Pszemol wrote on 10/31/2006 3:46 PM:
"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
k.net...
Pszemol wrote on 10/31/2006 12:16 PM:

Using seaweed requires the sump to be lighted.

Yep, and many people are liking the benefits that refugiums provide.

Refugium and lighted sumps are not the same thing...
If you have high water flow than it is not refugium
anymore - all the plankton will be swept away to the
pump or the sponge on the way to the pump.

It's still a refugium for algae, and pods, but yea there
are other things that won't stay in there with strong
water, but a larger sump with space for slow water will work.


Not using baffles you are dealing with air bubbles
going into the return pump and geting into the tank.
How do you deal with air bubbles?

Live rock rubble in the sump takes all the bubbles out.

Do you have any drawing you could share to ilustrate
the way you design your sumps?

Ok, I just got some pictures up of the third cement tank.
I need to get more up, but, here's some pictures of the sump.

http://waynesallee.com/thirdcementtankpictures.htm


Also, occupying sump with live rock you have no room
there left for placing skimmer, phosphate reaktor
and other devices people normally put in the sump.

I have room for a 1,000 gph protein skimmer in my sump, and room for
carbon and any other bags of media I may want in there, currently
experimenting with a bag of sulfur.

I find the bags in the sump very inefficient solution.
Water finds its way around the media bag and does not
penetrate carbon correctly.

I don't find it to be a problem.


Having 90' elbows on your plumbing you waste the
pump power - each elbow is like a foot hight, so
the flow rate you get from the pump is much lesser...

I use 2" thin wall pvc pipe.

And what kind of pump ?

Little Giant 4mdqxsc


I also do not drill the sump, but I use internal pump
like quiet one 3000 which has enough flow for my 58 g.

I like external pumps because when the electricity comes on they kick
on, as they are real motors, and not vibrator pumps. Also less heat
transfer.

Do not experience problems with starting of my pump.
Power outages are quire frequent in my area.
Powerheads like quiet one 3000 give you more water
movement per watt of electricity than external pumps.

After a while just like powerheads, they start to wear,
and don't want to start back up. The pump I use will start
to squeal from the wearing of the bearings, first
chirping, and then longer to becoming squeals, long before
it fails from wear.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets