Sump?

[Tosh_Auer]

Hi for those of you who i have not spoken to in my last thread i am only new to SW aquariums and was wondering is a sump basically just an enclosed container full of water in which you can stick things such as protein skimmers, heaters, and other equipment or is there a theory behind it?

[ReefLady]

is a sump basically just an enclosed container full of water in which you can stick things such as protein skimmers, heaters, and other equipment or is there a theory behind it?

That's pretty much what it is. A sump basically serves a few purposes (IMO):

A place to put equipment out of sight, as you mentioned above.

Increased water volume (allowing for more stable water parameters)

An place to keep additional LR for bio-filtration

Also, having a good "return pump" between the sump & display allows for needed water turnover, exhange, current, flow, gas exchange, etc.

Our sump is a 100g Rubbermaid stock tank directly below the display in our basement. We affectionately refer to it as "Dexter's lab". There is about 150lbs of LR in it, and it is home to a DIY skimmer, DIY Calcium Reactor, DIY Nilsen reactor, as well as heaters, temp probes, pH monitor probe, etc. etc.



Btw, most sumps are not this complicated. When we had the 75g tank, our sump was simply an Acrylic DIY 20g container underneath the tank stand, which housed a skimmer and heaters. ;-)

HTH!

[RanRoc]

In short, yes to all the above, including increased water volume, place to keep extra live rock, place to dump in additives, keep certain live stock out of main tank, etc...
-RY

[wooddood]

i agree ,more water volume,added filtration and to keep everything out of the display tank.

[Tosh_Auer]

Thought so thanks for the answers guys. Oh and that is one complicated sump.

[ReefLady]

Oh and that is one complicated sump.

LOL, it took many many years to get to this point. And though the sump appears complicated - the main reason it is designed this way is to minimize maintenance - to allow us to be lazy.

Top off is automated, skimmate goes to a 5g bukcet, all dosing is automated via Kalk & Calcium reactors. The tank basically runs itself. We feed daily, clean the glass every third or thereabouts. Do a water change about every 6-8 weeks. Add some kalk powder to the Nilsen reactor every 4-6 weeks. Clean out the skimmer and pumps every 2-3 months. Lazy reefing.

[wooddood]

i dont know if you should call it lazy reefing lol,just smart reefing.we all strive to make our tanks as easy to maintain as possible and thats not an easy job to accomplise and definately not cheap but thats what i think we all are trying to accomplise in the long run.

[newsalt]

I was just about to post a new question regarding sumps. I'm glad I found this post. I am also new to SW. If you've read my other posts, I will soon be switching from my 15g high to a 29g or a 37g. I will probably be building my own stand and canopy. I have an extra 20g long and a 10g tank that I was planning on using as a sump for the new tank. I am aslo in the middle of my first DIY project.. a protein skimmer.

Regarding sumps can I get some explanation on how a sump works. I see from this post that a sump is place to put equipment out of sight, increase ater volume, and a place to keep addtional LR for bio-filtration. Are there any diagrams showing how a sump is constructed using a spare aquarium, showing the flow path between the display tank and the sump? I have an Aquaclear 300 HOB filter. Can I hang that on the sump tank? I guess the heater can go there too. How would I incorporate my DIY skimmer into the sump? As you can see need alot of guidance.

Thanks

[EdgeKrusher]

What kind of skimmer are you making? is it HOB, or an in sump model?
if you used a sump how far from the display will it be in vertical feet? That'll determine the kind of pump you'll need to return the water to the display. usually a sumps water line is alot lower than the water in the display, this allows a little room for water if power goes out, less chance of flooding your house. So I don't think your HOB filter will work. there really is no "right" way to make a sump. Some people use baffles to seperate the water coming in from the water going out. Others don't, and I think that's the case for Teri's sump.

Do a search for Sumps on this site, I guarantee you'll find what you need. It's pretty simple, nothing too complicated. a 10 gallon aquarium would work as a sump without any modifications.

EK

[newsalt]

What kind of skimmer are you making? is it HOB, or an in sump model?

It will be a HOB model.

If you used a sump how far from the display will it be in vertical feet?

Approx. 48" (from bottom of sump to top of display tank.)

If the HOB filter won't work, do I keep in on the display tank?

[EdgeKrusher]

What is the filter doing for you now? Personally I don't think filters are needed, that's what we have LR for.

This Head Loss Calculator will help you determine what kind of pump you'll need to get the water from the sump to the display while letting you know what the final flow in gph will be.

[Pro_builder]

Here are some pictures of my sump that is DIYed and some plans on how I did it.
the sump is on the bottom of these plans:

HTH