Integrated sumps

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OsciTheOscar

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
May 11, 2011
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625
Im pondering what kind of sump i want to build for my next tank.
Been watching all sorts of videos and looking at pics.
Just wondering about these integrated sumps on the side or the back of the tank. How efficient are they? Do they really work as well as a tank with a sump and overflow? Etc.

Pros and cons...

This videos is a bit of an example but not exactly what id like to do.
https://www.google.com/search?q=int...AYmaOBHRFCmTdIehZs_1w==&imgrc=-F60ch3T-rWqSM:
 
I was thinking about doing something more along the lines of this. Gonna use the backside of the tank
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I'm going to use the tank to separate living room/dining room it will be the back eventually lol ..but the acrilic is really easy to bend with some blocks of wood and your oven or a heat gun.
 
Well this would probably go on my 60gal. In about a year or so ill be doing my best to have a 125+gal tank inside a wall inbetween 2 rooms as well. Gonna have a closet to get inside the wall and do the work there.
 
What are the pros and cons of using a sump like that on a tank that size as opposed to say, an appropriately-sized canister filter, for example?
 
What are the pros and cons of using a sump like that on a tank that size as opposed to say, an appropriately-sized canister filter, for example?
Hiding everything! Heaters.air stones. skimmers.ect. it's self contained. You don't need any extra space for the filter or hoses and if you are building it yourself you can save a little money
 
Basically hiding your equipment so you dont see all those hidious tubes and such. Plus if it works the same way as regular sumps, your water level will remain where you want it
 
Im just wondering if having the "sump" inside the tank acts the same as a sump in another tank, under your display tank. As far as efficiency and water level stability
 
I guess my next question might be: How do you clean it after it gets mucked up with detritus and other solid waste material?
 
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So if im 100%...
Water enters the filtration system through an overflow which also skims the surface of the water as well. The water then flows down through your mechanical and biological filter media. Water then flows through the next chamber which contains a heater that temps the water before it re-enters the display. Once the water finally reaches the bottom of the system it then get brought back into the tank by the pump and a small series of hoses. Thus the level of the tank remains where you want it and theres always fresher filtered water being pumped back into the tank.

If im correct, all you'll have to do is occasionally rinse the filter media in tank water and every so often you may have a bit of build up down where the pump is... so you'll eventually clean that.
 
That is exactly like my Nuvo 40 gallon tank.It works great.Just make sure you a get the right size return pump.
 
You might want to just go with a filter sock on one side and the media basket on the other.
 
The ide of a 'skimming filter' built into tanks is common and often reffered to as 'All In One'/AIO.
They are harder to clean and often have a much smaller resevoir demanding top offs or microbubbles will be present. Look at the 'Bio Cube' for a marketed version.
I like sumps with volume. One of mine is in the basement , with tank in living room.Besides a place to hide equipment they are used to gain volume and hold more filtering material .For me it is more mechanicals in separate easy to access areas to help keeping tank clean easily...
 
10 g is nice.
To me filters are adjustable so if u need more bio or mechanical you can change it.
But if you don't have enough water you need to re do /re think things.
I waterbridge my sumps to an extra 29g or 2 for volume...
You should not have too much evap on that footprint. Are you going to use glass lid?

The only other real draw back to the AIO is you are working right on/in the tank every time you service the filter. I am messy!
 
Im OCD, so a sleek and clean look are a must. I think this will work well for me. Just to make sure, i think im going to try it on my daughters 40gal first.
Im going to make some removable baskets to slide the media in and out in one movement. This will make it easier to clean if i need to. Also ill make the gaps wide enough to fit the motor AND my cleaning tools.
 
Something like this?:
img_3410341_0_f7f875b84bca557240f169f742850223.jpg

img_3410341_1_64de9f1b819cb8492359bb46b46224f5.jpg


I replaced the large bioballs with smaller ones and added a heater there.

The only thing I didn't think before setting everything up is to have a hole drilled on the lower back corner to pass the air stone tubing
 
Yea, thats pretty close. You could neatly tuck the tubing to the corner between the rock and the glass and run it under the substrate.

I decided im going to have a bit of fun with my daughters tank. Im going to make dual sandfalls, one in each back corner as well as a background that is themed after the little mermaid. Gonna paint it the rocks and such a blueish color with a bit of a pink sparkle on the "top side" of each rock to sort of mimic the sunset reflecting through the water... then the sand will be a light brown almost white if i can find it. The background will have a section in the middle that sticks out and is hollow, followed with some rock columns sort of like underwater cathedral columns. That room is going to have a little hole in the bottom to swim through and a mound in the middle that has an airline going to it and possible a light if i can pull it off. Thats all i have planned for now. Shes only 2 so she wont get it yet but its fun...
 
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