Help with built-in sump

Here are the latest plans. Based on the Profs design/advice.

I could put the sump on the side of the tank like this:

sump dimension 60cm x12cm x60cm (43Litre)


Or I could have it at the back like this with 2 big compartments:

sump dimension 150cm x 12cm x30cm (54Litre)

The back of the tank will be about 10cm away from a wall so I think the sump on the side is better because it's easier to access & clean.

 

The sump at the rear with two inlets and a central outlet is genius, too bad it'll be a bitch to clean

 

Or I could have it at the back like this with 2 big compartments:

sump dimension 150cm x 12cm x30cm (Liter)
The back of the tank will be about 10cm away from a wall so I think the sump on the side is better because it's easier to access & clean.[/QUOTE]
Use this although it will be harder to clean it will give you more surface area.
Just change the intake to the bottom of the sump and use a netting or something to restrict your fish from entering the sump.
when you start it up you might need to change the size of the outlet or it might spill over into the tank from the first compartment due to restriction caused by the filter media.

 

Thanks for this and the Prof's thread. I follow it with great interest, with my own big tank, to be, in mind.

If I understand the Prof correct, the one at the back would be better with one media compartment versus the two shown. The idea is that you keep the water for as long as possible, at a speed as slow as possible, on your bio material. By splitting it up, you are halving this time. Will you do aeration in the fist 'inlet' compartment, to have max O2 available to the bacteria?

Please tell me if I am wrong. I see the 'big bore' principle as follow.
With the multi compartments, you are forcing the water over a longer route, to arrive at the same time as that of water that travel a shorter distance to the same point. It is therefore logical that the water travelling the 'shorter' distance, will travel slower to arrive at the same destination. The cycling of water per hour is not affected by this, as the pump move the same amount of water in both cases. There is however a huge difference in the amount of time available to the bio filter to do its work.

 

I actually forgot to ask earlier, why don't you just build a classic sump under the tank?

 

@Tom.K I think you on the right track with your understanding of the big bore principle. The Prof explains it best.

As for aeration, I will have an air curtain in the tank and then maybe a small air stone in the intake. That should be sufficient.


@Whipme Originally my plan was to have the traditional sump at the bottom. Then I saw this and that's where the idea came from. Thanks @shihr
http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?4903-My-63L-quot-clean-quot-setup

I want the space under the tank for another tank and storage. Maybe a canister also. One tank is not enough. The more the merrier.:bigsmile:

 

no problem.. i myself like the look without any tubes heaters etc in sight.. but with big setups, like the one u planning, it gets harder to get away with it.. one day i would still like to create this on a big tank scale though.. just realestate is so NB though...

 

With a big tank I'd try to make it intake on one end and outlet on the other so I could create a river type flow and keep various loaches

 

It's done... check it out..

http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?8048-The-House-of-Uaru

 

nice man!

 

With less compartments, one can actually see the resemblance of a canister filter, in this sump design!
Bigger and less compartments, make more sense...

 

This design definitely makes more sense. I'm very happy with it so far.