# 29g Sump Design - need feedback



## wedge22 (May 5, 2007)

Please tell me how this design looks and any problems I may run into if I implement it. It will be for a 75g Aqueon tank with a single factory overflow.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

The sponges will be submerged instead of in the path of the falling water from the tank, before it falls into the sump. Submerged media means less effective biofiltration. The water levels might end up higher than you show, and may overflow the last divider if the sponge holds back too much flow. If this were saltwater, that would cause lots of microbubbles in the main tank, but in freshwater, microbubbles are ephemeral if they form at all.


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## wedge22 (May 5, 2007)

Yes, I have no idea what the water levels will be - I assume the drip tray/bio area will not be completly submerged, even tough my picture shows the high water level. I am no expert at paint and just used a rectangle and colored them in to show water lvls to help with the flow of things.

The sponges have the escape routes so to speak (along the top) if they get clogged. Wouldnt the water eventually make it to the pump area and be taken out? I may need to lower the last divider to ensure the water heads towards the pump though.


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## wedge22 (May 5, 2007)

Is this better?


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

it will still be submerged, the first chamber should contain the biomedia. your water will not sit at different level like that in the sump

put the biomedia first and cut the baffles in half


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## venustus19 (Aug 30, 2007)

this is my sump i did, out of a 20 Long tank...
HTH
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... highlight=


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

cjacob316 said:


> it will still be submerged, the first chamber should contain the biomedia. your water will not sit at different level like that in the sump
> 
> put the biomedia first and cut the baffles in half


The tray with the biomedia needs to be higher, and the water from the tank pour directly on it without the cute upwelling thing in the first chamber being needed. If you raise the biomedia up, even above the 29's top, you don't need to lower the baffles. Lower baffles would be one way to deal with the low positon of the biomedia, but then the pump could suck air and dump "white water" into the tank, if it doesn't burn out first.

See how these commercial filters are set up. The media is stacked on top of the tank part.

http://www.foryourfish.com/cgi-bin/webc ... F-WDF3.htm

http://www.aquariumguys.com/tidepool.html

I like the rocking effect on the first one. Cell Pore is not made any more but Poret foam would do nicely in the same design.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

venustus19 said:


> this is my sump i did, out of a 20 Long tank...
> HTH
> http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... highlight=


Good informative tread, very relevant to this one.


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## fox (Jun 11, 2009)

I use a Mag7 with an AGA 65G tank with a single MegaFlo weir and MegaFlo durso. It is under powered and cannot keep the overflow happy. I need to restrict the drain about 50% to quiet it down. Mebbe consider using a Mag9 or the Eheim 1262.


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## Malawi_Junkie (Nov 26, 2009)

Mcdaphnia is right move the biomedia up and into the first chamber and add mechanical filter pads above drip plate.


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## wedge22 (May 5, 2007)

Thanks for all the help all - I have just finished my sump/filter and wanted to give a shout for the advice.

=D>


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