Sumps

[chris stevens]

My 55 gallon has no sump, and I've been considering adding one on. First of all, how important is a sump? Is an overflow box really neccesary? couldn't I just pump the water out of the aquarium and into the sump with a hose connected to a powerhead, and then use a more powerful powerhead to pump the return line to account for gravity? or would I end up overflowing my sump doing this? how large of a sump should i have for a 55g?

 

[Reese]

or would I end up overflowing my sump doing this?

Yes. If you have a return pump and it fails, only so much water will fill up your sump. You can test to see how high to fill your sump in the case of a power failure.

You have two pumps and one fails and you have a flood. One outperforms the other and you have a flood. Overflow boxes aren't as good as having a drilled tank. But they're not accidents waiting to happen either. I've never lost a siphon.

Sumps are great because they increase the amount of water in your system so the bigger the better. The biggest you can fit would be ideal. Plus you can hide your heaters, protein skimmer, etc. in your sump.

 

[chris stevens]

i've got an acrylic tank - would it be easier for me to drill it and install plumbing, or will I be fine with an overflow box?

 

[Brenden]

Do a external DIY overflow molded to your tank. No siphon issues with overflow benefits.