Questions about using a sump

psariandras

psariandras

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May 18, 2007
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I am thinking about a DIY sump, with an external overflow, for a 29g reef tank - however, after my research I have not found whether or not the sump would provide supplementary filtration or serve other purposes.

Does a sump provide filtration that is counterproductive with the filtration gained from LR and PS reef tank? or are sumps used to increase water volume and hide equipment without fufilling any filtration duties?
 
sumps are generally used in FO tanks. they have bio media in them and usually a tray for mechanical filration(floss, carbon etc)

if you are using LR you can actuay use the LR in place of bio media and set the sump up silmilar to a refugium.
 
Sumps are used in ALL types of marine set-ups. They serve a great purpose, they increase water volume, hide equipment, give more space for rock, and over all make for a healthier system. If you have the room for a sump, use a sump. You will NOT be sorry.
 
I agree with JoJo.I have a sump and top offs are easier to do through the sump rather than the main tank.Plus I hide heater and all down there.
You don't have to have a sump.but in the long run they are very handy.
 
A sump is a great addition to any marine set-up. jojo stated many of the excellent reasons to have one. After seeing some marine tanks without a sump, I began to realize how beneficial the sump I installed on our tank really is.

There's nothing about a sump that's counterproductive to the biofiltration taking place in the main tank. Within the sump, any additional LR provides more surface area for biofiltration to occur.

The only case in which a sump can be more a hassle in terms of water quality is when it's a wet/dry sump with bio-balls (which is what I think star_rider is referring to). Bio-balls can catch and accumulate detritus. The accumulated detritus can lead to elevated nitrate levels as its broken down, hence why the catch phrase "nitrate factory" is commonly used to describe wet/dry sumps with bio-balls. In a fish only system, this is not a big deal. However, in a reef tank, the elevated nitrates can be harmful to corals and other invertebrates.
 
yes, I was referring to a sump in the 'traditional' sense.

if you haven't already set up a sump..why not alter the design a little and make a refugium?

IMO a refugium may be a better alternative to a 'tradtional' sump design ..

it also allows an area for possible algae filtration(cheato or other plants) , LR .deep sand bed or even mud refugium.
 
jojo22 said:
Sumps are used in ALL types of marine set-ups. They serve a great purpose, they increase water volume, hide equipment, give more space for rock, and over all make for a healthier system. If you have the room for a sump, use a sump. You will NOT be sorry.
Click to expand...

i wish i had one just to increase the water volume and hide my equipment... sumps are cool... plus... they're cool to build and design...
 
I'm also planning to set up a sump but have a couple of questions.
In my LFS when I asked about the bio-balls I had seen in a wet/dry filter they say I shouldn't use those (a good advice from what you have said) but when I asked how should I set it up the suggested 3 divisions as follows:
1 comming from the main tank, here they said I sould put from bottom to top
- a sponge (?) a black thing used to catch solid particles
- a bed of aragonite grave 3-4" (buffering)
- a bed of ceramic rings (biological)
- whatever I want (i.e. Purigen, Phosguard)
- another sponge

this area would be only 4-5 inches long

in the middle compartment the skimmer and they said I could put some macro algae here as well, this area is almost the rest of the lenght available only leaving space for a third comparment wide enough only to house the return pump

and in the last compartment the return pump.

After reading a lot of posts about sumps I think I now have a clear vision of what I want (the mentioned sump design F from meleevreef(sp?)) but I couldn't find anything mentioning the ceramic rings as well as the aragonite grave or the sponge.

Are they needed? more harm than good?

Hope I explained it correctly.
 
NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!!!!!!!! Scrap all of that and fill it with LR rubble. Most LFS wouldn't know a proper set up from the hole in their butt (which is usually where you find their thumb). They are in the business to SELL YOU THINGS!!!! Why sell some rubble once when they can sell you all that CRAP every month. Please save yourself the trouble and money buy some rubble slap it in there and forget about it!!!
 
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