Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

the only reason i can think of putting in a sump is if you cant get your growbeds higher than the tank for whatever reason

like me (no funds )
Cheers
pete

I like having a "clean water sump" for systems where I want to pump to NFT pipes or raft beds. And there is some benefit to having a constant height in fish tank if you want to be able to run really heavy fish loads but it does cost more to have an extra tank.

Each situation will be different so unless your buying a nice pretty kit, you can do all sorts of different things to custom design a system to meet your personal desires and situation/space etc.

And if you don't want to spend all that time figuring out what your desires and situation need designed, there is a lot to be said for buying a tried and true kit.

Another purpose for a sump is to collect the solids. (Having the GB drain into the pond and siphon the pond into the sump) I have no sump and my pump will get clogged if I stock my pond heavily. The pump I have is 27watts and ~243GPH at 4ft but it can’t pass solids. I picked it because running 24/7 I wanted something that was low power. I could have used a better pump but then I would need a timer to turn it on and off because of the high electric use.

I so next spring I will put in a sump or a new pump with a timer if I plan on growing a lot of fish.

A sump is generally the Lowest point in a system meant to collect water for a pump to return the water to where it needs to go. I don't think I would want to risk siphoning my fish tank into a sump tank since that could result in the water level in the fish tank dropping dangerously low and if the pump is pumping from the sump tank, then siphoning the solids into the sump tank doesn't necessarily protect the pump from the solids.

If you want a "clean water sump" to protect your pump from solids, I would recommend the CHIFT PIST design where the fish tank overflows to the grow beds which drain to the sump tank and the pump lifts water back to the fish tank and the solids are all collected in the grow beds. This has worked very well for me as long as I have a good cover over the sump tank to protect it from falling debris like leaves, sticks, mulch etc that would also clog a pump.

I didn't think about it enough but I’m guessing it is not a sump but a settling tank that I was think about for a modification to my system. Because it’s so big and I can’t move it I’m stuck with either buying a bigger pump that can move solids or put in a settling tank.

There you go, that makes it a bit clearer.

However, you will have to plumb through the sides of the fish tank and settling tank in order to move the water from one to the other since the way you have drawn it, water and solids won't make the trip but will instead overflow out the top of the tank.

fixed picture

Very good

what time frames should the pump be on / off for on a 200 lt system?

A Chift Pist system is usually pumped continuously...

Ummm , why. My new system is Chift Pist and timed flood and drain

Mine also... chift pist and timed..... just another variation of a theme... as long as it works...

Not saying it can't be... just saying that the original, and usual design is to pump continuously...

what times do you have it on / off

mines 15 on 15 off, so that my syphons have time to stop completely ..

though if i had the time and expertice i would make a set of timers that would allow me to set both the off and the on times i estimate that 10 mins on and 12-14 mins off would get me a few more cycles in a day

Cheers
pete