68 Gallon Rimless Reef Build

[intarsiabox]

Originally Posted by zhasan

What I don't know about is how much water will actually be in the return area constantly when the system is running... is there a way for me to figure that out before setting everything up?

If you are using your ATO then the level in the return section should remain pretty constant as this is the only chamber that fluctuates due to evap. (your ATO water will also go into the return chamber).The level will be what ever you set it at by filling the tank with water until it is all filled to your liking.

Assuming your sump tank is 12" and your baffles remain at 10" high you will have about 6 1/2 to 7 gallons of room for your display water to drain into the sump before it over flows.

To calculate how much water will flow from the DT to the sump when the return pump is off measure from the top of the water column down to where the siphon break would be to get your height measuremnet in inches. Now measure the length and width of the tank in inches. L x W x H to get volume in cubic inches and then divide this number by 231 to get gallons.