Size of skimmer chamber in sump??

[Toni]

I am a rank newbie as far as plumbing/sumps/overflows so please feel free to
correct any errors I have made or suggest alternatives. I need opinions!

Does the size of the skimmer chamber in my sump have any bearing on how much
water can be processed i.e. GPH??

I am working on a 90 gallon drilled AGA tank- did not buy the AGA overflow
system but ordered a Durso standpipe instead.

I was planning on using a Euro Reef CS-6-2+ in my sump.
The height of this skimmer and it's recommended operating depth of 6-8"
limits my ability to fill the skimmer chamber with too much water volume.
Say the footprint of the skimmer is 12 x 12 (for simplicity) and the chamber
it sits in is 12 x 16- ish. Filled to a maximum depth of 8" will this be
enough water to process the 600 GPH my drain line feeds?? Does it matter how
much water volume surrounds the skimmer?
Hope I am making sense.

And to follow- the return chamber of the sump must hold how much water (with
a submersible pump)?

If I bought a CS6-1 instead the skimmer would be less powerful (?? smaller
pump anyway) but not as high, but I could elevate it a bit and have more
water volume to work with. Is this a good idea or am I nuts?

As far as I can tell the only difference between the two models isheight and
that CS6-1 comes with a 3500 Sedra pump, and the CS6-2+ has a 5000 Sedra.
Which one do I want?

I am trying to accomodate a skimmer, a return chamber, and a regugium in a
30 long sump- 36 x 12 x 16. I know I need to leave room in my sump for when
the power fails and the overflow dumps, but other than that what is standard
recommended water volume?

I could always go pick up a larger aquarium for a sump if I need to.


--
Toni
http://www.cearbhaill.com/aquarium.htm

[Dragon Slayer]

Hi Toni, the size of the compartment doesn't have a bearing on the amount of
water the return can accept, as long as your divider allows for the water to
exit the skimmer area and go into the other parts of the sump your ok. and
you always want your water from your overflow going to the skimmer
compartment before a fuge IMO.

I know ER states 8" - 10" of water depth but you can go deeper, the only
drawback is that a skimmer works its best when the pumps are as close to the
water line as possible. my CS12-2 sits in 16" of water and works great. as
long as the depth of water doesn't force your water level to high in the
skimmer body it will work fine.

keep in mind about your skimmer choice that bigger is always better get the
biggest one you can accommodate and afford. if my stand would accommodate
and sump would hold it, my 29 would have a CS12-2 in it as well.

as far as your return pumps water depth, you want it to be where it doesn't
suck air at all, some pumps cause a vortex when they are pumping and when
water gets to within an inch or two of the inlet it will start to suck air
via the vortex. other then that there is no set depth for the pump.

hth
kc



"Toni" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> I am a rank newbie as far as plumbing/sumps/overflows so please feel free
to
> correct any errors I have made or suggest alternatives. I need opinions!
>
> Does the size of the skimmer chamber in my sump have any bearing on how
much
> water can be processed i.e. GPH??
>
> I am working on a 90 gallon drilled AGA tank- did not buy the AGA overflow
> system but ordered a Durso standpipe instead.
>
> I was planning on using a Euro Reef CS-6-2+ in my sump.
> The height of this skimmer and it's recommended operating depth of 6-8"
> limits my ability to fill the skimmer chamber with too much water volume.
> Say the footprint of the skimmer is 12 x 12 (for simplicity) and the
chamber
> it sits in is 12 x 16- ish. Filled to a maximum depth of 8" will this be
> enough water to process the 600 GPH my drain line feeds?? Does it matter
how
> much water volume surrounds the skimmer?
> Hope I am making sense.
>
> And to follow- the return chamber of the sump must hold how much water
(with
> a submersible pump)?
>
> If I bought a CS6-1 instead the skimmer would be less powerful (?? smaller
> pump anyway) but not as high, but I could elevate it a bit and have more
> water volume to work with. Is this a good idea or am I nuts?
>
> As far as I can tell the only difference between the two models isheight
and
> that CS6-1 comes with a 3500 Sedra pump, and the CS6-2+ has a 5000 Sedra.
> Which one do I want?
>
> I am trying to accomodate a skimmer, a return chamber, and a regugium in a
> 30 long sump- 36 x 12 x 16. I know I need to leave room in my sump for
when
> the power fails and the overflow dumps, but other than that what is
standard
> recommended water volume?
>
> I could always go pick up a larger aquarium for a sump if I need to.
>
>
> --
> Toni
> http://www.cearbhaill.com/aquarium.htm
>
>

[Marc Levenson]

Toni,

You can increase the depth of the skimmer section to 10 or 12" deep. Just put
the skimmer on the according stand that matches the mfgr's recommendations.

