si_sphinx Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 Ive done plenty of research on sumps etc and have come up with this drawing of what i want to do with the sump for my 900ltr tank So im after any constructive criticism on the design and anything i could do better. I will also be adding pics of my progress on the sump as i go. Im not wanting a wet/dry tower in it as i need it to sit high enough up under the tank stand so i can add overflows to the sump to run further small fry tanks from it. Thanks. first view is a plan view, second is an elevation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 so in effect only part of your water is flowing over the heater? fry can flow over into pump area possibly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamH Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 fry can flow over into pump area possibly Maybe that's what the comb/grill is for? IDK, that's just what it looks like to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 If you can, I'd eliminate that heater section and have it in either the pump area in the fry area. Assuming everything is to proper scale it looks like it should fit at an angle. There's just not really any good reason to have the heater seperated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 :oops: didn't see the comb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 What happens if your filter bags block ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted February 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 The reason for the heater being separate is because it will be a jager 300W and im not sure if it will fit in the main area yet. i still need to buy one and test it out. If there was no separate area for the heater, the empty space would be 300wide x 400long. Filter bags aren't proper filter bags and aren't as fine as normal ones. and they will be checked weekly for blocking & maintenance etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted February 16, 2010 Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 I'd agree with what Ira said. What is the volume of the bio media? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted February 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2010 The bio media volume in that drawing is only 12ltrs. so this is why I put the heater separately as i thought i may be needing to add more sections for more media. The fry grow out space is not necessary so i can add more media along the entire sump. The whole sump is 900mm long, 300mm wide & 385mm high Filter bag section,100mm wide each bio filter section, 100mm wide heater section, 620mm long (jager heater is 500mm) return pump section, 180mm wide so leaves me with 520mm of space Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted February 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=272819885 Would this be good for bio filtration? anyone use it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 Pumice itself is fine, trouble is knowing what other stuff got mixed in with is when it was 'created' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted February 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 That is true, What sort of bad stuff could there be in it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 How wide are the gaps between your media baffles? I'd also be looking at putting the heater in the fry section. I've had and helped with a few sumps now, (althought mostly salt water) and found the simpler you can made it the better. My current sump has no baffles at all, just a sliding divider that can be pulled out, all the gear sits on one side refugium on the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 That is true, What sort of bad stuff could there be in it? And not being able to answer that is the problem with using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted February 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 They are 100mm apart. i was thinking of increasing the bio filtration and putting baffles along the entire length of it and no fry area. And also thinking about just putting the heater in the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 They are 100mm apart. i was thinking of increasing the bio filtration and putting baffles along the entire length of it and no fry area. And also thinking about just putting the heater in the tank. Personally I'd make they at least big enough to have your fist in sideways (ie have a good hold on something and be able to turn your hand round) if you have small hands 100mm might be enough. I wouldn't focus too much on the heater, there are plenty of ways work round heaters, eg getting two 150w instead of the single 300w will save you length plus give you redundancy and a safety net if one jams on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 That is true, What sort of bad stuff could there be in it? nice white or creamy coloured pumice is good, do not use it if too much reds, dark browns etc in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 Your design is nearly identical to the sump I had for my 450 litre tank when I first purchased it except for the separate area for the heater. I put one heater in where the 'fry' area is and a second in the area by the return pump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 a second in the area by the return pump If you do this, I suggest you put the heater as low as possible and it must be below the lowest amount of water your return pump can pump. If the drain from your display gets blocked you will have a flood and your sump water level will drop until the return pump runs out of water. This would suck, but it will suck more if you also burn out your heaters and all the collateral damage that might cause like breaking the glass bottom of your sump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted February 20, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 If you do this, I suggest you put the heater as low as possible and it must be below the lowest amount of water your return pump can pump. If the drain from your display gets blocked you will have a flood and your sump water level will drop until the return pump runs out of water. This would suck, but it will suck more if you also burn out your heaters and all the collateral damage that might cause like breaking the glass bottom of your sump. I have thought about that and not going to put the heater in the pump area for that reason. http://www.eheim.de/eheim/inhalte/index.jsp?key=liniendetail_24552_ehen Which of these should i use for 900ltrs? Would 2x150W be enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 yes, I was very careful to keep the heater below the level of the water. This heater almost never came on, it was only there as a backup but the water was usually heated sufficiently before it got this far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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