Piecing together filtration and functionality: How is your sump configured?

[Peace River]

Piecing together filtration and functionality: How is your sump configured?

There are many ways to lay out a sump including variations in direction of flow, if there are baffles to create separate chambers, where the skimmer is placed (if there is a skimmer), where the refugium or algae reactor is placed (if they are included), and much more. DIY sumps allow for many options, but even with commercial sumps a reef keeper still has many choices. We want to know - How is your sump configured? Wherever you put your skimmer, if you have one, and whichever direction that your water flows (e.g., left to right, right to left, etc.), please tell us about your sump layout in the related discussion thread.

Photo by @mfinn


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.deltecdirectusa.com

“With dozens of protein skimmers, calcium reactors, media reactors and kalkwasser stirrers in operation, Deltec USA can speak from experience and help you with all your Deltec needs. Live customer support and a large inventory of products rounds out our mission to provide the best possible Deltec experience.”

 

[marinesnow]

Chamber 1 - Filter Roller, Brightwell Xport block, and Refugium w/Chaeto
Chamber 2 - Protein Skimmer
Chamber 3 - Return

 

[exnisstech]

Other here. Skimmer in one sump but in the first chamber with socks. Fuge in the other sumps

 

[twentyleagues]

1. fuge
2. skimmer, heaters, rubble in baskets.
3. return, ato

 

[vetteguy53081]

I use the Bashsea sump and have the return socks first and passing through internal algae scrubber, then to return area and large skimmer. Skimmer and scrubber pull equally

All the wires in pic are now in cable wrap

 

[Jasonak]

90 gallon acrylic tank DIY baffled.
chamber 1 skimmer, probs and filter socks occasionally a baby bangai
chamber 2 macro algae, heaters
chamber 3 return

 

[dwest]

Open 40 gallon breeder. No baffles. I like the simplicity.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

kind of jammed in there, its still dry not done building the tank up yet, it slow going due to work, family, and crappie fishing. 20g long, bubble mag ext. 3 skimmer, bubble magus gen. 2 small filter roller, BRS titanium 100 watt. heater and inkbird controller, finnex refugium light, sicce return pump.

 

[Mperry622]

My sump is Frankenstein. I have a total of 585 gallons. My sump is 150 gallons. I have 200 lb of live rock. Carbon scrubber. Skimmer. I have six 1-in PVC lines coming in that dump into a 7-in sock.

 

[AtlantiCat]

Does the filtration section of an AIO count as a sump? There's a skimmer and a mini-refugium there, but it's not a formal sump, per se.

 

[cnaegler]

I'm starting a new 360 gallon peninsula tank. (6'L×4'W×2'H) I'll be using a 50 gallon stock tank, no mechanical filtration, Skimmer with ozone in the middle, 2 DC return pumps on far end, one running through 90 watt UV back to the display. Both on Sea Swirls. It'll have a 30 gallon refugium that sets seperate from the sump, with Miracle Mud and Chaeto, that is raised a little higher than the stock tank for a gravity feed back to sump and a small DC feed pump. Simple dimple. I dont think anyone really NEEDS a $1000 sump, imo.

 

[mfinn]

I've always done a simple flow through. Incoming water with skimmer in the first chamber. Refugium in the middle. This also acts as a micro bubble diffuser. Then the return section on the far end. In sump pump or external. This also seems to act as a settling chamber. In both my sumps, very fine detritus seems to settle here and makes it very easy to syphon out.
Heater and top off float goes here as well.

 

[reef tank 2.0]

open sump, no chambers here

replaced the previous photo with a more current, which has water

 

[James210ReefLife]

Two 40gal breeders.
drain into 1st breeder:
chamber 1, filter socks
chamber 2, skimmer, Ceramic spheres under skimmer stand
chamber 3, return pump, heater (return tee'd to feed 2nd 40b)
2nd breeder;
right half, refugium - crushed coral sand bed and rock rubble with algae (feed from 40b-chamber3)
left half, open water with rock. drains back into 1st 40b chamber 3.
Pictures are from when I set up the 210.
I need to take newer pics. Upgraded skimmer and return pump, lots more rock and algae in 2nd 40b.
.
The black tubing feeding the return chamber is from the fresh water Brute in the basement. (ATO)
The other tubing with the white PVC is for water changes, no more buckets thank you....

 

[dstockwell]

I have two sumps working as one. One split drain to right side to skimmer, chaeto, flows to second side where return pump is. Second split drains to biofilter and U.V. in return side, and carbon reactor.

 

[X-37B]

I prefer a sump with no baffles.
That said my IM 50 sump I am setting up will look like this.
Mesh socks × 3.
Chamber 1 Tunze 9430dc skimmer
Chamber 2 Geo 818 calcium reactor
Chamber 3 Return pump and Avast Marine Ozone reactor.
Calcium reactor and Ozone reactor are on stand elevated out of the water.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I have five sumps for five tanks. Two are just open with no baffles. Three sumps have at least one baffle to maintain water level for the skimmers. The water level is controlled by semi auto top offs. I prefer at least one baffle, as I have to manually refill the top off containers, and sometimes forget. This allows the skimmers with the baffles to keep running good.

 

[Dburr1014]

Rubbermaid tub

 

[djkms]

I actually designed my sump and it was built by Miracles Aquariums

Overflow->Socks->refugium->skimmer->raceway return

The 600 gallon aquarium above is a peninsula so I wanted all my plumbing on the back side. I also had Miracles place glass frag shelves to hold frag racks in my fuge for future frags. The Gyre and Nero 5 in the fuge are behind the eggcrate on the back wall to help prevent algae's from getting in the pumps.

The plumbing on top of the first picture is actually my closed loops.

 

[Sdot]

Here is my setup. Moving forward, I believe I will utilize a divorced refugium. It offers numerous options for fine-tuning and greatly simplifies maintenance.

The sump includes two 7-inch filter sock holders with silencers. I haven't explored filter rollers yet, as the honeycomb-style socks have proven to be the best for me. They are easy to clean (I power wash them on the patio) and last a long time.