No room for sump
- Thread starter Doogle
- Start date
florida reef
Member
I understand you don't have room for a sump, but have you considered any hang on the back skimmers? There are some pretty awesome HOB skimmers out there that will be WAY more efficient than a small amount of bio filtration.
Built347
Has been struck by the ban stick
A canister filter will work.. its just like having a miniature lightless sump... but the key there is miniature... your biggest benefit from a sump is extra water volume to help stabilize the system.. any variation on hob filters or canister filters will work.. the only downfall with substandard filtration is that you will pay for it with extra waterchanges.. it will be harder to keep your water in check.. and as already mentioned a Skimmer will be a must for you if you go light on filtration..
....pingpong anyone?....
....pingpong anyone?....
It's quite possible to use a canister filter. Like anything else, there are good and bad points to them.
The good -
Easy to set up, and if you do it right, easy to maitain.
Comparativly low cost.
The bad -
They must be cleaned often. I recommend weekly when used in a SW system. If you don't, they tend to become big dirt traps, and "nitrate factories". In this case, they also consume a lot of oxygen from the water.
Other thoughts -
Put your like rock in the tank. In a SW system with live rock, do not use any bio-media in the canister filter, for the reasons mentioned above. You do want to use a mechanical filter media and optionally various chemical media such as carbon.
No matter ho big the filtration system is, you'll almost always want additional flow in the system.
There also also many systems that don't even bother with a canister filter, and just use a skimmer. My personal preference would be to use both. The big reason is that filters and skimmers break down, and you don't want to have your reef crash from lack of filtration. With both, it's a lot less likely to have an issue.
The good -
Easy to set up, and if you do it right, easy to maitain.
Comparativly low cost.
The bad -
They must be cleaned often. I recommend weekly when used in a SW system. If you don't, they tend to become big dirt traps, and "nitrate factories". In this case, they also consume a lot of oxygen from the water.
Other thoughts -
Put your like rock in the tank. In a SW system with live rock, do not use any bio-media in the canister filter, for the reasons mentioned above. You do want to use a mechanical filter media and optionally various chemical media such as carbon.
No matter ho big the filtration system is, you'll almost always want additional flow in the system.
There also also many systems that don't even bother with a canister filter, and just use a skimmer. My personal preference would be to use both. The big reason is that filters and skimmers break down, and you don't want to have your reef crash from lack of filtration. With both, it's a lot less likely to have an issue.
Built347
Has been struck by the ban stick
Hob fuges and sumps are pretty neat.. usually big money tho.. for that kind of money you could probably find a way to implement a sump somewhere...
What exactly is the situation?.
There is a lot of cool tech that can improve conditions with the absence of a sump but I can't think of anything that replaces it...
Is your stand too small to fit one?
Is there any option of putting a small cabinet next to the tank where you could hide a sump?
Maybe in the room behind the tank?
We could talk all day about expensive equipment that will help but nothing outweighs the benefits of a sump... clean dt with no heaters or hob equipment. Extra water volume. Natural filtration.etc..
I had this same issue of no room for a sump and researched possible alternatives for months.. I ended up putting the sump below the tank in my basement..
Not that you would need to do that but I'm sure we can find a way..
What exactly is the situation?.
There is a lot of cool tech that can improve conditions with the absence of a sump but I can't think of anything that replaces it...
Is your stand too small to fit one?
Is there any option of putting a small cabinet next to the tank where you could hide a sump?
Maybe in the room behind the tank?
We could talk all day about expensive equipment that will help but nothing outweighs the benefits of a sump... clean dt with no heaters or hob equipment. Extra water volume. Natural filtration.etc..
I had this same issue of no room for a sump and researched possible alternatives for months.. I ended up putting the sump below the tank in my basement..
Not that you would need to do that but I'm sure we can find a way..
Doogle
Well-Known Member
Ya I want it all clean but a 10g at most could fit in stand. It's tough for me cuz I want to do it but money is tight I would want the tank drilled money for pumps etc. I guess I'd rather use live rock a canister full of rubble and my power heads . Then my big investment would be a good skimmer pretty much. The bakpak skimmers don't look to ugly. I haven't fully researched them yet but I do want to keep it small and as simple as I can.
Built347
Has been struck by the ban stick
I would go with sump and pumps before you get a Skimmer.. it is a more solid start IMO.. I do think a Skimmer is a good idea long term but lots of people manage without them.. read this build thread... I built this sump out of a 10. http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75723
....pingpong anyone?....
....pingpong anyone?....
In my opinion, hang on refugiums are generally too small to be very effective. Save your money. I did try a large one on my reef once, and found that it caused more problems than it solved. That was before the hangers broke on it, and sent it crashing down to the floor. This was more because of the poor construction quality of the hang on refugium. It was made by the "major manufacturer" of them.
If your going to get all that stuff hanging on the tank, you are better off getting a real sump and refugium, and rather than trying to put it in the stand, set up the tank a couple of feet from the wall and put the sump and refugium behind the tank.
Doogle
Well-Known Member
Dave, Built, everyone-thank you for devoting your time and helping me with this. I've decided to go with the 29g for sure and put my goldfish in the 35g hex and give em the bigger xp3 can filter. Once I move em it's time to clean it and get some argonite sand and fill it up!
Doogle
Well-Known Member
If I went the sump route what are the issues of overflowing or when the power goes out and potential problems like that should I expect . Would a skimmer fit in a small 10g tank modded sump? How much are drilled and hang on overflows and what problems should I look out for? I have a 10g tank in my stand now( not easily done btw) and am trying to get a visual here.
Built347
Has been struck by the ban stick
As long as your design is solid there is no more risk of flood than a regular tank full of water.. drilled with an overflow box is the safest way to go IMO.. its when you start relying on siphons that floods happen.. gravity never fails...... drill that tank and put a small overflow around the hole and you'll have a badass little reef ready tank..
Did you read that thread I posted?. It really puts all of this into perspective of what it really is... easy.
Did you read that thread I posted?. It really puts all of this into perspective of what it really is... easy.
Doogle
Well-Known Member
Ya I just did but realized I read only the first page. You used acrylic or glass for the overflow acrylic right? Glass would be impossible to make those cuts right? Anyway I mover a 10g tank into each of my 29g stands. Happy they fit and good for storage if nothing else , then I remember my 14g has the same dimensions as the 10 just a little taller.. Hmm any ways let me read the whole thing this time. Thanks for that btw!