[Jim_PA]

I picked up a sump from LFS, but I have concerns about it. Not knowing a lot about them I thought I should ask.

It a 30 G long, the concerns are the following.

1st chamber where overflow drains the bulk head is almost to the top of the 30 G tank, about 1 inch from the top, is this normal?

From what I see online, it does not have any area to help prevent Micro Bubbles, is this really needed?

The 2nd chamber is largest area, where I could put heater/fish/plants so on

The 3rd area is where the return pump goes, the bulk head is almost to the top in this area as well. Is that normal?

I was thinking about taking it back as I have 15 days and just make my own, and base it off some I have seen online.

Any advise would be appericated.

Thanks

 

[cardgenius]

Bubble traps are only needed if you get lots of micro bubbles. A filter sock on the drain can help cut down the micro bubbles. When I ran a sump I didnt use bulkheads on it, so its hard to understand what your saying without seeing a pic of it.

I had used baffles on my sump, so the 3rd chamber was where my return pump was. The first was the drain and the second was my refugium. The baffles were set up to make it so the water level was the same through the first two chambers while the 3rd chamber would only change when the water would evaporate, but my top-off pump took care of that.

It sounds like the first bulkhead is ok as a drain but can cause lots of bubbles if it drains above the water line. You can easily add some PVC to it so it drains below the water. The bulkhead in the last chamber should be at the bottom of the sump not the top. Is your return pump external or internal? Never seen an external pump hooked up to a bulkhead thats at the top of the sump.

You also want to run your sump so the top 1/3rd or so is empty. This is so your sump doesnt overflow when you have a power outage. Youll need to drill some holes into your return line just below the water line so it breaks the siphon, which will flood the sump if it doesnt. Which makes me think the bulkhead at the top of the return chamber doesnt sound good.

Hope that helps, but a pic could really help out too.