# Help with actual layout of K1 sump design



## chiroken (Sep 25, 2007)

This is my 1st sump. Plumbing to be BeanAnimal, mechanical media to be filter socks (I think), biomedia to be K1.

OK, I'm trying to get the details taken care of as best as possible. Have DIY'd an all glass sump measuring 29"L x 12"H x 11.75"D, 17.5 gallons for a 55g African peacock and hap tank. Was quite tight for space underneath so was limited on how tall the tank could be.

Planning on Joey's 3 chambered K1 design using 2 bulkheads on each baffle. The design is here, jump to 3:37 to see the actual empty tank with baffles in place. 




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Estimate the filter sock compartment to be 6" and the pump chamber to be 8" leaving 15 inches for the K1 compartment. I calculate the volume of this chamber to be 5.5g giving me 21L of K1 based on 40:60 K1:water volume.

Joey's design uses 1 1/2" piping and I"m wondering if I can downsize to 1" and still have the same fluidity of the K1? My concern with 1 1/2" pipe is that the pipes take up so much space in a small compartment. My target for how much water moving per hour is 330g. Will 2 1" pipes on either baffle still move enough water without issues? A single 1" drain will move something like 1000 gph won't it?

Another question is how high should the pipes be? I've been reading the height can influence back flow of K1 into the filter sock compartment. I really only see my baffles being about 7.5-8" high to leave enough reserve for drainage from the main tank in the event of power outage etc. I have not drilled the back of the main tank yet so I am not quite sure how much volume in reserve is required. I plan on running the baffles probably 1" shy of the top of the tank so I have maximum volume to tinker with. I realize I won't be able to fill it that full. From what I see it makes no difference if the baffles are higher than needed, it is dependant on how much water you have in the sump.

The other question (so far!) is about filter socks. They come in 4 and 7" diameters it seems and then varying lengths. The shortest I seem to find are 12" yet I don't have that much depth. What do I do here? I may only have 7" of water and the down pipes will extend 1" into that to make the BeanAnimal silent. Not sure how easy it would be to try to swap out socks that are that tall? Also seems like a waste.

Itching to order the stuff but now realize I need to figure out the details before I can put in the order.

Thanks.


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## joescaper1 (Feb 14, 2013)

In a standard 4' 55 gallon tank, 1"= 11 quarts (2.75 gallons)= 1 5/8" in your 17.5 gallon filter. The water will only get approximately 1/4" over the top of your main tank overflow or a maximum drain after a power failure of 3 quarts.

A smaller diameter riser pipe will increase the velocity of discharge from the end of the pipe, into the fluidization chamber. This shouldn't be a problem on input, but the velocity increase on exit may be enough to pin the fluidized material to the exit slots. Personally, I would stick with Joey's design specifications.

Joe


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## chiroken (Sep 25, 2007)

joescaper1 said:


> In a standard 4' 55 gallon tank, 1"= 11 quarts (2.75 gallons)= 1 5/8" in your 17.5 gallon filter. The water will only get approximately 1/4" over the top of your main tank overflow or a maximum drain after a power failure of 3 quarts.
> 
> A smaller diameter riser pipe will increase the velocity of discharge from the end of the pipe, into the fluidization chamber. This shouldn't be a problem on input, but the velocity increase on exit may be enough to pin the fluidized material to the exit slots. Personally, I would stick with Joey's design specifications.
> 
> Joe


Thanks Joe, I've done the same math per inch of tank water and have allowed for just over 2" of main tank water including plumbing water to end up into the sump with my current measurements. The overflow pipes will be 1 1/2" (1 will be completely full without air, the second will be low flow) plus the water in the return line to consider as well. I know the back flow from the overflow is small, I just don't know how deep the return spray bar will be and that will ultimately determine how much main tank water will flow into the sump.

I am assuming I will be able to get more volume into my sump when actually running from what I've initially calculated. Figured I start with the minimum amount and it's always good if we can add volume!

Good points on the draw into the pipes feeding the pump chamber. Maybe I'll just stick with 1 1/2" vertical pipes.


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## joescaper1 (Feb 14, 2013)

Put a siphon break in your return pipe and you won't get and water draining back into your sump.

Joe


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