DIY sump help

[jrsticks]

I am setting up a 65G tank soon and i was going to go with a 20L diy sump. My skimmer needs at least 8' of water to operate and i only have 12' of space in a 20L. Do you think I can go with the 20L still or do i have to start looking at other options? I was planing a Intake/skimmer - Fuge - return setup. I was thinking of my first baffle at 10' and the rest at about 7-8' do you think this will work? Will i have enough room for the drain off water when the pumps are off without causing a flood? This is my first Sump I have an all AIO now and i don't have any sump experience any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[jrsticks]

Bump

 

[Will]

A 20L is kinda shallow for a sump...not that it won't work , you just have to leave enuf room for water so you don't have a flood!!!
The way I did it was to set my main tank up with a temporary sump with return pump and shut the pump off to see exactly how much water was going to come down. I used a 20gal high. I have an Oceanic 58gal ,,, I got about 5 gal of water that came back to the sump. I have 2 lines on my sump .... one , I never let the water go below and the other , I never let the water go above.
Some people use check valves but I personally don't trust them....

 

[JimmyR1rider]

I'd go with a 29. I believe it's the same length. That's the size I did on my first 65. Go with baffles a little taller than your skimmer depth required. Then you can build a platform to raise the skimmer to the proper height to get the depth correct. You can do the drain in the rear and skimmer in front or vice versa. Good luck.

 

[jrsticks]

Thanks think I will go with a 29g

 

[waddleboy]

if you go with a 29 gallon make sure you have the height to still work on equipment and move them for cleaning. I have a 29 on my 90 and its PITA to take things out because of the height of my stand (live and learn). The 20L can work it all depends how much water flows back into the tank when the pumps are off which can be regulated by the height of your overflow and other things etc. Trial and error is the best thing. You could run the system and see how much back flow you have, do some simple math to figure out how many gallons. From there do the math again to see how much water would be in your sump with baffles and see if you have enough room to handle the overflow. Give yourself a 10% margin for error and you should be set.