Sump Design Review

[RRasco]

I am in the process of designing a sump/overflow for my 110g. I have read all the stuff about the gargling and sucking noise, I am going to remedy this by building a Durso Standpipe. However, my question is what about reducing splashing noise when dumping the overflow into the sump? Can I just use a layer of media to reduce the noise and splashing? Should the overflow be submerged when entering the sump? The topic seems to be covered very well with that minor detail omitted.

I would also like some advice on my sump design, I have not built anything yet, but have never built a sump before either. Here is my proposed design. TIA.

 

[OldMan47]

Your sump design will definitely have the inlet tube underwater which I would expect to help with noise. By holding the short part of each weir at the same height, you are setting up the second section to always be very full. That means that to get flow into the final sump, the level in the middle chamber will get higher than the overflow weir that leads into it and the level in the first chamber may even overflow the separator weir that should be keeping the first chamber flowing downward. I would drop the weir height from the second chamber so that the middle level would run a bit lower and the first area at the inlet would flow down properly. The final sump area is where all of the water variation in the entire aquarium and sump ends up. Unless that chamber is large compared to the filter chambers, the level will swing radically with any tank water evaporation. I would use about half or more of the sump just for the surge volume that the pump runs in.

 

[AdamM]

Also, you could put the heater inside the last 1" seperator gap, so that it would heat all the water on the way through, put it at an angle so that it looks like "/" from side-om.

 

[VaegaVic]

What tiny piece of criticism.
The way you have your water going from chamber to chamber (e.g. bio balls to heater to return pump) is by having the water overflow the tops, this will create a lovely waterfall noise, but will soon get tiresome when combined with the pump.

 

[TheConstantGrower]

Love me a good sump.

Everything looks good, as in, it will work.

Just a few suggestions,

- Raise the bio ball section so that the bottom layer of balls is below your water line, and the other layers of filter media and bio balls are above.
-This aids in the cultivation of bacteria and an oxygen rich environment.
-This aids in the reduction of sound of falling water from bio media segment to water segment.
-This allows you extra space underneath the wet/dry, for more wet media / treatment

- Triple Baffles (bubble traps)
-This will MASSIVELY reduce the sound of water rushing as we have changed from waterfall method to rising water method.
-Effectively cuts out all micro air in the final chamber resulting in "clearer" less turbulent water re-entering the display tank.

- Reverse flow baffle
-Water exits under the water line forcing upwards flow.
-Water does not have to fall 6 inches from the hight of the middle compartment, to the pump compartment.

- Reduce the refugiums size by 4 inches.
-This will allow you to have a larger end chamber for your pump.
-This will allow for expanded baffle sections.
-Oldman is dead on with this one, expect half volume at any size, but unless you are using an auto top off box to make sure your going to always be spot on, you are in trouble.

It should be understood that you are effectively making that last chamber your resivoir, if the top tank is hot and evaporating off a 48x17 surface, those 2 gallons of water in the pump chamber aren't going to last very long. I like you like large chambers and non existant pump returns, so my personal advice will be to invest in a top off system (and convince the missus to let you get a ro/di)

What tiny piece of criticism.
The way you have your water going from chamber to chamber (e.g. bio balls to heater to return pump) is by having the water overflow the tops, this will create a lovely waterfall noise, but will soon get tiresome when combined with the pump.

Good thought, unfinished thought.

We want the water to roll over the tops of the comparments this aids in the reduction of surface tension, which aids expelling of gasses from the water. Now, because of the design, the refugium section will be very turbulet and noisy at the top, which is why i reccomend triple baffles, have the water go over the top into the baffle, down the baffle up the next side and down again, exiting not on top, but under the water, free of micro-bubbles. At least i hope that made sense, its late.

Now big picture in the center compartment which to my apologies, i have been referring to as the refugium, will have to get flipped to work the way you want it, filter pad on the bottom, media on top, heater over that.

Heres what i was thinking. That last half sheet on the refuge part can be made a full sheet, it all depends on where exactly, you would like your run off from chamber 2, to be, at the bottom, in the middle, or off the top. I run a small air pump with skimmer diffusers and grow algaes / moss's. So surface tension/runoff is a non issue.