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just switch the last baffle from the skimmer section with the fuge baffle and all will be good. other wise your whole skimmer section is going to fill with water not allowing your skimmer to work.

what I'am thinking about now is cutting down the last section of bubble trap going into refuigm to 8".
that will give me 8" 11" 8' 8" plus eggcrate. hopefully this last section with eggcrate will keep all snails in the refuigm.

How are you planning to feed the refugium? Are you just going to let the water settle in between the center and left sections? If so, then that baffle is okay. If you are planning on T'ing off the return pump, then the wall of the refugium will need to be higher than the right side wall of the return section. My sump is fed on the right side from the drain pipe and flows to the center section just in case the pic isn't clear.

I have my refugium fed using a ball valve connected to the return pump. That way I can adjust the flow to what ever I want. I am of the opinion that lower flow in the refugium allows cleaner water to return to the system. The more contact time between the same volume of water and the cheato allows more nitrates in the water to be used. I'm no expert and I very well could be wrong, but that's my thinking.

What ever you do, the right side wall of the center return section needs to come down so the water can spill over from the left side skimmer section. You don't want water to fall very far because it will be noisy and produce bubbles. You only want like 1" max.

I went the the picture that can be found on the DIY section of a 20 long tank as a sump. that has the last section with the eggcrate that way.
I want to get this right because when it gets in the cabinet it will be hard to get out.
thanks to all respones keep them coming, because i have plenty of time to fix what is wrong,i have to wait for another skimmer or a new cone it was broke when it came today.






I agree with the baffle issue. You might need to pull it and have it cut. Also, you may want to increase the height of the refugium section so that this is the highest baffle in the tank. That way, when you feed the fuge from your return, the water will spill over into the center return section and not have water going back and forth. That way you can properly control the turnover in the fuge.



I think that sumps are the kinda thing that you have to sort out through trial and error. My sump is on it's 2nd or 3rd configuration and I still want to change the bubble trap.

in the middle section where the bubble chamber is the 2 tall sections are both 11" tall, the height of the tank is 12" tall.




I could be mistaken, but the baffle on the bubble trap closest to the return section looks way too tall. It appears to go almost to the top of the tank when it should be the same height as the baffle closest to the skimmer section. Again, I could be missing something but maybe i'm just not seeing it.

the only sizes i found for this skimmer are 9.5 x 7.5 x 20.5
that is why i made the first section 8"



Looks good. Is your first skimmer baffle at the right height for your skimmer?

Full tank shots will come after i remodel the tank since i have to empty to fit the new sump in

that is a ehieem filter that is on it's way out sump is coming.

Looking good Mike! Your stand area is very clean too. Is that a Rena filter?

Nice! How about a full tank shot?

You forgot Pictures.

When you have several baffles in a row like I illustrate on melevsreef, you need to make sure they are 1" apart and no less. That is very important as it stops microbubbles from slingshotting into the next section.

That glass tank link I gave you two days ago has an eggcrate section so the refugium and return share the same water volume. This is especially useful on smaller sumps like a 20g long.

Please be sure you read that page very carefully, including the guidelines of how wide to cut the baffles so that they do not crack the tank.

Phil that works. The key to the baffles is making water go over a baffle then under to regulate water height and keep bubbles from getting to the return section. the first baffle should be set at your skimmers optimal height unless you are going to set it on a pedestal, but don't put first baffle lower than needed skimmer height. and you want the return section as big as you can as this is where the water level will fluctuate with water evaporation. are you planning on doing a fuge? it should have a baffle pretty much to the top of the tank since water in this section will be going very slow compare to the skimmer section. flow through sump and width of sump is what will determine baffle spacing.

The size and spacing of the dividers has a lot to do with the equipment you are planning on keeping in the sump. You need to know the dimensions of your skimmer and any pumps or reactors that you plan to keep in it. After you know that, then you can space the dividers accordingly. On the melev's reef website, he has a bunch of sump ideas that you can use as a basis for designing yours.

I made cardboard baffles to get the size right before cutting the acrylic for mine.

Another option if it won't fit in your stand is to put it in a separate cabinet beside the stand. Like this.

so I got the wrong kind of sump, what can I do if the store will not take it back.

First off, always categorize your entry so we know if you need help or if you are simply sharing. Obviously your title was a good clue this time, but you might as well get in the habit as that is how we find stuff on this site. I edited your message this time to select "Questions - Need some input" for you.

The wet/dry sump you purchased won't fit into the stand? That's unusual, considering how small those are made. There isn't room for a refugium in that size sump, nor really a skimmer. If I were you and had to break down the system to install it, I'd install a better one.

We don't use wet/dry sumps with reef tanks because they convert ammonia to nitrate quickly, but there is no way to remove the nitrate afterwords, other than regular water changes. The bioballs are designed to create nitrate - they are not nicknamed a "nitrate factory" for no reason. Instead, you are going to want to find a skimmer that is rated for your display tank's size, and a sump that will fit the stand. Once you have those two, here's a sump you can build yourself: http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/sumps/glass/

Lol... When I was reading I was thinking of the same article on Melevs Reef. I will say though about the skimmer, depending how big it is you may want to put it in the sump before you put it in the stand. Just an idea, it may be easier. ;-). Good luck!

well we need pics of tank, stand and sump. Also I think this Article will/might help: http://www.melevsreef.com/install_sump.html

Melev's site has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to sumps main index is http://melevsreef.com

I don't see any. You can add them to your original entry, or start a new blog with them instead.