Tropical Fish Keeping banner

sump light

19K views 16 replies 4 participants last post by  SKAustin 
#1 ·
I have a 39 gallon tank and now I'm adding a 20 gallon sump. What kind of light do I need? Plan to put live sand and rock and Algae in sump.
 
#2 ·
clip on, nuff said. those metal clip ons you can get at a hardware store, get a 5600k bulb or so. you only want to aim it at the refugium part because light in the intake or return pump chamber will cause coralline and no one wants a coralliney return pump. plus its cheap.
 
#6 ·
That depends on your needs. If you are experiencing diurnal changes in your pH levels, then by adding a light, timed opposite your display lights, will help to reduce or eliminate those swings. The diurnal changes in pH are common in reef aquaria and are result of changes in the level of CO2 in the tank. During the daylight hours, the process of photosynthesis converts CO2 into carbohydrate and oxygen. The lack of CO2 results in a higher pH. The respiration of organisms within your tank is constantly adding to the CO2 in the system, so at night, the CO2 levels rise, effectively reducing the pH. By adding the light to the sump at night, you allow the process of photosynthesis to continue in your refugium life throughout the nighttime hours, thereby continuing to keep the CO2 levels down, and subsequently keeping pH levels regulated.

If you have little in the way of diurnal pH swings, and are more concerned with the nutrient export performed by macro algae growth, then you might seek to keep the light on 24hrs.

and finally, if you have a sump with no refugium, then you have little if any need for a light on your sump. Except maybe to see to do your cleaning and maintenance.

Hope that Helps.
 
#7 ·
refugium

I do have a refugium. I build my sump out of a 20 gallon tank. skimmer-refugium to pump. In the refugium I added 4 pounds live rock and some Micro Algae with a plant light. Should I put some rubble rock or something in the hole where the water comes from the overflow into the sump. I have some Bio-Max made by Fluval left over from the other filter. Would this be ok to put in there??? Lots of bubbles in there. Sump has only been running but 1 day, but my water is not as clear as it was with the Fluval canitister filter. My tank is 5 weeks old.
 
#9 ·
sump

Not sure how much you can see. The line coming down from the aquarium is in the right back corner. Its in a 5 X 3" hole and has a 1" cap at the bottom. Water comes out there and at the top. Some goes to the skimmer and the rest pours in to the bubble trap to the refugium. I added another quart of water and that looks like it helped alot. I have a couple of float switches coming tomorrow. I'll rig that up and then I will not have to worry about the sump over flowing the tank. I'll just rig it were if for some reason the overflow stops you will get a low level in the sump and the pump will turn off.
 
#12 ·
bubbles

Ok no more bubbles making it to the main tank. But still getting lots of bubbles in the down flow pipe. The level in the sump is 2 inch from suface were the overflow drains. With all the bubbles it is splashing some of the spray on the rim of the sump. I'm guessing I should have not made the level so high. But was trying to use as much water as possible. I wonder if putting the Boi-Max in there or some small live rock would help. Also I guess I could maybe lay a small sheet of plexie just were the drain line is. I sure would hate to have to start all over.
 
#13 ·
Well, yes, I would have made the baffles a bit more even as far as the overall height is concerned. The good thing is, they're easy enough to make and you can keep making new alterations based on lessons learned. That sump will yield increased Salt-Creep, but should function properly otherwise. Here's a look at my latest design which has been in operation since Dec, 2007. I am happy with this sump, and have little in the way of future modification needs.

SKAustin said:
Here's a look at my new sump as it sits awaiting the test run. Ive
incorporated a few new ideas into this sump over the previous. The inlet
section is covered to drastically reduce the Salt Creep from inlet and
skimmer bubbles. The increased width of the bubble trap slows the water
travelling through it thus allowing for more of the finer micro bubbles to
stay within the covered chamber. It also allows for easier cleaning of that
section. The Flex-hose in the return section should eliminate noise
transfer from the return pump. Suction cups were also installed on the
base of the return pump to reduce noise transfer. Ive also incorporated a
filter sock and bracket to reduce the detritus build-up in the sump. and
finally, the tank was upgraded to a 30 gallon long, allowing for 33% larger
chambers.

 
#15 ·
It's just a filter sock. It's designed to catch larger particulate matter from the water entering the sump. It's not a media bag. The filter socks need to be changed out every 72 hours, and washed in a bleach only wash. If you dont change these out religiously every 72 hours or less, they become very counter productive
 
#16 ·
problem

I think I figured out the problem. I'm using a CPR50 overflow with a mag drive 5 pump. I think the pump is to small. If I reduce the overflow line a little to slow the return flow from the aquarium. The bubbles go away. So I'm guessing I need a larger pump. Then I can adjust the flow rate on the pump. Thanks for all the help SK.
 
#17 ·
Any time, Though I wouldn't count on a larger pump solving your problem. You do want to closely match your return pump with your overflow. The increased flow should may reduce the bubbles generated from the descent through the plumbing, but the bubbles generated from the water entering the standpipe may increase.

That fact is of little consequence anyways. Ultimately the aeration generated here is beneficial to your system. Not only does it keep the water well oxygenated, but it also aids in the control of diurnal pH swings by drawing CO2 out of the water.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top