NEED HELP ( sump Question )

[Kingcichlid87]

Im makeing a breeding setup in my spare room and sofar i have 3 x 36inch x 15inch x 15inch aquariums .

but i dont know too much about sumps as i never made one before .. ijust need a simple set-up that works...

so any diagrammes or help of any kind would be a great help.

would 2 compartments be ok ? one for the media and the other for the return pump and heater / heaters.

would i need a ball valve ? or would just the pipework be ok as it is ?

help please . im ready to go i just have to sort the sump out and i already have all the pvc pipe ..

 

[Mrc8858]

Is this for fresh water or saltwater?

 

[Kingcichlid87]

its for a tropical fish ..

 

[fort384]

2 compartments would work, but I would recommend a bubble trap between them so you don't end up with a bunch of bubbles in your DT.

You will want to put a ball valve on the return so you can restrict the flow a bit because you will want your pump sized slightly larger than you need (because they are all underrated and as they wear in they also pump less unless cleaned constantly).

Is the DT drilled or do you plan to use a HOB overflow?

 

[Kingcichlid87]

thanks for reply fort . i havnt done anything to the tanks at the moment . i havnt decided what would be the best idea . im kinda waiting for more info from more experianced aquarists in this department .. what would you suggest ??

 

[fort384]

Honestly, unless you are just looking for a project, you could get good results a lot easier by just investing in a good canister filter.

If you want to go with a sump, it will definitely work. I just don't see a big advantage over a decent canister.

The place to start though if you go with a sump is how you get the water from the display tank to the sump. If the tank isn't drilled, and you don't want to drill it, you will need to invest in a good HOB overflow - and they aren't cheap.

You can use acrylic sheets from home depot in a glass tank to compartmentalize it. If you want 2 compartments, I would recommend 3 sheets so you can make a bubble trap, as I mentioned before.

You could also consider a freshwater refugium of sorts and grow some fast growing plants with high nutrient uptake, like hornwort, to remove some nitrates from the water.

You could use biomedia and filter bags in the first compartment for bio filtration, and use a filter sock on the end of the sump drain for some mechanical filtration. You can also run bags of purigen in the sump pretty easily. And it would be good to put your heater in the sump to keep it out of the DT.

 

[Kingcichlid87]

ok thanks alot for the info .. how would i run all 3 tanks on 1 canister filter .. i have no idea about this as i never done it before ..

 

[fort384]

ohhh you are wanting to run all 3 tanks with 1 sump? That becomes much, much more complicated.

Honestly, I am not even sure how you would be able to do that unless you setup separate drains and returns for each tank. Do you have the sump tank already as well? What size is it?

 

[Kingcichlid87]

yeah i want to have 1 system .. i have a 30inch x 12inch x 12inch sump .. is that big enough . i can drill the holes in the aquarium thats not the problem its just the pipework and working out what size return pump ill need aswell .. unless i run them all on sponge filters but then ill need a heater for every tank

 

[CorallineAlgae]

The easiest and by far cheapest way to have one sump for 3 tanks is to drill the tanks. I've setup about 10 systems that each had 3 tanks connected to one sump so I can assure you... it isn't hard at all.

You'll have to separately look up how to drill and make a DIY overflow system for each tank. It isn't hard and there are loads of online guides that'll run you through each step with detailed photos.

Setting up the sump is even easier. Follow Fort's expert advice on that. He's right on. You'll want a single pump split off into three separate return lines each with it's own ball valve to equalize flow. I used Ocean Runners on all of my multi-tank systems but any powerful pump that doesn't produce heat under high back pressure would be fine. I used external Dolphin pumps on larger systems to curtail heat but they aren't as quiet as the Ocean Runners.

Believe me, it's all easily done and works beautifully once setup. The only reason not to have multi-tank to single sump systems would be if you had to buy overflows. That'd be insanely expensive. If you can drill out your tanks and make DIY internal overflows everything else is a cake walk. I never tried to make an overflow without a table router but if you or a friend don't have one it would likely still be cheaper to buy one than have to buy 3 overflows. Besides, if you have a router and table you can do lots of projects.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

yeah i want to have 1 system .. i have a 30inch x 12inch x 12inch sump .. is that big enough . i can drill the holes in the aquarium thats not the problem its just the pipework and working out what size return pump ill need aswell .. unless i run them all on sponge filters but then ill need a heater for every tank

The only problem would be the height. 12" just isn't as tall as you want it. The reason is you'll need enough water height to make sure the pump can never run dry when water evaporates during a long weekend away, but you also need enough empty space to make certain that anytime the power goes out or you shut off the pump for any reason, the sump would't overflow. I'd recommend an 18-20" minimum for the sump. That would cover both issues, pump safety and drainage space. Does that make sense? I can explain more if you aren't clear on some things. It may seem complicated but if you tackle one thing at a time you'll find it's all more or less simple plumbing. I always found HOB overflows to be the most problematic part of any plumbing setup and you won't even have to worry about that.

 

[fort384]

Lol wouldn't call mine expert when it has to do with sumps. Thanks for chiming in - glad to know it isn't as hard as I was making it in my head. I was thinking you would have to have some kind of manifold to equalize flow if you only has 1 pump.

 

[CorallineAlgae]

Actually, the flow doesn't have to be equal to each tank. If one tank is dedicated to mushrooms or LPSs it'll be fine if it has less flow than another with SPSs. As long as the pump is on, each of the three thank will only drain as much as the water is pumped into them individually. Ball or gate valves are all you need besides 45s or 90s to make the bends (unless OP decides to use nylon hose).