# diy sump for 210 gallon tank



## bubG (Jan 24, 2010)

I am just looking for some feedback on my sump design it will be used to filter my 210 gallon 7'x2'x2'. I will be using a 55 gallon tank as the sump, and use acrylic to create baffles and trays.
I will be using two overflow boxes (800gph each) to get water from the tank to the sump. Return pump is submersible, and will pump 1400gph, @ 4" head.

this is my first attempt at posting an image on here, hopefully it works for me. Anyway i drew a diagram of my plan, and if i get it posted properly i look forward to hearing your opinions.

Thanks
Bob


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## remarkosmoc (Oct 19, 2005)

Image is a little small to tell detail, but it looks good to me. If possible, I would have your tank drilled instead of using overflow boxes.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

The final baffles to keep microbubbles out of the main tank are important in saltwater and maybe brackish, but in freshwater, those bubbles are too ephemeral to be a problem. Also if there is room, I like the Rubbermaid stock tanks for sumps, lots of volume for the price, thick walls and a grid at the bottom that acts as insulation so you lose less heat, and a built in bulkhead, but the drawback is they don't often fit directly under the tank and may have to be remote plumbed.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Once is enough.


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## Will1983 (Dec 6, 2009)

looks good but why are you going to plant your plants in crushed coral?

you'd be better with a proper planted tank substrate like Eco-complete then having a separate section with crushed coral in, maybe even just a bag of it in the return pump section..


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## bubG (Jan 24, 2010)

the tank (210) was bought used, and the people i talked to about drilling it were concerned about drilling the tank, because they didn't know the manufacturer, or glass type. would be nicer but not worth the risk to me

I was thinking of the final baffles, with the foam, more as a "mattenfilter", rather than a way to reduce the bubbles. That is the first i have seen of the rubbermaid stock tanks, and i agree they are very nice especially for the money, but they will not work for me in this application

I like plants in all my tanks. my tanks are all low tech, and all planted with java fern, anubius, and some swords. I have eco-complete in two of my tanks, and i have regular gravel/sand in several other tanks, and i have not found any appreciable difference between the two. If i was using a high tech planted setup, eco-complete may be worth the expense, and may make more of a difference. just my experience though.


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## bubG (Jan 24, 2010)

the tank (210) was bought used, and the people i talked to about drilling it were concerned about drilling the tank, because they didn't know the manufacturer, or glass type. would be nicer but not worth the risk to me

I was thinking of the final baffles, with the foam, more as a "mattenfilter", rather than a way to reduce the bubbles. That is the first i have seen of the rubbermaid stock tanks, and i agree they are very nice especially for the money, but they will not work for me in this application

I like plants in all my tanks. my tanks are all low tech, and all planted with java fern, anubius, and some swords. I have eco-complete in two of my tanks, and i have regular gravel/sand in several other tanks, and i have not found any appreciable difference between the two. If i was using a high tech planted setup, eco-complete may be worth the expense, and may make more of a difference. just my experience though.

thank you all


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## bubG (Jan 24, 2010)

the tank (210) was bought used, and the people i talked to about drilling it were concerned about drilling the tank, because they didn't know the manufacturer, or glass type. would be nicer but not worth the risk to me

I was thinking of the final baffles, with the foam, more as a "mattenfilter", rather than a way to reduce the bubbles. That is the first i have seen of the rubbermaid stock tanks, and i agree they are very nice especially for the money, but they will not work for me in this application

I like plants in all my tanks. my tanks are all low tech, and all planted with java fern, anubius, and some swords. I have eco-complete in two of my tanks, and i have regular gravel/sand in several other tanks, and i have not found any appreciable difference between the two. If i was using a high tech planted setup, eco-complete may be worth the expense, and may make more of a difference. just my experience though.

thank you all


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## fox (Jun 11, 2009)

With the way this is set up there is a possibility of overflowing the display if too much volume is in the fuge and something were to block the overflow or mechanical filter chambers. Not likely to happen but it can.

Not a big fan of running full flow through the fuge. Some say 10x's thru the fuge is ok, I try for 3x's.


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## bubG (Jan 24, 2010)

not exactly sure what you mean by 10x, or 3x thru the fuge?

i am planning to play around with overflow depth and volume of water in the sump to determine what the worst case scenarios may be, and try to avoid any disasters. I also plan to use check valves and siphon breaks wherever i can to avoid any chance of overflowing.

I am planning to set up under gravel jets, as well as a spray bar at the surface, and use ball valves to control flow. I am thinkin also by plumbing these together from the return pump i will have created a siphon break so there will not be a chance of the tank draining down to the level of my under gravel jets. for example if the power went out and the tank did begin to drain through the return line, it could only drain as low as the spray bar before the siphon would break. Does this sound like it would be an effective siphon break? I will have a check valve in return line also but i don't want to have to count on it alone.

Do you feel that my flow rate will be sufficient?


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## fox (Jun 11, 2009)

bubG said:


> not exactly sure what you mean by 10x, or 3x thru the fuge?


You have a display tank of 210G and plan on using a return pump of 1400gph. That will give you a turnover of 6.7x's per hour. Anything over 3-4x's is good for bio and some shoot for 10x's for mechanical. So you are in the ballpark. That 1400 is ideal and every 90Ã‚Â° elbow you add to your returns back to the display will degrade this number. You will be surprised at how quickly those elbows add up and subtract from your flow. You might actually end up at 5x's turnover when all is said and done. Use 1" flex tubing and 3/4" wherever you can to lessen this loss. Some times even a 45Ã‚Â° can save you from using a 90Ã‚Â°.

With the fuge located in the center the water flows thru the mech chambers then the bio chambers then the fuge on to the pump. There are many fuges out there that use this plan. Most designers have suggested to place the fuge to one side afterwards. There is a reason for this. Thats all I am trying to say.

Your sump will work and you will find ways to make it better *after* it is up and running and your next one will be even that much better. :thumb:


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