# quick question about my sump/trickle



## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

Hello everyone 
I have two over flows one goes into a sock the other falls onto media than to a drip tray than over my bio cubes.

My question is.. one of the areas the water drains on to the media it is a square of media 30cm x 20cm ruffly I had the water just going down a pipe straight onto the media in one spot.

I wanted to use more area of the media so it doesn't get dirty as fast so I made a mini spray bar that I can move around and disassemble to clean.

Is this a good idea or should I make the water flow to one area of the media straight from the pipe?

Thank you


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

What kind of media? Is it just floss?


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

What many people do is use a perforated plastic plate or tray to evenly distribute the inflow water over the media pad/floss. Some people make their own by drilling holes into the plastic or if it is available in your area, you can use plastic pegboard.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i personally use a drip tray, but i was told by a friend that a spray bar is better because drip trays channel where a spray bar distributes over all


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

My media is like this.
Top: course media for bigger waste 
Below: floss

Than under all of that I have a drip tray to evenly spread the water across the bio balls.

What I'm saying is should I put another drip tray on the top of this?

To start with I had water over flowing into one area of the media.

But I made a small spray bar to spread it out a little over the media.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The spray bar idea should work for awhile until the holes get plugged up with detritus. You'll just have to keep an eye on it.

Is it easy enough to rotate the existing drip tray or the course media and floss to accomplish the same results?


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

I have media on top of my drip tray should it be on top of the media?

When the drip tray is on the top. The media gets full of water and than it runs through the middle of the bio cubes not all over?


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

It is so hard to explain this is how my sump is set up! haha sorry for the bad drawing im an electrician not artist.
MIDDLE: falls into the middle over course media than through floss to a drip tray to bio cubes
RIGHT: falls into a filter sock than cermaic media than under back to return pump
LEFT: Carbon than pumps back up to tank 

Is this set up right?
I only ask because the spray bar cant spray water all over the media just on some of it, daily i turn the spray bar but i want to know if this is okay or what i should change.

Tank is a 56g with oscars ect.


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

Your top layer of media is only really to keep your cubes from gunking up to fast. Is this a DIY sump?

The spray bar maybe restricting the flow from the tank. All the sumps I have seen there is actually between .5 and 1inch of water suspended on the drip tray. This insures that all the holes in your drip tray are going to be used. Perhaps the holes in your drip tray are to large. I suggest try removing any media before the drip plate and see what happens. If its still not working remove the spray bar.If your still having problems you will probabbly have to modify the drip plate or overflow. To either restrict or increase flow.

I know its a rough sketch but here are some side notes.
Your cubes shouldn't be fully submerged at least not 1/2 of them. Maybe the bottom third. There should be air and water going through most of them "trickle". There is no real need from carbon unless you need to remove medications or something. The ceramic media is good for bacteria to grow on but shouldn't really be needed if you have the proper amount of cubes. I would personally try to use the space as a small refugium with some fast growing plants.

I hope you don't have to many Oscars. Those are huge messy fish.


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

This is a sump bought from a shop.

The cubes have to be almost half under water otherwise the pump won't work.

The reason I have a spray bar is because I wanted to spread the water across the media to stop it getting so dirty so fast.

So this sump is almost useless?


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

The cubes are about 1/4 under water? Should I mount the pump outside of the sump so I can lower the water level?

Darn it I hope filter will work.


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

I think I might get some glass cut and build a cube on top of the middle section and raise the cubes out of the water? Would that make much difference


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

What is the brand name, or could you send a link to a site I could look at it. Perhaps take a picture of it? Don't get me wrong I'm no sump professional but from what I have seen and researched about them it seems a little off. Its not necessarily useless, I just don't understand it.

If only 1/4 of the cubes are submerged you should be ok. It looked more like 50% in your drawing. Even if they were completely submerged you would still get bacteria to grow on them, its just not as efficient for that type of media.

There are many different types of wet/dry and sump setups. They are usually optimized for a specific need. Try doing a search and see what you can come up with.

This is a very minimized wet/dry sump.


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

http://www.aquariumsrus.com.au/filtersp.htm

It is the middle one at the top "med"


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

From the link you posted it is difficult to see if the section that holds the bio-balls is a permanent section or a removable section. Do the 2 sides of that chamber have gaps at the bottom of the housing?

Or can you post a clear picture of your trickle filter showing the various divided chambers?


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

Where the sump is located I can't take photos. Yes and the the two dividers are slightly off the floor.

