Sump help

[techo]

Hey everyone I'm still new to the hobby but I see a lot of talk about sump tanks.

I was just curious if anyone could point me in the right direction on their benefits, disadvantages, prices, size necessary for undrilled 55, etc

And one very general question, how exactly do they work?

 

[LogansMomma]

I'm gunna subscribe to this because I am kinda looking for some answers too.

 

[Qube]

Not completely sure on fresh water, as I have saltwater systems, but I assume it will be basically the same. They are mainly used for two key benefits. The first being additional water volume for the system which helps to dilute any nutrient build up and slows down any parameter swings. Second being a place to house aquarium equipment that would normally be in the display tank i.e. heaters, mechanical filtration such as carbon. There 2 main ways to do it, you could by a manufactured sump, or just get a small aquarium and make your own. In order to install a sump on a non-drilled system, you would have to purchase an overflow box that hangs on the back of the tank, plumb it down to the sump, and finally place a return pump in the sump to get the water back up to the display.

As I never used one when I had freshwater aquariums, I'm not entirely sure if there are any added benefits or disadvantages to this application.

 

[techo]

Good summary! Because I may go saltwater sometime what benefits or disadvantages do you see in SW

 

[Qube]

Definitely the added water volume will be a plus. I'm cycling my first "sump" setup as we speak, so it will be a luxury I didn't have in my nano cube. With the added water volume, it dilutes the nutrient content in the water and lessens the drastic swings in water parameters that can really hinder reef setups. Well, that and it gets all the equipment under the display so I can have a clean look.

 

[Mrc8858]

also when running a sump (FW or SW) you can add a chamber as a refugium for plants which will reduce phosphates and nitrates meaning cleaner water and can go longer between water changes

 

[mohican]

Check out the saltwater section on this forum. Sumps require tweaking making sure the intake GPH matches the return GPH otherwise u may have a wet floor. Sumps are, in most opinions, the best filters in aquarium trade due to the unlimited options. They can be $$ due to the different equipment required (overflow, sump, return pump, media).