Keeping it clean

The sump and filters

While waiting for the tank and stand to be built and delivered, I continue to plan and shop for the other components of the system. To that end, I've designed a filtration system that uses a standard 75 gallon glass aquarium (with some added baffles) as a combination sump and refugium.

As shown in the rendering to the right, the "BeanAnimal" overflow will drain water from the display tank to two different sections of the partitioned sump - a refugium section and a filtration section.

The (illuminated) refugium section will be stocked with Chaetomorpha algae for nutrient export, and live rock rubble to provide an environment for breeding populations of zooplankton (pods) to thrive. Flow through the refugium section will be controlled by a gate valve plumbed off of the primary drain line--enough so that the Chaeto in the refugium tumbles well, but not so much as to flush it over the refugium overflow and into the return pumps.

The filtration section will have a constant water level to support a submerged protein skimmer, and a separate pump for supplying water to the collection of media reactors. The skimmer will be one of the larger open-volute designs with a controllable DC pump, either an RLSS DB-12i or a Reef Octopus POV-DC3. The media reactors will include an ozone reactor, a carbon filter, and a granular ferric oxide filter (courtesy of the nice people at AVAST Marine Works). The ozone filter will be supplied with ozone by an Ozotech Poseidon 200 mg/hr ozone generator and the quietest air pump I can find (TBD).

The water will overflow from both the refugium section and the filtration section (through a bubble trap) into an 'L' shaped return section, where two submersible return pumps will return the water to the display tank. By using controllable DC pumps, it will be possible to alternate the return flow from one side of the tank to the other, thereby inducing more water movement in the display tank.