andywg
Bored into leaving
Sumps are not too scary. In simplest terms you have a hole at the bottom in a corner. Connected to that you have a Durso standpipe. Around this you have a weir, a glass or perspex "wall" with teeth at the top which is sealed into the corner. The bottom of the teeth sets the level the water falls to when the return pump is off.
The sump, is just a tank underneath the main tank. In this tank is a return pump which pumps water up into the display tank. As the level of the display tank increases water flows over the weir and through the standpipe back into the sump. The sump will usually be designed with different chambers. I tend to use 3, the first houses the return from the main tank and my skimmer. The second has a deep sand bed and some live rock. The third has the return pump(s) and and chemical media.
My systems are far from standard, so I am not sure how useful they will be. My small system has a 24x15x15 main tank which houses a black Lophiocharon sp frogfish. The tank has a 16x8x8 small tank with a yellow Gobiodon okinawae. The sump on this is one I made which is about 18.5x12x15.
My larger system is a little bit Heath Robinson. The display tank is a 60x24x15 reef housing a pair of clowns in a nem, a comet, a white ribbon eel, a brown tang, a damsel, a dragonet and a goby. Above it is a 60x8x12 refugium, or former refugium; it temporarily houses a porcupinefish, a picasso trigger and a snowflake eel. This 'fuge drains into the display tank (allowing any pods to come down) which then drains into the sump. The sump (which was the first tank I ever bought) is 48x12x18.5. However, this sump has two return pumps. The second pump currently pumps into a 30x12x15 tank which houses my Histrio histrio frogfish. This currently drains into the sump, but will soon drain into a 24x12x15 tank underneath which will house sea horsees and drain into the main sump.
Both of these systems are in the bedroom.
FW is a little simpler, I have a rack in the spare room which has a 36x24x24 and a 48x15x18 tank. A 24x12x12 sump is connected by a bulkhead and pump to a second sump of 18x10x10. The return outlet is split and goes into both display tanks and their drains meet before exiting to a trickle tower over the sump. Downstairs is a 72x24x24 tank which drains into a trickle tower over a 24x14x12 sump tank. This sump is connected to a second equal size tank which is somewhat redundant now since I changed the filtration to include a trickle tower.
The sump, is just a tank underneath the main tank. In this tank is a return pump which pumps water up into the display tank. As the level of the display tank increases water flows over the weir and through the standpipe back into the sump. The sump will usually be designed with different chambers. I tend to use 3, the first houses the return from the main tank and my skimmer. The second has a deep sand bed and some live rock. The third has the return pump(s) and and chemical media.
My systems are far from standard, so I am not sure how useful they will be. My small system has a 24x15x15 main tank which houses a black Lophiocharon sp frogfish. The tank has a 16x8x8 small tank with a yellow Gobiodon okinawae. The sump on this is one I made which is about 18.5x12x15.
My larger system is a little bit Heath Robinson. The display tank is a 60x24x15 reef housing a pair of clowns in a nem, a comet, a white ribbon eel, a brown tang, a damsel, a dragonet and a goby. Above it is a 60x8x12 refugium, or former refugium; it temporarily houses a porcupinefish, a picasso trigger and a snowflake eel. This 'fuge drains into the display tank (allowing any pods to come down) which then drains into the sump. The sump (which was the first tank I ever bought) is 48x12x18.5. However, this sump has two return pumps. The second pump currently pumps into a 30x12x15 tank which houses my Histrio histrio frogfish. This currently drains into the sump, but will soon drain into a 24x12x15 tank underneath which will house sea horsees and drain into the main sump.
Both of these systems are in the bedroom.
FW is a little simpler, I have a rack in the spare room which has a 36x24x24 and a 48x15x18 tank. A 24x12x12 sump is connected by a bulkhead and pump to a second sump of 18x10x10. The return outlet is split and goes into both display tanks and their drains meet before exiting to a trickle tower over the sump. Downstairs is a 72x24x24 tank which drains into a trickle tower over a 24x14x12 sump tank. This sump is connected to a second equal size tank which is somewhat redundant now since I changed the filtration to include a trickle tower.
must keep you busy? Where is all your efforts directed?
Sounds like a typical wife 
