JamesF Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Hi All,I have just started building a sump but I'm pretty new to it, I have only ever used canister filters in the past. I have researsched a fair bit online and this forum although i'm still stuck on a few things, was wondering if i could get some help.The sump is a standard 3 ft tank and will be used to filter a 6x2x2, I'm planning on keeping Tropheus and other Tangs in this aquarium.I have a bulk head plumbed in at the top of the main tank which will skim water and gravity feed it to the sump below.I Just a few questions...1) What sort of media should I use and in what order should I use them in the 3 chambers of the sump?2) What sort of pump would be best for this size setup and what sort of output will it need? (the more the better I was thinking)3) And by looking at the pics do you think there might be anything I could improve on or any problems you think I might have?Any help would be appreciated.Cheers James.3ft sump6x2x2 built into wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kartoon Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 Hi JamesFJust by looking at your setup looks like you have things pretty well figured out.In regards to what media and what order i believe it goes a little something like thisThick filter (jap Mat) then fine filter in the first chamber, Bio media in the second chamber and then your chemical filter (like carbon, water polishers etc) in the third chamber. I personally have jap mat on top of fine filter media and then a crap load of bio media in all the other chambers. Regarding pump the bigger the better i say especially with a 6 footer. Also depends on head height. I got the pump below and it runs an absolute treat and quite tohttp://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/catalogue_products.php?prodID=3996&catID=13But check out the rest of AOA range.As for the design aspect looks all good. One thing to watch with a gravity feed sump is the splash you get from the inlet. Just make sure you cover that some how cos you will not believe the amount of water lost through the splashing of that feed in .Apart from all that good luck with it and be sure to post some pics of the completed product.Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 Thanks Kartoon.I think I'm going to go for a laguna 6000 pump from AOA. What sort of bio media would be best for the second chamber? I'm thinking either the ceramic noodles or aquaclay... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fierce Deity Link Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Ceramic Noodles are okay, many people highly recommend "Seachem Matrix" but it's really expensive for what it is, so you'd have to shop around for a good deal, I've been looking into it and the cheapest i've been able to find it for is $50 for 4kg before shipping costs. The most used media for your biofiltration are Bioballs, and its not hard to see why, they're cheap, efficient and they last forever, just shop around see what suits your budget, you could even use any combination of media in the different compartments... you can buy bulk Ceramic noodles cheap pretty easily... I havent looked into aquaclay at all so i couldnt tell you how it compares peformance or price wise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phenomena Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 James,I'd add glass strips in each chamber 1,2,3 to hold egg crates & media on top. Similar to this white plate:I'd put:- Chamber 1: coarse mechanical media such as sponge or Japanese matt- Chamber 2: fine mechanical media such as filter wool. This need to be weighed down as water flow will try to push the wool up and to the next chamber- Chamber 3: bio media such as Seachem Matrix From personal experience, I'd recommend Oase or Eheim pump (good quality, quiet, reliable). Have a look at the Eheim Compact Plus range. For 6x2x2, I'd be looking at least 3000lph depending on other factors, such as pump max head height, wattage, fish stocking level, water change & feeding frequency etc...Your bulk head set up looks a bit unusual though...Have fun... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cichlabxr Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Hi James,One word of warning you can go too high with the pump turnover rate. The size of your bulkhead is important. I tried using a Sicce Multi 5800 on my 6x2x2 but I didn't have a large enough bulkhead hence it would drain my sump and the return into my tank had to have two outlets to reduce the flow . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonx Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I just setup my first sump for a 5x2x2 and running an Aqua Bee 6000 which seems to be awesome (although they are a little on the pricey side!). Output from tank is via a 32mm durso which reduces to 25mm through the bulkhead. Not sure if this is the best way to do it, but I'm running a small ball valve on the 25mm pipe output to the sump which needs to be slightly closed or the water level in the overflow drops too low. I tend to adjust this so it's falling around 1" in overflow, and some gutter guard cable tied around the durso inlet to prevent any fish going for a holiday.The first night I was running it without any guard & literally had a dozen catfish end up blocking the outlet pipe... not cool!! Sump I'm using is a Dalbarb off the shelf with 3 chambers and bubble traps between each one - capacity seems to measure around 230L. It's running jap mat in first, filter wool then matrix (12L - a 'bit' of overkill) in the second, purigen and carbon in the third. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted June 3, 2012 Author Share Posted June 3, 2012 Hey guys,Thanks for all the help, I should have the tank up and running by the end of this week. I'll post up some photos when I can.I ended up going with a Laguna 6000 pump. jap mat and filter sponge in the first chamber, aquaclay in the second and coral grit in the thrird to buffer the water.Cheers James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 Hi all, I've finally got my tank up and running. Although the outlet to the main tank through the bulk head has a really loud gurgling noise when it is taking down water. I know there are durso pipes that people use to stop this, but is there anyway to do this with the above setup? I've tried thinking of everything without having to make too many modifications to the tank. I' thinking of making a small hole in the bulkhead to try and stop the vacuum which is causing the noise. Any ideas, I'm fairly stuck and hanging out to get fish in the tank. ThanksJames. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankenstrat Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I don't know if it would work but you could try putting a trap in the plumbing running off you bulk head, a bit like a toilet or a sink has, could be made out of some 90 degree bends Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Google "External Durso" and have a look at a few of the pictures. It is quite simple to do. If it was my tank I would add a internal overflow box, you will see how in the pictures on google, to raise the water level up a little in the tank.Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesF Posted June 18, 2012 Author Share Posted June 18, 2012 Thanks Josh, I have had the tank running for a few days now without an external durso, it's fairly noisy, but the tank is in the wall of the house and the rear of it is in the garage, so it isn't too much of an issue at the moment, i'll see how it goes the next few week's, if it gets too annoying i might give the durso a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid meltdown Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 Hi James. What you could do to stop the gurgling is to put a short piece of pvc pipe in the hole and an elbow to face down. It is a lot cheaper and the water level must be a little higher than the outlet for this to work properly and its a very cheap way to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlid meltdown Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 If you put an external over flow in at some stage when you are not looking or even when you are not home it could break syphon and it will only flood your house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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