The bio cubes come out one by one


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

I cant take a photo where it is but theirs 250 cubes to me it looks like it will work?


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

Now I took out the media their is better flow over the cubes. I changed the other drain line and put it onto the drip tray too. Is it better to have more flow over the drip tray or should I still use the sock?


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

Is this the pattern your water flow follows?


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

There is no reason it wouldn't work. It just seems odd to have 2 chambers devoted to biological filtration. From your link it appears to be more geared for a marine aquarium, notice the note for a protein skimmer. I believe that is what the chamber with the sock is for. Its likely fine either way you have had it set up, it seems to have a lot of biological media in it. Which for the most part is all you need.


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

Yes that is the way my water flows.


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

I have two over flows. I have just adjusted them so more water goes onto my drip tray and a little goes through my sock.


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

The only way I can keep my drip tray full is buy running both the drain tubes to it. But that that kinda leaves the third chamber with only ceramic rings in it?

Should I buy a bigger pump and make use of the chamber or???


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

Hello

I have just set up my tank and I am having a few doubts about my set-up.

Tank: 122x38x60
Sump: 770x310x380mm Not drilled (250 bio cubes) (http://www.aquariums...au/filtersp.htm)
Pump: resun SP-6000 (2800 l/ph)
Overflows: 2 drilled

The photo attached is how the LFS advised me to set up my trickle/sump (the water level sits one third of the cubes not half as shown). 
Having this set up as advised, I found that the flow across the bio balls was poor and restricted.
I removed the media and the flow increased quite alot, I than moved the drain from the filter sock onto the drip tray and now the flow across the cubes is great!

Currently both drains are going onto the drip tray and the media ontop of the drip tray has been removed.
In the third chamber (far right) i have ceramic rings + a filter sock that is currently un-used .

Should I have a bigger pump so the drip tray is filled and I can use the other drain for the filter sock?
Is this set up going to achieve the best filtration possible?
Should I move the other drain to the filter sock and slightly slow the flow down across the cubes, or is more flow better?

As you can tell I am quite confused about this, I would more than appreciate some help/information


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

I told you before this is just a poorly designed wet dry with the bio cubes being so low in the sump. Plus it's more geared to a saltwater fish only setup with the extra chamber for the intended protein skimmer. If it were me I would try to return it and get something that is designed better. Eshopps makes some simple effective wet drys for that same price range that will handle a higher bio load.

With a few modifications it could be made to work more effectively but I still think another filter would be a better choice.


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## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

A larger pump wouldn't increase the flow to the sump just the output. Which in turn could suck your sump dry. In order to increase the flow you would need larger bulk heads to allow gravity to feed more water.

Is it drilled in the back or the bottom? Are you using rigid pvc or tubing? What is the diameter of the overflow?


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## b3w4r3 (Dec 14, 2012)

eTrain said:


> A larger pump wouldn't increase the flow to the sump just the output. Which in turn could suck your sump dry. In order to increase the flow you would need larger bulk heads to allow gravity to feed more water.


This is true only if his current bulkheads are already flowing at their maximum. Each size bulkhead has an average maximum flow rate (which is different if using schedule 40 attached to the bulkdead), and if the current flow rate is lower than the max then adding a larger pump that doesn't exceed that max will result in more water flowing into the sump.

You can also make one of the returns flow in a pure siphon mode which increases the max flow rate substantially like is done with the beananimal/herbie overflows.

The soultion to the problem, assuming you can't get a better filter, would be to add another external sump attached to the filter by drilling each and installing bulkheads. Have the new sump lower than the filter so that it will hold around 5 or 6 inches of water while maintaining the water line at the bottom of the bio cubes.

To help with the drip plate issue You could block off the side of the filter that the filter sock is in so that it no longer flows under the bio chamber, but instead fills up to the hole intended for the skimmer, and pours out into the drip plate. Then both return lines could run into that chamber each with their own filter sock, or both in one sock if you want.


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## 1971ls6 (Oct 29, 2012)

All of the water must be pre filtered before going over the bio cubes, do whatever you have to to run all of the dirty water through 100 micron socks.


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

My sump is not drilled.
I can't really take the sump back because I can't take it out of my stand without moving the tank.


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

FML


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## jakekersley (Mar 25, 2013)

I just removed the carbon from the system. Than moved the cermaic media too the return chamber.

I now only have a filter sock in the chamber. Should i fill this chamber with filter media, or fill it with media and bio balls in the submerged water?


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