Massive sub pumps or cut into return line for skimmer?

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Myka

Steve, baffles don't slow the water down, unless you consider the linear compression as slowing it down. 9000 gph is 9000 gph, the only way to slow that down is to make less flow. Baffles work by forcing the water into a shallow shape...it takes less time for bubbles to rise 1" than to rise 10".

they do slow it down.. in most cases the actual baggle part of your sump will not allow the bubbles to be released, large ones maybe but not the micro bubbles. and I'll explain why with an example of the sump I built for my last tank.

I use 3 chambers the first is where everything is dumpped, so the water hits the first set of baffles. so now I am taking a large boddy of water with low flow, and forcing into a small body with high flow (throught the baffles) then it opens to another large area so we have a high velocity lamaner flow of water dumping into a large area. this auses the velocity of the water to slow right down, and it is here where you should get your bubbles released. I could go into Pressure changes befor, during and after the baffels but as long as we understand that the water does slow down after it leaves the baffels and dumps into a larger area then were good. my third chamber was just for the pump suctions so all my last set of baffles did was maintan the hight of the water in the middle chamber

[Myka]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

I could go into Pressure changes befor, during and after the baffels but as long as we understand that the water does slow down after it leaves the baffels and dumps into a larger area then were good.

I see what you're meaning, but that's not the baffles slowing the water down. That's not really what the thread is about though. Hustler using one tall baffle between the second chamber and the return chamber with the water flowing over that baffle and falling down into the return chamber really makes whatever microbubble elimination program he's got going into a moot point.

I've never had a Beckett skimmer, so I don't know much about them other than they need a lot more flow than Venturi skimmers.

[mike31154]

Seems like you've more or less figured out what you need to do already. You know you've got some oversized equipment, so the logical solution is to get some gear that more closely matches what your system requires. Oversizing is great in some situations, but certainly seems to be causing you more headaches. I assume you chose such a monster skimmer for future requirements of a heavy bioload? That's a great idea, but since your set up is in it's infancy & you currently have a very low bioload, you can't expect it to be pulling that much out, regardless of it's size.

My vote would be to get some smaller pumps, or as you suggest, a much larger sump. Appropiately sized, smaller pumps will have the advantage of saving you some power $$$s.