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Sump Equip & Specs-Is this good?

S

SlingingBuddha

So i'm picking up a 20g long tomorrow, the dimensions are 30"L x 13"W x 12"H. i want plan to go skimmer, fuge, return the skimmer will be 9" the fuge will be 12" and the return will be 7" with 3 baffles 12" high the middle one higher obviously (one inch apart) i will draw up a picture shortly so itll be easier to put together for everyone but just let me know if this would be a good idea.

Equipment: please recommend other equip if you think something else will better suit my needs
Overflow: Eheim CPR CS90
Return: Eheim 1260
Skimmer: Reef Octopus NWB 150
 
jgraz

jgraz

I may have missed things in another thread, but is there a reason your opting for an overflow vs. drilling the back?
 
Fish Brain

Fish Brain

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
jgraz said:
I may have missed things in another thread, but is there a reason your opting for an overflow vs. drilling the back?
Click to expand...

His tank is already setup, he is looking to add a sump.

The sump dimensions sound about right. The baffles do not and should not be 12" high. Your baffle between the fuge and return section should be what you want the depth of the water in the sump to be. Or you can do different depths in the 3 sections but it has to go from tallest to shortest. My skimmer needs 8" of water so my baffles are 8" high.
 
S

SlingingBuddha

Yeah my tank is already set up, next time or if I do any big changes I'm def going with drilled as it is the best option. For the fuge I plan on adding some live rock and live sand to help with filtration & thank you for that thermos I'll def look up what my skimmer needs and play off that. Just checked, 6-8in so I'll prob do 8"

Another question: I see some people have an auto topoff in their sump. Do you think a 20g is big enough to support this? If so, would it be worth shortening my fuge for
 
dirtycontour

dirtycontour

20g is plenty big for an ATO. I have a 20g Tall for my sump with the ATO in the return section. Personally I wouldn't use rock or sand in fuge. You have enough rock to house bacteria in your DT. I think with a bare bottom sump it is easier to keep clean. I may be biased tho since I run a BB DT as well...
 
jpelzer

jpelzer

You want sand at least in a fuge. Many delicious creatures breed/live in the sand. Amphipods actively burrow into the sand, like a jawfish. Fun to watch. If you're just growing macro? Then skip sand/rock. But for the tank health, sand ftw.
 
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SlingingBuddha

Where would I add an ATO to my current layout? My main concern is a healthy tank, I guess it's a matter of opinion as far as sand or no sand I will have to do a bit of research on the topic so I can see what will best suit my needs
 
M

mnat

Officer Emeritus
Staff member
Moderator
The ATO would be on the sump chamber with your return. The water chamber does not have to be very big, I used a 5g tank on my 45g system and refilled it like once a week. ATO is a big help IMO and will really help the tank out. I may have an extra one laying around after my tank breakdowns, I am in point so relatively close.
 
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