SUMP

To be effective, the smallest you should make a sump is 1/3 of display tank size. Your tank is only 10-12 gallons and would not allow for the media required to support a 200 gallon tank. A 55gallon is more in line to support it. You need not only filtration material but also something to act as bio-media (of approximately 10gallons).

I think you'll find it's only a 200 litre tank not 200 gallons, either way the sump will be to small.

I mess that up all the time. I'll read gallons instead of liters.

Amphiprion said:

I mess that up all the time. I'll read gallons instead of liters.

Click to expand...

So did I. . . . . DOH!

IMO any sump is better than no sump. You will just have the same problems I have with a sump too small for the tank, biggest being that you will always overflow your sump in a power outage if your return pump stops. The only way to make a sump that small work with equipment like skimmers and heaters is to fill it at least 2/3 full.. and just the inch or 2 of water in your display tank back siphoning until air hits your return outputs in the tank will be more water than the sump can handle. I have my power head and return pump on a huge UPS and will give me a good 6 hours of run time during power outages, enough time for me to remove 4-5G of water from the sump/display so if my battery dies before power returns it will not overflow the sump. If there is a power outage I don't need to be running my skimmer and heaters so I can drop the water level in the sump until power returns and not have any issues. I just have to make sure to unplug my ATO so when the power returns and the sump is low it doesn't fill it with freshwater. Once power returns I can replace the water I took out before and then plug the ATO back in.

the sump is not really for filtration, so i think you'll be ok. the sump really just helps make your tank look cleaner by getting all the heaters and such out of view. If you can put your skimmer and more rocks in the sump and have the right amount of rock to water you'll be fine.

I sketched out a sump/fuge setup with your size.

It is tight, but it can work. As was suggested, you have to make sure your sump will have enough space for water in case of a power outage. (by poking holes on the top part of your return on your main tank, you can stop the siphoning when it gets to that level)

In this sketch, you wouldn't be able to fit an in sump skimmer. you'd prob. need a hang on or an external one.


But, it should work.