Sump Help

[Dr B]

I need some help on designing my simple sump. Mojo this is mainly for you bud!
It is going to be a 180g tank, and so far I am looking at a 58g sump. 42Lx16Wx20T. The sump builder is going to cut the acrylic baffles for me and I will put them in myself. So i need to decide height, and how many baffles.

The sump is only really going to house my return pump, CA pump, skimmer/pump.

I basically just need help designing my baffles. I think I want the water to be 9'' high in the sump. So therefore my baffles should probably be 8'' correct?

Mojo, I think you told me to have 2 baffles after my skimmer. The first one makes the water go under it, and the second one makes the water go over it. I was thinking these should be 2 inches apart? How much overlap should there be between the first second baffle height wise if they are both 8'' tall?

Then the water will travel a long ways to another set of baffles just before my return pump. The water here again will go under first, and then over the last baffle, with 2 inches between again.
Mojo, you told me that the last baffle should be half the height of the first. What was the reasoning behind this? The tank builder wasnt sure of the reasoning... and he told me that he likes to see baffles in sets of 3's and not twos. Is this going to create too much velocity?
I need to figure this out soon, as they are going to start building next week.
Thanks!

 

[mojoreef]

I basically just need help designing my baffles. I think I want the water to be 9'' high in the sump. So therefore my baffles should probably be 8'' correct?

yea you could make them all eight inches. take the over baffles and put them on the base and then the under baffles and raise them 2 inches off the bottom. and 2 inches apart at lease.

Mojo, I think you told me to have 2 baffles after my skimmer. The first one makes the water go under it, and the second one makes the water go over it. I was thinking these should be 2 inches apart? How much overlap should there be between the first second baffle height wise if they are both 8'' tall?

I would assume that the skimmer is going to be in the center section of the sump (it has the most room). So you would have the water coming in from the drain, then your first baffle would be an under then 2 inches later an over, then the main section of the sump. Here you would put the skimmer and reactor. then after the open section you want an under baffle then a over, then the last section on the sump. make the last section of the sump about 6 inches long. On the skimmer put the pump from it in the first section of the sump, drawing water that has just come into the sump. have the uot put of the skimmer return between the 1st and 2nd baffle. On he reactor have it draw from anywhaer and return in the last section of the pump.
Make sure you ask John to put some kind of removable lid for the first section of the sump so you have something to plumb to.

Mojo, you told me that the last baffle should be half the height of the first. What was the reasoning behind this? The tank builder wasnt sure of the reasoning... and he told me that he likes to see baffles in sets of 3's and not twos. Is this going to create too much velocity?

you can do sets of three if you wish. if you do then they would be Under over under and on the tail end I would only go 2 baffles. the short last baffle is so you dont get bubbles from the water pouring over the last baffle.


Mike

 

[big t]

I just wanted to give my thoughts on baffles. I think that having the water being drawn from the bottom is a very good thing. I do however think that there should be three baffles to give a good bubble trap in the middle. I also think that the skimmer should be in the first chamber as a lot of the bubbles exiting the skimmer will be cought by the bubble trap. Here is a diagram explaining my thoughts on baffles

 

[Scooterman]

I like that baffle design, I didn't put enough thought when making mine, one day I'll yank it all out and re-silicone mine in some manner as you have your drawing.

 

[mojoreef]

Good post Tom. Heres my take. the first baffle we agree on so no problemo. on the second one we are taking the flow of the water and cramping it between a two inch gap between the baffles. the driving force is upwards allowing the bubbles to off gas at the surface. Now if no third baffle the bubbles that wer directed upwards will still be at the surface and physics will draw them to the surface and the bubbles will have that whole large ccompartment to off gas with no speed element that is created by puttin the water through a skinny gap. If the third baffle is in place you are increasing the speed of the water once again, also because its sw the bubbles will not just trap some will also get sucked back down the third baffle. Now once free of that they are no longer at the top of the surface but are once again on the bottom and have a long way to get back up to the surface to off gas. Now taking the three baffle concept to the end of the sump, you wont get the bubble effect so bad as most have already off gassed, so for me the wholes concept is not make the water speed through thier increase by using more baffles, this in itself could create bubbles. Also I like to have the pump suck the water in from the opposite of where it pours into, IE if the water sucks from the bottom of the last chamber I want the water entering form the top??


Mike

 

[big t]

I also have my water incoming the top and use a pump intake right near the bottom to decrease any chances of pumping bubbles back into the display. I will have to start using 2 baffles at the skimmer chamber and use three right at the end.

 

[Dr B]

Sounds good you guys.
Thanks for the info.

I will go with the 2 sets of 2 baffles. I was thinking of having my skimmer in the first compartment with the drain lines. However I totally forgot that I want to have a top on that compartment. So good thing you brought that up!

I appreciate the help! Gonna finish up these plans now so I can discuss with them monday and they can start building wed!
DR

 

[Scooterman]

So Mike the third baffle is located opposite of the first two & before getting to the first two is where the drain comes in on top. The mid section is used for whatever and after the third baffle would be the suction for the return pump. Does this sum it up correctly?

 

[fishermann]

I fill my last baffle chamber full of reef rock rubble and never get any bubbles

 

[mojoreef]

Scott I always just use two sets of two baffles each. with an open space in the middle of the sump. that space allows for equipemnts and a long stretch for any bubbles to disapate. What you want is to not create to much speed of the water also, to much speed keeps the bubbles in the water instead of allowing them to dsapate through gravity. Remember th water coming back from the sump should not really factor to much in the overall flow of the tank, just get it back in.

Mike