Water Flow thru Sump

[Jim54]

Is there a rate of flow which allows the sump to be more efficient? I assume to fast does not allow detritus to settle in the sump??

 

[metalac]

well you don't want it to settle in the sump, but rather be picked up by the skimmer. From what I hear it's about 5 to 8 times the tank volume is sufficient.

 

[ChrisRD]

Sump flow rates are basically a preference thing.

A skimmer will not remove all detritus so generally syphoning and/or some type of micron bag/tray are good ways of exporting the rest. Having a settlement area in the sump for detritus syphoning is not an uncommon setup and works fine IME.

Also, keep in mind that higher flow rates through the sump can increase problems with noise and microbubbles.