sump design

[littlelil]

what is the purpose of the bubble wall thing in a sump? why is it important to get rid of bubbles? Is it just to make the display tank look better?

[Hookup]

in 99% of the cases yes... in some systems it stops bubbles from getting into reactors and such where you might not like/want bubbles...

[littlelil]

I was told that I should get a Quiet One for my return. I have a MJ 1200 right now, which runs at 296 GPH and the Quiet One 800 runs at 220 GPH. I only have ONE hole 3/4" for the water to get back out to the sump.

Do you think the MJ 1200 is too powerful or too loud? Should I bother getting the QO 800, which only runs slightly slower? There's a Quiet One 400, but I can't seem to find it sold anywhere. Is there a more appropriate return pump for a nano tank?

[JD]

My sump is wide open with no partitions. Being 72 inches long, if there were bubbles they would have time to surface.
Using filter socks eliminated all bubbles I had in the sump.

[Funkmotor]

I was told that I should get a Quiet One for my return. I have a MJ 1200 right now, which runs at 296 GPH and the Quiet One 800 runs at 220 GPH. I only have ONE hole 3/4" for the water to get back out to the sump.

Do you think the MJ 1200 is too powerful or too loud? Should I bother getting the QO 800, which only runs slightly slower? There's a Quiet One 400, but I can't seem to find it sold anywhere. Is there a more appropriate return pump for a nano tank?

Is the MJ too much?  I'm not sure how high it needs to push, but you're probably getting enough flow with it...so if you're getting too much, I'd suggest putting one of those ball valves that comes with the phosban reactors or something similar to hold the pump back a bit.  You really can't kill a maxi-jet, so I wouldn't see any need to replace it unless you needed more flow.

If you needed to slow it down a little bit, you could even try an MJ900.

As for the Quiet One's being quieter, it's just the name.  They might be quieter than a Mag-Drive (maybe?) but I've got a QO1200 and it's not silent by any stretch.

[littlelil]

hmmmm.... no walls at all, eh? so walls aren't necessary then, eh?

i don't have any reactors, so i guess it's not too important for me to have a bubble wall!

I have designed a sump for my 10G tank. (10G display & 10G sump)

I am going to use the MJ 1200 that I already have, since it was the flow and noise that i was worried about, but i'll try using a ball valve if the flow is too high, and since the QO isn't much quieter, then there's no point spending the extra money!

Please let me know what you think of the design. I have never made or used a sump before!!

So, the "basket"-looking thing in the middle could be either one of those decorative square vases that you can get a craft stores (or dollarama) and sit it on top of some acrylic or something, OR i could silicone the two sides and a bottom piece to the tank. The purpose of it is to reduce the flow in the "fuge". It will hold 6" of live sand, a bunch of rubble, and some cheato.

Thanks!




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[Adam]

This is my sump.  I realize you won't have a skimmer, but what I would do is have the area where the inlet tubes enter to be your refugium (like where I have my skimmer).  Then make a bubble trap (I would suggest one because the bubbles just might annoy you after awhile) into a small section for your return pump and your ATO.  Just make sure it doesn't run out of water otherwise the pump will no longer be submerged.  You can make the return pump area bigger or smaller depending on how you feel. I would put maybe 1 or two rocks in the refugium with some chaetomorpha but nothing more.  Rubble will just catch dust and store nutrients in the bottom and unless your sump is elevated, you can't vacuum it.  No need for your basket either.  I have 400gph going through my sump and the chaeto hardly moves.  A MJ 1200 with the pressure loss from going up to your 10g will be less flow as well, so don't worry about the ball valve to throttle it.

[littlelil]

Great design! I like that it's simple! What size is your sump?

What about a RDSB? I read this article
http://www.aquaristsonline.com/blog/general/aquarium-filtration/the-deep-sand-bed-one-of-the-most-effective-filtration-methods/

explaining the benefits of a RDSB. it only needs to be about 5" high. Does anyone find that it makes a difference to have a RDSB vs. not having one?

Here's another possible design, with a RDSB. It's like Adam's but with a small compartment. OR i could just make the one like yours, Adam....... and is that filter fluff you have in your bubble wall?




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