Sump Outlet

[GLD]

I am building a sump and want to use an external pump instead of a submersible. The sump will have baffles, and the last baffle will be about 14" tall. After flowing over the top of this baffle, the water will fall into a chamber where a submersible pump would sit. Since it won't have a submersible, it then will have to drain out of this chamber through a hole drilled in the side of the sump.

How far off bottom should this hole be?

How large should the hole be?

My main tank is 58 gal, and the sump will be 26" long by 14" wide by 22" tall.

Thanks.
G

 

[GLD]

Thanks for the insights! I am a little confused about the 90 degree elbow on the wetside of the bulkhead however. How does this make a difference?

Thanks

 

[2poor2reef]

It lowers the point within the sump at which the pump draws water giving you a little more water before the pump runs dry. It will also increae the distance of the pump inlet from the surface of your sump's water level reducing the possibility of pulling air into the pump via a vortex, which is an issue with shallow sumps. Also, typically, bubbles decrease progressively as you move lower in water column since bubbles tend to rise.

[ November 08, 2001: Message edited by: 2poor2reef ]</p>

 

[Dazureus]

I think first you have to at least have the hole the height of your external pump intake, plus any silencing devices you're going to have underneath it (the pump). Of course, you can avoid all that if you use flexible piping from the sump to the pump. Second, you might not want to have the last baffle before the pump a flow over since this will introduce air bubbles to the water that the pump will be taking (up to the tank) You could place a flow under baffle an inch or so away from this last one to help rememdy this. Since the last baffle is a flow over, you should also take into consideration the volume of this last area (pump feed) for overflow/power outage purposes. The height of the pump intake will subtract from this last chambers volume, and consequently the usable volume for tank draindowm situations. A work around for this is to put a 90 degree elbow down on the wet side of the bulkead so it takes water closer to the bottom of the sump, freeing you from bulkhead height restricted volumes. The hole size should be according to the bulkhead you're going to install, and I would greatly recommend using a bulkhead in lieu of a homemade one. Don't forget your shutoff valves and unions (or shutoff valve/union combunations) on both sides of the pump for easy maintainence.

 

[pm_devin]

The hole will probably line up with the inlet of your external pump about 2" high. The size of hole depends on the size bulkhead you are using. Bulkhead size will usually match your pumps inlet size.

 

[Gatortailale1]

I think few if any fellow reefers use bioballs They work great for freshwater tanks, but not needed in a salt setup. You will be better off using live rock & deep sand bed/ any combination of the 2. [Many diff. points of view on lbs of rock and depth of sand]

as advised above, buy bulkhead and all your plumbing fittings before you drill sump so you cna match up proper height.

 

[GLD]

Would the placement of some bioballs in the last chamber reduce the amount of bubbles being pumped back to the tank?