bogart
Aquarium Advice Regular
How common are sumps in fresh water?
I had a sump with my salt water setup and there were significant advantages. Not sure the same is true for fresh water, but I have an open mind.
I think the majority of freshwater keepers won't bother with a sump. I like the idea but I'm not a DIY person and I like to balance ease with performance. One of the main advantages with a sump is that you can put your heater in it so the tank looks less cluttered since there is no filter also. You can customise them to how you want them.
Much more need in a saltwater system as you know. Refugium section. Protein skimmers etc. better water quality options basically.
I just use a canister filter.
That not totally true you right that someone with a 10g tank wouldn't bother
It all depends on the size of the tank and the fish you keep
I for one would need 30 x fx5 to run my tank which would take for ever to maintain not to mention I could set my sump up for the price of 2 x fx5
You also get the chance to get all the ugly stuff out of the tAnk like filter pipes and heater
Also if you get ph crashes you can put coral chips or peat in the sump to buff the gh and kh
Sump is the way to go on FW or SW it's not just for SW and never has been
Most people that keep freshwater fish won't even know what a sump is.
I agree they would be much better for water quality that's not in dispute.
I just feel that for what it's worth, the majority of freshwater keepers will use a perfectly adequate HOB or canister.
Small tank keepers may not know what a sump is but most people will a tank above 180 will probably be using one
It's not just small tank fish keepers out there look around on you tube
I believe they have a place in fw, specialized media seems to be the growing trend these days.. With a sump the possibilities are limitless, also the buffering capabilities are huge. You can only stuff so much if any one thing in a hob or canister. I believe the main limiting factor in the widespread use if sumps is the demand for DIY labor.. If you could go to petsmart and buy a sump ready setup than it'd be a different story..