How can I "add a side sump" ?

[mound]

I currently use a Tidepool2 BioWheel sump system:
http://www.marineland.com/products/consumer/con_tidepool.asp

I'm wondering how I could best increase my sump size while still utilizing this system? Maybe get a Rubbermaid bucket, and somehow cut out the bottom of the Tidepool and somehow cement it on to make it deeper? How could I link it side by side to another big bucket? Anybody got any clever ideas?

 

[reefrunner69]

If you can drill the sides...you can link them together with some bulkheads and some PCV pipe. Beware though, if the sides are not flat, it can be a pain to get them to seal.

 

[mound]

would the 2nd sump have to be lower than the first or would they both fill up to the same level? the side is flat, a bulkhead would work. I was hoping to make it deeper than wider.

 

[reefrunner69]

They would both fill up to the same level. Wider is better than taller, there is more surface area.

 

[mound]

how deep is a good depth for a sump? I'm thinking - people talk about "if the sump is big enough to hold the amount of water you'd change during a normal water change, you can do water changes from the sump, rather than disturbing the tank".. well I have a 125g tank, figure 110 g after all the substrate and rocks, 15% weekly = ~16-20g.. to have a sump that holds 20G, wider than deep, it'd have to be pretty big, vs. say, a 20G fishtank acting as a sump.. right now in my Tidepool the water level in the sump is only a couple inches deep - and sometimes depending on "turbulance" I get air sucked up into the pump..

 

[nugrad2005]

I'm no engineer, but i can't imagine that if your pump starts sucking air is good for it. Most pumps aren't rated for running dry and the ones that are can't do it for more than a couple minutes before they start burning out. If its run by magnetics or magnetic fields no water means its going to just be metal on metal without the water buffer. Oil pumps can handle it a little longer because the oil is lubricating. I would make sure you do regular maintainence to your pump if this is the case.

As far as your sump goes. I know my sump isn't very accessible when it comes to water changes. If yours is in a place where you can reach it easily and can get a cyphon and such in there, then i would say definitely make it big enough that you can do a water change. That is a really good idea. I would basically make it as big as you can without it getting in the way. You don't want to have it be so big you need to rearrange your hoses or anything like that.

-Dan

 

[Zuppie2000]

I use a tiedpool2 as well what I have been doing is a smaller pump filling a 20 gal tank then my big pump filling the tank make sure you put a one way valve on your fill line to stop the syphon

 

[loganj]

Have you thought about, instead of increasing sump capacity, just adding a refugium? If not, I think the rubbermaid tub would work fine to increase capacity.

 

[mound]

that brings up another question I've had, but always forget to add - what exaclty is a refugium?

 

[Jack]

Just buy a hang-on overflow and hang on the side of your tank. Water will overflow into the sump. Use a pump to pump water back through a return. Pretty simple.

 

[Zuppie2000]

Refugium ........An area that has escaped ecological changes occurring elsewhere and so provides a suitable habitat for relict species...........Refugium

 

[reefrunner69]

To add a little to what Zuppie2000 said, a refugium is a place seperated from the main tank that provides refuge for pods and worms and other critters. It is also a place to cultivate macro algae for nutrient removal.

 

[Jack]

In a reef tank, it is best to not make your sump a refugium. 'Pods and such will often be destroyed in the trip to the main tank via the main pump. Small snails, bristle worms and such would almost definitely be destroyed. It is best to have a refugium that spills into the main tank.

In a FW tank, I'm not exactly sure what you would use a refugium for, other than plants. I can see that if you had fish that would eat or destroy plants, you could keep plants in the refugium and still receive the benefits. In this case, you could definitely create a refugium in your sump.