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Sump 1.0
Look at it... good first try, and functional, but quite a PITA. Wires running everywhere, electrical strip in a vulnerable spot, no lighting under the stand, duck tape holding drain hoses into fittings (and they leak...), makeshift buckets that are impossible to remove without draining the sump and removing it from the stand, inaccessibility to plumbing, maintenance difficulties, etc... Thats just a few of the things I can rattle off, off the top of my head, that needs to be fixed.
And I didn't even mention media. And thats because, I haven't bothered to try to change or rinse it yet. Still have flow through my buckets, and nitrates haven't risen, so no need. In each of my buckets, is a bunch of ployfill, and some pot scrubbies at the bottom, with some cut to fit filter pads on either side of the polyfill to keep it in place. For the above reasons, I already cringe at the thought of rinsing or replacing any of the media...
So, sump 2.0 will have no buckets. That way, I can still use the 55g, and not have to worry about the height. There would be plenty room under there, if it weren't for the buckets. I'll install baffles, and use poret filter foam as my media. Sump 2.0 will also get a plumbing upgrade. I'll install some permanant rigid PVC for the drain/return, and find the proper fittings, so no more duck tape
. I'll install an electrical outlet amd switch box inside the stand above the level of the sump, to clean up all the wires I have running everywhere, and get rid of the dangerous power strip. And finally, I'll install some lighting under the stand to make maintenance a little easier.
Sump 2.0 - conceptual design
This is just a rough idea for the layout of sump 2.0. 2 media chambers at each end to mimic the current configuration of the buckets. Secondary baffles to ensure the poret foam is always submerged, with a little extra water above for any fry which may make it through the plumbing down to the sump. I've penciled in a "low" water level, but it will probably be run with the level in the sump somewhere between the heights of the first and second baffle, to make it quieter. Will be about 30-40 gallons of water in the sump during operation, with a volume of 10-20 gallons left over for back flow during a power outage.
For the foam, I've penciled in 3 layers of poret, getting progressively more dense - 10ppi, 20ppi, then 30ppi. Each layer 4" thick. I don't know if thats necessary. Maybe all 3 layers can be 30ppi. Maybe they each need to be 10ppi with a thin layer of 30ppi at the bottom. Maybe I'll use all 10ppi and put layers of polyfill in between. Its all just a rough idea right now. Each side will have a roughly 1 cubic foot block of foam and other media, which is 2 cubic feet total, or 15 gallons of foam. That should be more than enough submerged media for all the biological and mechanical filtering needs of my tank. To put it another way, its equivalent to the volume of ~4 large canister filters. I've also got enough room so that if I ever wanted to install wet/dry towers above the foam down the line, I could. Don't see the need if ammonia/nitrite always read 0 though.
I'll pause now for comments or criticism. Anything look or sound wrong so far?

Look at it... good first try, and functional, but quite a PITA. Wires running everywhere, electrical strip in a vulnerable spot, no lighting under the stand, duck tape holding drain hoses into fittings (and they leak...), makeshift buckets that are impossible to remove without draining the sump and removing it from the stand, inaccessibility to plumbing, maintenance difficulties, etc... Thats just a few of the things I can rattle off, off the top of my head, that needs to be fixed.
And I didn't even mention media. And thats because, I haven't bothered to try to change or rinse it yet. Still have flow through my buckets, and nitrates haven't risen, so no need. In each of my buckets, is a bunch of ployfill, and some pot scrubbies at the bottom, with some cut to fit filter pads on either side of the polyfill to keep it in place. For the above reasons, I already cringe at the thought of rinsing or replacing any of the media...
So, sump 2.0 will have no buckets. That way, I can still use the 55g, and not have to worry about the height. There would be plenty room under there, if it weren't for the buckets. I'll install baffles, and use poret filter foam as my media. Sump 2.0 will also get a plumbing upgrade. I'll install some permanant rigid PVC for the drain/return, and find the proper fittings, so no more duck tape
Sump 2.0 - conceptual design

This is just a rough idea for the layout of sump 2.0. 2 media chambers at each end to mimic the current configuration of the buckets. Secondary baffles to ensure the poret foam is always submerged, with a little extra water above for any fry which may make it through the plumbing down to the sump. I've penciled in a "low" water level, but it will probably be run with the level in the sump somewhere between the heights of the first and second baffle, to make it quieter. Will be about 30-40 gallons of water in the sump during operation, with a volume of 10-20 gallons left over for back flow during a power outage.
For the foam, I've penciled in 3 layers of poret, getting progressively more dense - 10ppi, 20ppi, then 30ppi. Each layer 4" thick. I don't know if thats necessary. Maybe all 3 layers can be 30ppi. Maybe they each need to be 10ppi with a thin layer of 30ppi at the bottom. Maybe I'll use all 10ppi and put layers of polyfill in between. Its all just a rough idea right now. Each side will have a roughly 1 cubic foot block of foam and other media, which is 2 cubic feet total, or 15 gallons of foam. That should be more than enough submerged media for all the biological and mechanical filtering needs of my tank. To put it another way, its equivalent to the volume of ~4 large canister filters. I've also got enough room so that if I ever wanted to install wet/dry towers above the foam down the line, I could. Don't see the need if ammonia/nitrite always read 0 though.
I'll pause now for comments or criticism. Anything look or sound wrong so far?