The ULTIMATE Sump

Lots of walls or channels or baffles or whatever you want to call them.  Make you sump water move over walls and under walls before it gets to the return pump.  A seperate space for frags and a seperate space for algae is great in my mind. 

Adam

Suzy wrote: What if each wall seperated a different filter media? Kinda like a Fluval or a 5 stage RO unit works? I could put filter floss for mechanical filtration in one space, and a place for occasional carbon adding? Is the rational for the different walls to remove microbubbles? Or to add more oxygen or what?

Multiple channels does a ton.  I wouldn't worry about air bubbles, I actually think they are good.  The best part of the walls is that you move your water a long distance, in a short space.  If the water moves up and down 8 inches and you have 10 walls, you have moved the water an extra 80 inches through your sump that it wouldn't have moved in a normal sump situation. 

This is good for all the things you mentioned.  It allows area for carbon, floss, better invertebrate breeding areas, and most importantly more gas exchange to get more O2 from that algae for the main tank. The way I see it, there is no reason not to do it.

Adam

Suzy, sounds like your not Bob the builder, but Timina the Tool Lady.  "More Power!!!" as it were.

I've thought of making an area in my sump where the water comes in over a wall at 14" or 16" and goes out over a wall at 8" or 10".  (My sump at the office is tall.)  That way I could put sand and live rock in and only have a little water movement in the bottom.  Sort of like a slow moving Hang on Back Refugium.  This would allow a breeding ground for the pods my future Mandarin will need to eat and let them slowly enter the main tank rather than rushing everything through the sump and into the main tank.

Maybe this is not a new idea.  But it sounded good to me.

I wouldn't worry about air bubbles, I actually think they are good.

Really?  I've always wanted to eliminate them.  My reasoning is they get trapped under rocks forming larger bubbles and I'm thinking that's not a good thing.  Am I worried about something that I shouldn't be?

jfinch wrote: Am I worried about something that I shouldn't be?

Depends on who you talk to.  But if you ask me, yep.  They may be bad, but they may also be good.  Just another area where no one has been able to show me any real reason to believe them.  And personally I like the looks.

Adam

Don't forget a hole for a bulkhead to easily remove water from the system for a water change. I get tired of siphoning.

I love the idea of an area for frags. You would need to have adequate lighting though.

Also a completly darkened section for sponge growth would be cool (and progressive). Definately worth the effort.

If you place the baffles close together (although they are a pain to glue) the detritus will make it through to your refugium (or slower moving section).

Let us see it when it's done!!!

OK, Here's the finished product. I waited to show you 'cause I was
hoping the mangroves would start to grow!

In this side view, you can see the baffles. One baffle is covered in
black acrylic. This is the sponge area. I filled it with some different
colored/kinds of sponge from our previous tank (Thanks, Will!).

   The filtered water then goes into the pump house, where 3 pumps
and our heater reside. I used a 10 gallon tank for this part,to add
more room to the sump (I used scrap acrylic, these were the longest
pieces I could find).
The return from the other 2 tanks also go directly into here. I can
add carbon (also in a plastic mesh cup, easy dumpage) to the return
of one system. There isn't an air bubble issue, unless the water level
is way low (I've only flooded the basement floor twice,thus far. It's
OK, we haven't finished the floor, yet).
I didn't add a brine shrimp breeder,'cause I've got that already. And
I didn't add a tap 'cause it's easier to just reach in the tank that's my
arm height (gotta watch the fingers,though). I also left out a drain,
'cause it's much faster to place a tube in the topmost tank directly to
the house drain, from the front.
I know this design wouldn't work for everybody, but it's kinda cool
for me. And, so far, no leaks!
The whole thing cost $23 bucks, not including the pumps.....

That is awesome!

Adam