both of them, and the macro tank gravity drains to the big fuge. The 210 is packed with tons of live rock which all the water is forced to flow through and then external pump to push it back to DT.
I had originally planned to use a horse trough too, but decided to go with a standard 210g tank because, for one, it would be very difficult to make dividers for the horse trough, and also because evaporation would be much harder to handle. The 210 made better use of the space under my stairs too. The trough likely would have increased the humidity levels by quite a bit as well. With the 210g I was able to make a cover that is hooked to some fresh air supply so that evap is easier to control and I can keep room humidity down.

 

[Angelo]

I like it. Makes sense. I think I am stuck with the dual returns from the sump to the 2 tanks individually for now. I can probably rearrange but I'll see how this goes first. It would be a lot of work like you said. I don't see a flooding problem if the power goes out. I tested it while topped off.

I'm really starting to like the idea of a planted macro layout for the 40gal satellite. I can have a corner for frags when I have them and remove the algae scrubber altogether. Any recommendations on macro that tangs and angels eat? I ordered sea lettuce and red ogo from algae barn. I'm thinking dragon breath would look cool. Going to keep an AI Prime running on the same schedule as my display.

Since I only have one return on the 140, I placed the return pump in the standard return section in my sump. The 2nd return pump runs out of the refugium section of the sump, through a uv sterilizer on to the 40gal macro. It then gravity drains back to the return compartment of the sump instead of through filtration.

I understand that this isn't the most effective way to use the uv, but I figured it was the best I can do to avoid sterilizing the same water over and over as well as not draining the return compartment too quickly with 2 pumps in 1 chamber.

The emergency drain on the 40 goes in to the refugium section. I drilled the 40 for an eshopps overflow and 1in return line. I run the uv for parasite management so it's fairly low flow (170gph). I couldn't find a drawing that matched. Sorry for the length.