40b Sump design

[knightmetro]

So, I'm beginning the design for my 40b sump. This will be for a 120g RR system. ATM one with a dual overflow, but I may be moving to a single overflow.

Now I'm looking for QUIET AS POSSIBLE operation, with great microbuble control and plenty of room for power failure drainage and the fuge.

What is the best way to set it up?

Input/skimmer ---> return <---- Fuge

or

Input/skimmer ---> Fuge ---> Return

Also, I've seen chamber, 3 baffle bubble trap, chamber, single baffle overflow. Is this the most silent way? I would think another bubble trap on the end would get rid of the waterfall?

Ideas/pictures are appreciated. I'm building this tank to all any kind of coral and a high volume of fish. I want the sump/plumbing done right the first time to accommodate all needs NOW, and not later.

 

[rdnelson]

I use the first option. You want low flow through the fuge in my opinion. I have a bubble trap at the skimmer compartment but not the fuge and I hear nothing and have no bubbles in the return.

 

[knightmetro]

Do you just have a flat wall for the fuge or do you have the teeth strainer at the top? I'm trying to figure out if that's worth it or not adding. I was thinking 14" tall on the fuge wall and a drill in a drain to go into the return area.

 

[rdnelson]

Just flat.

 

[knightmetro]

Like this....

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[rdnelson]

Hard to tell from that pic on my phone. Look through my build thread and you will see pics of it. Search for "Rich's 125"

 

[serpent]

KnightMetro;827046 wrote: Like this....

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I wouldn't do mine like this again, it is noisy. Your water level has to be constant for this to work and my ATO has a tolerance level built in, so when it is at its lowest, there is a waterfall noise.

What you can do is just make the wall a bit shorter and let the water fall over the top of the wall, eliminating the bulkhead. If the flow is slow enough, it will just flow down without much noise.

Another problem with that design is if the bulkhead gets clogged, it will overflow the fuge.

 

[knightmetro]

So if my skimmer side is 9" tall, how high would my fuge side be to get a nice quite fall into the return area?

 

[serpent]

This only works for you option 1:
skimmer -&gt; return &lt;- fuge

If it were me, around 12" just to be safe. That way, I had about 4" to play with when the tank backflows on pump shutdown. I never like running mine too high, just in case something happens.

 

[knightmetro]

That's what I was thinking. I want to make sure if there is a failure, there will be more than enough room to backflow into the sump and not overflow.

So this would be 3x 9" baffles. 9", 1" offset, 9" and then the 12" high fuge wall.

So are teeth on the top worth it or not?

 

[serpent]

To me, I would put the teeth in. This will keep the cheato from overflowing to the return area, if you are going to have any.