A Sump Question

[Shanec]

Im kinda new to this so dont laugh too much.....
My question is. I am seeing alot of people on here, and other sites, with a sump pump. What are they for and do I need one. I have a 55g with a few guppies, just added a white mollie and a black mollie and a plecostomous. I also have in a seperate 10g, baby fry. So, do I need a sump, if so, HOW....

thanks

 

[BigJim]

Think of a sump as a giant customizable filter. Sumps also increase your overall water volume, making the system more stable. Another nice feature is the sump keeps the water level in the display tank constant.

You don't need a sump. There are plenty of filters available that will do a fine job on a 55g.

 

[Mudfrog]

What BigJim said. Wet Dry filters are "primarily" used on very large tanks, 125g+. They are very efficient in handling large bioloads caused by large messy fish.

Other cool features are you can hide your equipment (heaters, etc) in them instead of in the primary tank.

 

[Shanec]

thankyou both for your information.

 

[mgamer20o0]

many not need one but they are nice and very under rated on the fw side of the hobby. only time where a sump is a bad idea is when you are doing a planted tank and adding co2. i know people who have set up sumps for 20 gallon tanks. the only problem with sumps is its more diy and many people just like to buy something and be done.

 

[Shanec]

and IF I were to get one, I too would want one without the "some assembly required" tag attached to it. But I am the kind of guy who starts with something Basic then as I learn more about it, I advance up the ladder to more advance toys...lol