sump?

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OBEYtheFISH

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Would be a good idea to make a sump for my 180?
& use it as a grow out tank & just to maintain my tanks water clearer & healthier
 
Yeah I want to grow plants as well
Have smaller fish in there or fry
Some added filtration too
 
What kind of filtration do you currently own for the 180g?

I want to setup a sump for my 120g, but there are concerns about water spilling if the electricity turns off. Since your tank is not drilled (my assumption), then you have to get an overflow box. Or you can just tear down your tank and go drill it. The overflow box will continue to drain water from your tank to your sump (via siphoning tubes), but your water pump will not get the water back to your bank (due to the electricity being off). I think there are ways to counter this, but I have not researched that part yet.

Some of the sumps with bioballs do not get spills though because the water level for the sumps are lower for these wet/dry filters. A refugium with plants are definitely possible and have been done.

For my 120g, I wanted to get 2 Fluval FX5 canister filters with an Aquafuge (hob refugium) so that I don't have take care of the plant maintenance in a remote area instead of a large 120g. Currently (before my sump/refugium idea), I have 2 Aquaclear 110s with Korolia circulation pumps. HOB filters does not help CO2 system. Low light plants are do-able though.

I can definitely see a planted sump/refugium easier to care for plants.
 
As for cutting off the siphon in the case of a power outtage, reading up on marine sumps, they recommend drilling a hole in the hose to the overflow at a point where once the water drops to a certain level, the siphon will break, and then ensuring your sump has enough extra room for the water it would take to get that low.
 
As for cutting off the siphon in the case of a power outtage, reading up on marine sumps, they recommend drilling a hole in the hose to the overflow at a point where once the water drops to a certain level, the siphon will break, and then ensuring your sump has enough extra room for the water it would take to get that low.

Good idea, but what if the power cuts off while you're at work and you break your siphon, and then the power comes back on again..... the sump return pump will then overfill your tank with no return to the sump. This is why I will never run a siphon.

I know it's a PITA, but drilled is best. What goes in comes out, and that's it..... you don't have to worry about overflow at either end.
 
There is that. I haven't looked too seriously into it, just browsed a few articles. I seem to recall reading somewhere that there's supposed to be some way of setting it up that it will equalize while holding the siphon so that when the power comes back on it starts right back up as normal, but I could be wrong. Hmm...wonder if there's a way to set up the pump so that it needs a manual switch to turn on in case of power outage, in the event you want to set up a sump and can't drill.
 
Terrance said:
What kind of filtration do you currently own for the 180g?

I want to setup a sump for my 120g, but there are concerns about water spilling if the electricity turns off. Since your tank is not drilled (my assumption), then you have to get an overflow box. Or you can just tear down your tank and go drill it. The overflow box will continue to drain water from your tank to your sump (via siphoning tubes), but your water pump will not get the water back to your bank (due to the electricity being off). I think there are ways to counter this, but I have not researched that part yet.

Some of the sumps with bioballs do not get spills though because the water level for the sumps are lower for these wet/dry filters. A refugium with plants are definitely possible and have been done.

For my 120g, I wanted to get 2 Fluval FX5 canister filters with an Aquafuge (hob refugium) so that I don't have take care of the plant maintenance in a remote area instead of a large 120g. Currently (before my sump/refugium idea), I have 2 Aquaclear 110s with Korolia circulation pumps. HOB filters does not help CO2 system. Low light plants are do-able though.

I can definitely see a planted sump/refugium easier to care for plants.

My 180 is actually drilled
But idk bow to go about the pipe work
 
There is that. I haven't looked too seriously into it, just browsed a few articles. I seem to recall reading somewhere that there's supposed to be some way of setting it up that it will equalize while holding the siphon so that when the power comes back on it starts right back up as normal, but I could be wrong. Hmm...wonder if there's a way to set up the pump so that it needs a manual switch to turn on in case of power outage, in the event you want to set up a sump and can't drill.

Suppose you could put a shut-off float valve at the end of the return line in the sump, where if the pump cuts off and the water gets to a certain height in the sump it would shut off flow and maintain water in the return line. When the pump comes back on and water begins to drop in the sump, it would re-open the valve and allow the siphon to continue..... but that's way too much to go wrong in my book. I prefer simple physics.
 
My 180 is actually drilled
But idk bow to go about the pipe work

I have not researched about pipework yet. I need to look into my options when I try to setup a large SW at the end of this year. Will you do a DIY refugium or pre-built (such as Aqueon Proflex or Eshopps refugium)?

If you're just doing this for good filtration, then you can just add any fast-growing plants inside the sump/refugium (preferably one that floats so that you don't have to add CO2 into the tank). The fast-growing plant will absorb a lot of waste. Then you can breed fish if you have a monster in your display tank.

Or you can make a really nice planted refugium and CO2 injection for high light plants. Or you can make add plants to your display tank and refugium for a complete cycle of CO2/O2 exchange between display tank to refugium.
 
Terrance said:
I have not researched about pipework yet. I need to look into my options when I try to setup a large SW at the end of this year. Will you do a DIY refugium or pre-built (such as Aqueon Proflex or Eshopps refugium)?

If you're just doing this for good filtration, then you can just add any fast-growing plants inside the sump/refugium (preferably one that floats so that you don't have to add CO2 into the tank). The fast-growing plant will absorb a lot of waste. Then you can breed fish if you have a monster in your display tank.

Or you can make a really nice planted refugium and CO2 injection for high light plants. Or you can make add plants to your display tank and refugium for a complete cycle of CO2/O2 exchange between display tank to refugium.

Extra filtration with fast growing plants
& also a growout tank to add to display tank
 
The link makes me register.

FW can be customized as much as SW refugiums. If I wanted to make a refugium, I would implement a wet/dry filter, water lettuce, and 3" deep sand bed (if flow is not too strong) while keeping fry inside of it.
 
So.. does this mean you're hooking up a wet/dry system and a refugium to your tank?
 
Terrance said:
So.. does this mean you're hooking up a wet/dry system and a refugium to your tank?

I got the wet/dry from a friend for free & was thinking I could possibly use it or things from it for the refugium
 
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