I purchase a New 55G Glass Tank to be used as a sump.
Measurements: 48 1/4"x 12 3/4"x 21"
A hole will be drilled for a Reeflo Snapper/Dart Hybrid
Skimmer: BM NAC7 Protein Cone Skimmer
Need area for the skimmer & Refugium (LR /Chaeto or Bioballs) Basically I need three section.
Taking all this into consideration, I have a few question and appreciate any advice.
Question:
- How many baffles recommended and how should I place the baffles?
- The tank is 21" tall. So what height should the baffles be cut.
- How much space sho I allowed for the refugium, skimmer and the return side.
- Should I put a check valve?
If I left something out, and you any of you have any thoughts please feel free to comment.
Thanks
Johnny
Hey johnny
Before you start you might want to check the tank. Almost all newer 55 tanks are tempered on all sides and bottom. Check that first.
Height of the baffels and placement is going to depend on a million factors. Make sure you leave lots or room for a good size skimmer.
There is no question between Chaeto or bioballs. If anyone has ever recommended bioballs to you for a marine aquarium I would start taking their advice with a grain of salt.
You should never count on a check valve as they will fail in time. All of them do no matter how much coin you drop on a nice one. That being said if you can’t count on it why install one? I install tons of aquariums each year and never use check vavles on return pumps.
The area where there return pump sits will be the area that evaporates. If you have it sealed off from the rest and it is very small and you don’t have an autotop off installed you may have to add freshwater to the aquarium 1-2 per day in order to keep your aquarium running.(talk about a major hassle if you want to go out after work or ever leave for a vacation.)
Make sure to leave extra area in the return pump section as well for a different pump. All pumps fail in time and if your LFS does not have the same size pump in stock and you need larger room. Could turn a little set back into a major PITA.
Best of luck to you.
At a minimum you’ll want:
Input Chamber: This should be large enough to house your skimmer and any/all other pumps you may want to add for Reactors, and filter socks for your input water if you wish to run those. My Input chamber houses my skimmer/heater/2 Maxi-Jet pumps (one for PhosBan Reactor, and one for UV filter).
Input Chamber mates up with a bubble trap that flows to the Refugium area.
Refugium area will flow to your Output Chamber. I built a secondary bubble trap here also.
Certainly make the Refugium area as big as you can. That area will depend on how much space you need for your Input chamber, and whatever area you need to house one (or two for backup) pumps for Output.
I would make the walls at least 75-80% height of your sump tank. The more water you can get in there, and keep the areas separate, the better for you, as you’ll have more area in the Refugium for DSB, live rock, cheato, ect… and more water volume is always better. Just don’t go all the way up, as you want water to be able to flow around the sump in the event of a power failure. (remember to drill a hold in your return line about 1/4" below the waters surface to break the siphon)
I converted my old wet try…and it flows in a U pattern, but the layout will be similar for you…just coast to coast for you.
Goodluck, keep us posted, and feel free to ask as you go.
-Rob
Most people I talk to who use a 55 for a sump say the biggest problem they have is a lack of clearance between the top of the sump & the stand. This makes it VERY hard to get the skimmer out without completely removing the sump. Not a problem when first putting it in but a pain in the @$$ once you have been using it a while and the impeller on the skimmer gets messed up.
[quote=“The Reef Hut, post:2, topic:5642”]
Hey johnny
Before you start you might want to check the tank. Almost all newer 55 tanks are tempered on all sides and bottom. Check that first.[/quote]
Yeah, very few 55’s are not tempered.
I would recommend a fuge over bio balls any day. You get much of the bacteria colonization on the live rock & sand. A fuge can grow macro algae for nutrient export which is a much better use of space in a reef sump, IMO.
Don’t get bummed out and give up on the 55 just yet, just plan accordingly for the future.