Sump

[cls8s]

This thread isn't so much about building a sump because I've seen tons of those. It's about the benefits to having one. I understand the "fuge" to provide live food for your stock, now the other parts?

[Flake]

Sumps Explained

[Smitty]

Other than what is stated in that article some other advantages are to increase water volume. The more water you have in your tank or system the easier it is to maintain as small things won't have as much effect (IE: crab dies in a 2g tank can kill the tank with the ammonia but would have almost no effect in a 55g tank with a 30g sump because that is a total of 85g of water).

Also it is a great place for algae to grow and thrive so that it isn't in your display tank.

[cls8s]

So do you run a canister filter on it then? Or does the sump act as a filter?

[Nyghtfire]

No the sump acts as a filter.
I've only ever heard of canister filters being bad news in a reef personally.

A sump can really do what you want, filter the water. Provide a place to hide your equipment.
A refuge with a sand bed of 4-6 inches deep some live rock and macro algae is the best filtration for a reef in my opinion.

Basically a sump is normally customized to do what you want.
Personally my sump is just a place to hide equipment off main tank. But I should have gone refuge with it IMO.