Sump Questions

[Vstar99]

Hello All, I have some quick sump size questions.
As mentioned I am pretty green but learning alot, so here are my questions. 1. How does one determine sump per tank ratio? If I will be using a 55 g tank what should my sump be? Also since my overflow will be on the side and not the back how big should the pipe (pvc) from or even the overflow box be? Thanks in Advance! - E!

[ErikH]

you could get a 29g and sump it. The bigger the better really....
www.melevsreef.com (http://www.melevsreef.com)
you can google pressure locking sump baffles to make your own.

[Jonthefishguy]

I will give you a brief break down of how to tell how much water will return to your sump once it is disconnected. Your 55 gallon tank is the dimensions of 48 x 13 x 20 divided by 231 gives you 55 gallon. Lets say your overflow box sits in your aquarium and the base of the teeth from the over flow rests at 4 inches from the top of the inside of the aquarium. We know that when you disconnect your aquarium, the water from the aquarium is going to backflow down to the sump until it reaches the base of the teeth and no more water flows down through the sump. Take into consideration that if you have a simple return hanging on the other side, you must also insure that it to does not keep its syphon going or the water level will be much lower. Okay, so back to the teeth. You take the the measurement of the water missing from the aquarium. How do we do this? Simple: Take the length of the tank (48) , the width of the tank 13, and the inch measurement of the water missing, 4 inches (roughly because thats to the top and would cause an overflow if it were at the rim so for arguments sake lets say 3). 48 x 13 x 3 divided by 231 = 8.10 gallons. That means that at least 8 gallons will return from the aquarium to the sump when power is off. Again, measure the amount of water that will be filled into the sump to get it working properly. Lets say the sump needs to be filled with 5 gallons at all times. Well take the 8 gallons plus the 5 gallons and you have 13. So your sump must be big enough to handle at least 13 gallons. To be safe, make it an even 20 gallon sump. Or you can just buy a sump or wet/dry that is rated for your 55 gallon. This might sound confusing written out, but measurement has always worked for me.

[Vstar99]

wow this is some great information, thanks alot i will check into the math a little further fascinating. Well i have a 20 gallon tank my cuz gave me but wasnt sure if it was big enough, i also have a 36 gallon extra tank but but dont think it will fit under.
once again thanks! - E!

[CoryDude]

When going w/sumps, use the largest possible sump that will fight under your stand. If it can hold at least 25-40% of your tank's volume and accomodate your skimmer and other equip. then go w/it. You'll regret a sump that's too small once the first power outage happens and it overflows w/syphoned water from the display tank (unless you're smart and install check valves)

Just want to make sure the overflow and return pump can handle a tank turnover rate of at least 6-10 volumes per hour. The more the better. That'll determine your overflow size and pipe diameters.