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View Full Version : Flow & Plumbing Flow on 60 cube sump?



32mm32
04-10-2011, 03:34 PM
Setting up a 60 cube. Will mainly house sps. The sump is a 10 gallon tank to house skimmer and return pump. I have a separate 10 gallon tank for a refugium only.
My question is what would the best flow rate be through the sump? I currently have a mag 12 to use but was thinking it may be too much flow? I dont want to push too much and reduce the skimmer effectiveness.
Looking for info. Post if you have it :thumbsup:
Thank you

cbau45
04-11-2011, 09:05 AM
I've got a 60cube with a 20gal sump. I use a mag 7 for my return and it is plenty of flow. You don't want to push too much through the sump to fast otherwise your filters won't have enough time to filter the bad stuff out of your water. IME your return pump won't suppliment much of your flow in your DT, that'll be taken care of by your powerheads. If you have questions on the setup feel free to shoot me a message.

Heidi
04-11-2011, 12:19 PM
When I was researching sumps a couple months ago, it seems I read "less is more" a lot too when it comes to flow. It is for the same reasons as you mentioned, you want your skimmer to skim and skim and skim that water so the longer it is down there the more effective it will be. Also for your fuge you want the water moving a little but not real strong either, to give the pods and sponges and whatever else a good chance filtering out bad crap from the water, and a little flow is what macro likes and grows best in, so they say.
My 2 cents!
Heidi

cbau45
04-11-2011, 12:27 PM
When I was researching sumps a couple months ago, it seems I read "less is more" a lot too when it comes to flow. It is for the same reasons as you mentioned, you want your skimmer to skim and skim and skim that water so the longer it is down there the more effective it will be. Also for your fuge you want the water moving a little but not real strong either, to give the pods and sponges and whatever else a good chance filtering out bad crap from the water, and a little flow is what macro likes and grows best in, so they say.
My 2 cents!
Heidi

I agree with the "less is more" statement to some degree. You don't want to go too slow of a flow through your sump either. Reason being is you don't want to have detritus settle in your sump. Having really slow / dead spots in your sump will allow a lot of the bad stuff to build up, although your pods will eat some of it, it can cause nutrient buildup which isn't a good thing. The biggest thing to keep in mind is nutrient export. Your fuge will be a great place for your pods / macro algae to grow and flourish, however, you also don't want it to become a waste collection center either which could fuel the growth of nuissance algae. Just my two cents on that one.