The increased water in that section will help alleviate micro bubble issues, and
add more volume to your total water in the system. Be sure to leave enough room
to hold all that water plus what drains down when the return pump is off.

L x W x H / 231 = TOTAL GAL

Marc


Toni wrote:

> I am a rank newbie as far as plumbing/sumps/overflows so please feel free to
> correct any errors I have made or suggest alternatives. I need opinions!
>
> Does the size of the skimmer chamber in my sump have any bearing on how much
> water can be processed i.e. GPH??
>
> I am working on a 90 gallon drilled AGA tank- did not buy the AGA overflow
> system but ordered a Durso standpipe instead.
>
> I was planning on using a Euro Reef CS-6-2+ in my sump.
> The height of this skimmer and it's recommended operating depth of 6-8"
> limits my ability to fill the skimmer chamber with too much water volume.
> Say the footprint of the skimmer is 12 x 12 (for simplicity) and the chamber
> it sits in is 12 x 16- ish. Filled to a maximum depth of 8" will this be
> enough water to process the 600 GPH my drain line feeds?? Does it matter how
> much water volume surrounds the skimmer?
> Hope I am making sense.
>
> And to follow- the return chamber of the sump must hold how much water (with
> a submersible pump)?
>
> If I bought a CS6-1 instead the skimmer would be less powerful (?? smaller
> pump anyway) but not as high, but I could elevate it a bit and have more
> water volume to work with. Is this a good idea or am I nuts?
>
> As far as I can tell the only difference between the two models isheight and
> that CS6-1 comes with a 3500 Sedra pump, and the CS6-2+ has a 5000 Sedra.
> Which one do I want?
>
> I am trying to accomodate a skimmer, a return chamber, and a regugium in a
> 30 long sump- 36 x 12 x 16. I know I need to leave room in my sump for when
> the power fails and the overflow dumps, but other than that what is standard
> recommended water volume?
>
> I could always go pick up a larger aquarium for a sump if I need to.
>
> --
> Toni
> http://www.cearbhaill.com/aquarium.htm

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Happy'Cam'per]

> The increased water in that section will help alleviate micro bubble
issues,

Hey Marc,

Is that an aesthetic thing or do micro bubbles have an adverse effect on the
life in the tank? Just curious :)
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

[Marc Levenson]

Hi Cam'per,

Personally, I enjoy looking through crystal clear water when I check out reef
tanks. Microbubbles can obscure this quite easily, so the more you can prevent
them re-entering the display, the better.

The overall consensus is that microbubbles can wreak havoc in a tank, including
affecting fish adversely.

Marc


Happy'Cam'per wrote:

> Hey Marc,
>
> Is that an aesthetic thing or do micro bubbles have an adverse effect on the
> life in the tank? Just curious :)
> --
> **So long, and thanks for all the fish!**

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Rod]

>The overall consensus is that microbubbles can wreak havoc in a tank,
>including
>affecting fish adversely.
>

IME bubbles harm nothing at all.. have a look at my clown tank.
http://www.asplashoflife.com/onyx_clowns.htm.
and if you think that is a lot of bubbles, you should check out the surge/tide
zone
http://www.asplashoflife.com/surge&tidezone.htm
Rod Buehler
www.asplashoflife.com

[Happy'Cam'per]

> The overall consensus is that microbubbles can wreak havoc in a tank,
including
> affecting fish adversely.

OK, what adverse effect does it have on them. I'm being difficult because I
fail to see how microbubbles can harm the life at all. Surely wave crashes
on the reef at low tides produce maximum microbubbles?
--
**So long, and thanks for all the fish!**