Sump Clearance

[Bschowa]

im not yet ready to take the plunge into saltwater as im not allowed to have it in my apartment but i am getting things together.

my question is how much clearance would i need in between the sump and the bottom of my tank? i am building a stand for my upcoming 75 gallon cichlid build, i plan on going with a 75 gallon tank with a 55 gallon sump which i will make out of the spare tank i have laying around. i dont want to have to re build a new stand for when i move and switch over into saltwater.

as i will not need a skimmer in my sump for freshwater i am not sure how much space i need so far i have a planned 8 inches from the top of the sump to the bottom of the Display tank. is this enough to fit a skimmer? i have never actually seen one up close so i guess i would like to get a general number of what you guys have in your sump to prevent myself from a future headache?

thanks for reading.

 

[scottayy]

skimmers are pretty tall. it all depends on what skimmer you're going to get though.

a standard 55 is like what.. 19 inches tall? so with 8 inches of clearances above that i think you would be good

but, you should look into the skimmer you'd want to get and see it's spec sheet

Or you could always put a hang on back skimmer on your sump

 

[spoonman]

I think you could go 40 inches for a stand. That would give you more room underneath and will be more at eye level for viewing. JMO

 

[Bschowa]

how does a skimmer fit in the sump? does it sit on the bottom or do you elevate it? the 55 is 21 inches

 

[AquaRick]

An in-sump skimmer sits on the bottom. It only needs to be elevated if you have a deep sump\sompartment where the skimmer is sitting. In-sump skimmers do well in 8-10 inches of water.