Sump chamber order question.

[jrnannery]

Your typical sump flows from, say, left to right...what is each chamber typically used for. Let's assume three or four chambers.

[koa25]

Filter sock,skimmer,rubble/fuge/return pump,sterlizer and reactors. I have a big first chamber.

[jrnannery]

So, that is a three chamber system. You would have baffles for a bubble trap directly before the pump chamber?

[koa25]

Yeah it rolls over a wall then has to travel down to get to the last chamber.

[klwheat]

One significantly different thing that I prefer (maybe just me) is to keep my fuge a bit slower. So I typically have overflow/filter socks ----> protein skimmer ----> return chamber <----refugium. This requires either a split in the overflow, or a second pump (slow) to move water into the fuge that then flows back into the return section.

[Louis-210]

SHould i move my skimmer?
I have my skimmer in the last chamber with my return pump.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

no socks. You will take out your critters. no socks.:bigsmile:

By the time you get to the return pump, your sw should be clean.
The skimmer should be at the beginning near the mechanical filtration.

[klwheat]

By the time you get to the return pump, your sw should be clean.
The skimmer should be at the beginning near the mechanical filtration.

Yeah...that!

[koa25]

SHould i move my skimmer?
I have my skimmer in the last chamber with my return pump.

No harm. You just get micro bubbles in your DT which most people hate.

I like filter socks, Shane. What critters will they remove? Do you have your drain line going through anything then? polyfill or bioballs or something?

[BBQHILLBILLY]

yes sir. LR rubble filters naturally. If you truly have a refugium than you wont use socks. There are so many critters in my refug I cant identify them all.
Some microscopic to as big as a pod. I guarantee you a sock will remove your critters for your refugium. yes sir.
Use LR rubble. You will get a much better natural filtration and a habitat for the little guys.

[koa25]

I have a tone of critters in my fuge and run a sock. I don't have any issues. My water cleared up greatly once i started running a sock. critters haven't suffered at all. I ran my drain into straight rubble on my 125 for the longest time. then started doing polyfill to polish the water and it really cleared it up. still had a ton of pods and stars and worms and such. The corner i just setup doesn't have a fuge which i am less than excited about. But will adapt. The sump is still stuffed to the brim with rubble. just no DSB or macro.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

The sock is supposed to clean the sw. It catches everything. We can agree to disagree. :bigsmile:I dont use them.

[koa25]

Heck, I am just trying to get my info straight. If it will make the water healthier i will take it out and deal with a little debris floating around in my DT. Wasn't saying you're wrong. Not at all. Just supplying info. But agree to disgree. I do see your point.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

All in good fun. Its nice to hear different perspectives. Some still think MH is better than LED.:bigsmile:

[koa25]

*cough cough*.... yep... agree to disagree. ha ha. :ph34r:

[350gt]

MH is better..... Led is getting there though... :ph34r:


I don't use filter sock and my sump is filthy, I hate it... But then I hated dealing with socks when I did run them.

eitherway my sump from left to right is:

1. LR rubble
2. Bubble trap
3.poly filter with more rubble under neath
4. Last chamber with skimmer, return, uv pump, and reactor pump.

like I said I hated dealing with socks. I hope to soon add a plate with poly filter to cleanse the water before hitting the first chamber..... My sump is filthy and I know it's not good for all that junk to be sitting on the bottom of the first chamber..... But that's the way it's been for 2 years with little to no issues.....

[Louis-210]

All in good fun. . Some still think MH is better than LED.:bigsmile:

I love these convos! ha

[koa25]

MH is better..... Led is getting there though... :ph34r:

Ha ha. I was going to leave it alone lol. Didn't want to start something that would cause a thread jack. lol

It is nice to have that extra mechanism to clean up and polish the water that much better. I was replacing the polyfill on my 125 weekly and it would get pretty gritty in a weeks time. If i didn't have that there my rubble would have been sitting in all that gunk. Seems like a easy place for bad stuff to build up.

[350gt]

Ya the thing is there is nothing polishing my water before it enters the 1st chamber filled with rubble, so it's a haven for junk.....

but it goes to show it still works for me.....

I have crazy amounts of pods on my LR in the DT at night, rocks look alive....


the mh thing is cool, I'm a fan of both for different reasons.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Thats why you put the skimmer in the 1st chamber. Now there is no haven and move the sw so nothing sits and nothing accumulates.Feed that through as many bafffles as you can put in separate that into 1 inch separation fill with LR rubble. The more baffles the better. Refugium should gather the rest with shrimp, pods, sand, LR, etc . . .. Than polish for next chamber maybe carbon reactor or carbon in a sock. Than send back to display. woollaaa nice and pretty

Add some 65k LEDs and grow some macro in the refugium

[klwheat]

Add some 65k LEDs and grow some macro in the refugium

I think that's 6500K :)

[Big_Pun]

ive been running lots of diff styles of sumps and a filter sock helps out a lot catches big particles and keeps my skimmer cleaner longer, yes skimmer get dirty inside stuff settles at bottom and will start to build up. skimmer should always be in a static chamber where water table doesnt change. i run a cube shape sump the past two tanks water goes into first chamber and flows into second through cut ou in divider wall. second chamber up front is for bare bottom fuge, by running bare bottom i can grow more macro and i can clean it easily. the first two chambers share water table because second chamber over flows to return pump area with a media basket there( but i dont use it).. the one i run on my 150 is the same just bigger and dual sock holders.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu357/stangchris/F77D6A83-3EFD-4AB6-A6C2-BCFC4B532A2A-4405-0000024CFB1CF6FE.jpg

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Thats pretty. I should be asking what size sump will you get? Here is a 75 gallon refugium I got from BigPun. This is the middle chamber and I have everything growing in here. Including that bad bubble algae I was growing from T5s yuk. Got rid of them now all LEDs. never use bulbs.

[350gt]

Thats why you put the skimmer in the 1st chamber. Now there is no haven and move the sw so nothing sits and nothing accumulates.Feed that through as many bafffles as you can put in separate that into 1 inch separation fill with LR rubble. The more baffles the better. Refugium should gather the rest with shrimp, pods, sand, LR, etc . . .. Than polish for next chamber maybe carbon reactor or carbon in a sock. Than send back to display. woollaaa nice and pretty

Add some 65k LEDs and grow some macro in the refugium


My skimmer is way too big for the first chamber..... My fuge is remote.

my idea will work but I can't even pull my sump out for cleaning......


This is the main reason I am thinking about my second tank..

[Big_Pun]

Thats pretty. I should be asking what size sump will you get? Here is a 75 gallon refugium I got from BigPun. This is the middle chamber and I have everything growing in here. Including that bad bubble algae I was growing from T5s yuk. Got rid of them now all LEDs. never use bulbs.

i didnt make that sump, it was freebie with my 150. im not a fan of huge sumps i just want them to hold a skimmer grow some macro, of course my return pump, sand in a sump just traps crud, i dont see it being benificial unless its more sand than in your display. pods dont get trapped in filter socks, my sump has no problem growing them and my display is full. lighting can be done with a simple cf bulb its just macro it will grow with any good power bulb

[BBQHILLBILLY]

I am very greatful for the 75. It for sure was a great upgrade to my custom 55 sump/refug. I can tank a handful of this sand and it will clear a dirty tank.

[Big_Pun]

I am very greatful for the 75. It for sure was a great upgrade to my custom 55 sump/refug. I can tank a handful of this sand and it will clear a dirty tank.

magic sand?

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Thats whats nice about refugiums. Its not just a place for macro. Theres a lot more.:bigsmile:

[350gt]

Led POWA!