Kelso
Aquarium Advice Freak
I have a 50 gal reef tank. I have a 12 gal tank that used to be running, but now it just sits in my closet. Can I use it in a grav fed sump? If so how do you set them up? And what do you put in the tank?
Question about sump
- Thread starter Kelso
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Mitchell0605
Aquarium Advice Addict
By; What do you put in the tank? Do you mean what do you put in the sump? If you do then you put your heater etc. in the sump. 
As for the rest, I don't have a sump so go nuts everyone else.
As for the rest, I don't have a sump so go nuts everyone else. CaptainAhab
Thanx but no.....
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Kelso
Aquarium Advice Freak
Man, all seems so difficult. I don't think I got the time or money for all of that stuff. I thought you could just put a smaller tank under your tank, pump the water through and put stuff that cleans the water in that tank ex. skimmers, live bacteria, plants ext. Guess I'm an idiot. Thanks guys.
CaptainAhab
Thanx but no.....
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Nope, it can be that simple. just water in , heater, water out.. or just water in/water out for that matter.. It only needs to be as complicated as you want it to be. You just need to make it big enough to suit your purposes. Baffles are there for a reason but not required.. etc etc....
cmor1701d
Aquarium Advice Addict
Baffles are not that hard to make either, though with that small of a tank I'd skip the baffles and just use for keeping the heaters.
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Kelso
Aquarium Advice Freak
Did your 10 gal have stages, or was it just the tank. If it was just the tank, what was in it? Sorry, also can you tell me a little on how you set it up?
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Kelso
Aquarium Advice Freak
I think Im starting to fighure it out.
bobberwobber
Aquarium Advice Regular
it pretty easy as said, doesnt need to be complicated, or expensive as usually, just move your equipment you have in the main tank, to the sump.
i use a 10gal tank for a sump on my 55gal.
i went to lowes, they sell plexiglass exactly the right size to fit in the tank, if you want to make baffles. i did, mainly for noise and also wanted to put live sand in mine, baffles keep it from getting to the pump. but you could just do away with baffles.
only issue really is a 10gal isnt big enough for a lot of the 'in sump' protein skimmers etc. my protein skimmer, which hangs in the tank, is to tall for the 10gal.
plumbing not as hard as it seems. unless you want fancy. just a feed in and a pump out. either by purchasing a hang on syphon or drilling tank (maybe a little extreme to start) or you can do like me, and build your own syphon system. using just PVC pipe. little complicated but some good designs on the net, granted, the DIY ones do have some cons, such as cant see if syphon breaks, also hard to make them surface skimmers, which is nice to have.
i say go for it. if nothing else, it will increase your total volume, which is always a nice thing.
i use a quietone 2200 pump, but mine is located in the basement so has about 7foot head it has to life the water, you wouldnt need anything that big, if it under the tank. i think im pushing about 350gph, not measured it, but estimating. my syphon only at about half capacity.
pic of mine. but it is still in development stages, i change it bit as it goes. nothing fancy ir complicated. just houses the heater, some mechanicl filtration and a little bit of live sand, although i dont believe that essential, long as you have pplenty of live rock in the main tank. i just dont have enough live rock yet. plan on putting a couple mangrove plants in it, probably remove a baffle then, for space.
i use a 10gal tank for a sump on my 55gal.
i went to lowes, they sell plexiglass exactly the right size to fit in the tank, if you want to make baffles. i did, mainly for noise and also wanted to put live sand in mine, baffles keep it from getting to the pump. but you could just do away with baffles.
only issue really is a 10gal isnt big enough for a lot of the 'in sump' protein skimmers etc. my protein skimmer, which hangs in the tank, is to tall for the 10gal.
plumbing not as hard as it seems. unless you want fancy. just a feed in and a pump out. either by purchasing a hang on syphon or drilling tank (maybe a little extreme to start) or you can do like me, and build your own syphon system. using just PVC pipe. little complicated but some good designs on the net, granted, the DIY ones do have some cons, such as cant see if syphon breaks, also hard to make them surface skimmers, which is nice to have.
i say go for it. if nothing else, it will increase your total volume, which is always a nice thing.
i use a quietone 2200 pump, but mine is located in the basement so has about 7foot head it has to life the water, you wouldnt need anything that big, if it under the tank. i think im pushing about 350gph, not measured it, but estimating. my syphon only at about half capacity.
pic of mine. but it is still in development stages, i change it bit as it goes. nothing fancy ir complicated. just houses the heater, some mechanicl filtration and a little bit of live sand, although i dont believe that essential, long as you have pplenty of live rock in the main tank. i just dont have enough live rock yet. plan on putting a couple mangrove plants in it, probably remove a baffle then, for space.
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Kelso
Aquarium Advice Freak
Thank you, really apretiate the help. I am gonna go for it.
