Sump in a 75 gal cichlid tank???

[Gordinho80]

I am lookin into acquiring a 75 gal tank shortly and have read about sumps being used...i have a couple of questions if you all don't mind..I was going to use a 10 gal for the sump if i decide to go ahead with it...

1) what is the main purpose of a sump?
2) does the main tank have to be drilled in order to have a sump?
3) besides the 2 tanks, what else would i need in order to set up a DIY Sump?

Thanks much...Mario

PS. Filtration for this tank will be either 2 Fluval 404 Canisters or 1 Fluval 404 and an Aqua Clear 500 HOB - Which would be better???

 

[fishfreek]

10 gal is to small for a 75 gal tank. By the time you factor in the space to allow for backflow in the event of power outage you probaby wont be able to run more than 2 gal of water in the sump and this will end up causing the pump to pull in air if not constantly adding water to replace evaporated. A better size for a sump would be a 20 gal tall. This would permit you to run the sump with 8-10 gal of water as well as provide capacity for another 10 gal of water in the event of a power shortage.

1) Sumps Explained

2) No the tank does not have to be drilled (aka ReefReady). You can purchase hang on overflows from many online venders. I perfer U tube overflows over the C shell style.

3) You would need plumbing from the overflow to the sump and plumbing from the pump back to the tank. Preferablly the pump should be isolate with a true union fitting so you can remove the pump from the plumbing in the event of a pump failure or service. Above the true union you should put a ball valve so you can close off the water before disconnecting the true union. Above this ball valve you might want a one way gate vlave. This is not required but just something some people like to have . This prevents water from flowing back into the sump but permits water to flow from the pump.

 

[Gordinho80]

wow...thanks freek...that just about takes care of it...i appreciate your help