sump? or no sump? 24g aquapod

[jerrad0328]

im contemplating building a small sump under my 24g aquapod, would anyone have any advice on this? i want to use this plexi box, and need to know where to install the ballasts, and if i should have a 2 stage or more, also how would this improve the overrall quality of the setup, everyone knows that the filtration on the 24g aqupod isnt exactly ideal, would i gain a huge advantage or is this something io shouldnt even consider?? thanks for any input. jerrad [IMG][/IMG]

[lcstorc]

IMO sumps are always a good idea. If nothing else it gives you more water volume which is more room to make mistakes. I'll let others chime in on how to actually do it since my husband takes care of all that stuff. I do know that melevsreef.com has some layouts you should check out. Most people seem to do a variation of what he has done. Also check out the diy section since lots of people have put their plans up for ideas.

[DaveK]

You could add a sump, it would not hurt anything, but consider this.

It's not going to be cost effective to install a sump on the system you have. You will need to have some sort of decent overflow, and return pump. You'll have a lot more water evaporation, although this can be a mixed blessing. By the time you are done, you will spend quite a bit of money, even if a lot of it is a DIY project.

I suggest that you consider a much larger tank if you are going to go to the trouble of building a sump, and adding an overflow. It's not going to be much more work.

[DrHank]

What I would do is to have the back of the tank drilled for overflow and return. I'd use a ten gallon tank for the sump and probably a small Mag pump for the return. If you really like quiet go with an Ocean Runner 2500. You can't even tell it's on.

[jerrad0328]

wow looks like a have some options.. i have a larger 50gal tank thats not being used if the small 5 gal plexi box wouldnt be large enough. but it seems like it would be a bit overkill for a 24g, i think a 10 gal tank would be a good start, do i really need to resort to drilling the glass on my tank though?

[jerrad0328]

i already swapped out the stock pump that came w/ the aquapod for a maxi jet 900 pump that runs alot quiter and cooler, could i reuse the stock pump for a return on the sump or should the sump be a larger more powerfull pump>?

[lcstorc]

The stock pump with the Aquapod is a very low flow pump. I would think you would want a considerably stronger pump for your return. Specially with the head loss of having it under the tank. It has to push the water up into the tank. To choose a return pump you need to know the capacity of your overflow and the amount of head loss you are going to have. Then find a pump of the appropriate size.

[jerrad0328]

btw lynn i got rid of the choco chip star a couple days ago, when i brought home a new chunk of LR that had a pulsing zenia and a nice big hairy mushroom on it he went straight for the HM when i caught him he already had his innerds out and ready to munch. needless to say he was evicted shortly thereafter, poor guy. hope he goes to a better bigger home. thanks for the ideas on the sump guys ive been researching the heck out of it and learning quite a bit more that i realy wanted to about sump systems. i guess what i really want is a way to increase the water volume in the system as well as a means for secondary filtration this seems to be the way to go. im gonna keep looking around for cool ways to build them since theres like a gazillion variations. take care jerrad