Sump

[Kasakato]

Befor I start I would like to say that I am really new to this whole sump thing. I have 1 20g and 1 5.5g tanks. Soon I will be getting another 20g. I have 2 heaters and 2 filters. Can I put the heater(s) and filters on the 5.5g and than use it as a sump? If so how do I connect all the pumps from the 2 tanks to the sump?

 

[MarkLehr]

In theory, yes you can. I wouldn't suggest doing so on a small setup, because you are going to spend way more money than necessary to filter these tanks. The primary cost occurs with the purchase of a surface skimmer to regulate the water level in each of the 20 gallon tanks.

For some reason having a sump has become some kind of "status symbol" in the aquarium hobby. You will talk to people with sumps and they think that they are for some reason more of an advanced hobbyist than you are, simply becuase they use a sump filter.

You would be hard pressed to convince me that there is ever a necessity for a sump unless you are filtering a 220 gallon or larger freshwater aquarium. Just use Pengiun BioWheels on each setup and save yourself a lot of setup time & money.

 

[jsoong]

I won't call a sump a status symbol ... but I would say a sump is a great way to filter a big tank. I have a 30 gal sump on an 70 gal tank, that means I have 100 gal of water in the system & can afford to put in more fishies!

Plus, a sump is not that expensive if you go the DIY route. My whole setup cost less than the canister it is replacing.

I won't add a 5 gal sump to a 20 gal system, however. That is not cost effective even with a DIY setup .... by the time you buy everything, you can buy a 30 gal for less! Now ... if you want to have a couple of 55's & want to use the 20 as a sump ... that might be worth while.

If you are interested, this series of articles explains nicely all the basics of sumps:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-01/gt/index.htm
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/gt/index.htm
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/gt/index.htm

 

[Kasakato]

Now I can see that this is not that easy Would it be better to have 2 20g tanks running off 1 5.5g sump?

 

[loganj]

The biggest problem I see with this is the small capacity of the sump. Your sump needs to contain enough water so that it doesn't run out due to evaporation. You'd be surprised how much water will evap from a sump system. On the other hand, your sump has to have enough capacity to contain the water that will drain down from the tanks if the pump fails or the power goes out. If I were you, I'd probably go with the HOB filters for these tanks. I think it would be simpler and cause you less worry.

 

[Kasakato]

I guess I will stick with my HOB filter than!