sump flow through rates

[cilyjr]

lets discuss.
many have said for a long time that a slow flow rate through the sump is better as more dwell time in both skimmer area and a refugium is important. others say that it really only matters that the water is long enough to make sure it is heated properly (for those with all heaters in the sump).

personally i have never really put much thought into the flow through rate of the sump i think it might make for an interesting discussion. i have in the past made efforts to set up benthic zone filtration areas. which require very low flow but had very little success until recently where it seems to have formed accidentally.

how fast or slow do you think a turn over rate should be? what are the reasons?

 

[evan.lundberg4]

I'm a proponent of slow flow through the sump personally. I am running mine around 350 to 400 GPH. My reasoning for this is I'm not using my return for water movement, that's why I have powerheads, it gives more contact time for my skimmer and I'm using a conical settling tank plumbed in before the sump to catch detritus for easy removal. I experimented with different flow rates when I set up the tank and I found that for the settling tank worked best at a low flow and I get very very minimal detritus in my sump which is what I was going for. It means that I merely have to get the detritus into suspension in the display so it goes over the overflow and into the settling tank and then is easily removed. The labor involved in water changes is greatly reduced as it is just draining and refilling the settling tank. As many things in the hobby, this is just a matter of opinion and preference. To be honest I don't think it matters high or low flow as long as your sump isn't stagnant. Again just my opinion. Happy reefing!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[RMc]

Skimmer / heater only: Match the flow through to the skimmer's processing rate
Filter Socks / floss: Probably want as much flow as you can get without backing up - though I'm not sure how many people still use floss / socks
Bioballs etc: High flow to avoid detritus settling - probably not too many people with wet dry setups anymore either
Refugium: Low flow so that detritus settles out / pods aren't disturbed - exactly what Evan said.

 

[cilyjr]

See I wonder how much the flow rate vs skimmer rate really matters. I think any thing faster then the pump rating on the skimmer is good (for pump fed skimmers) so the pump is grabbing water that was not just through it or water that has been in the sump for along time while tank water allows DOCs to build up.Gravity skimmers are another story though.

Only time I put on a filter sock is when I have a lot of particulate matter in the water for whatever reason and that is rare. Though I see slot of threads where people post pics and they have them on there still.

 

[jrmx635]

I've had so many setups and some had a ton of flow and some had low flow.
I never noticed much difference.
when the etss skimmers were the way to go then I think more flow was better but now with the needlewheels I don't think it matters.
the skimmers only process what their pumps process,no more or less.
I personaly prefer to try and at least match the skimmers rate. why not?
anything above that means your wasting energy.
meaning your return pump is bigger than actually needed.
(and you overflows are louder!!)
especially with refugiums being popular now,they are better off with lower flow rates.
back in the day of downdrafts and becketts the sumps where just straight through,no deep sand beds,no refugiums.
slower means more sponges,tubeworms and all the other cool filter feeders can grow in you sump too.