Sump out of anything?

[Importskyline22]

I have plans on a little (or not so little) project.

This will be a 10g. Nano reef. Very similar to freddyfish's.

I have been researching everywhere on how to make a sump and get it to work. Seems somewhat farily simple.

From what i have read thou. You can make a sump out of anything. Rubbermaid container, small plastic trash can. So forth and so on.

What i want to know is, is this realyl possible?

Thanks.

[Reefscape]

Suppose it all depends on what you want to get out of a sump really..What are you trying to acheive? Extra water volume? A refugium and natural filtration? Equipment storage?

Niko

[Importskyline22]

Suppose it all depends on what you want to get out of a sump really..What are you trying to acheive? Extra water volume? A refugium and natural filtration? Equipment storage?

Niko

I honestly have no idea lol

Dont i NEED one for a nano reef, or any saltwater tank in general. From what i read they are used to keep my filter out of the viewing tank and to store media and so forth.

Any more info on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

[Reefscape]

I dont know if it is worth it for a 10Gal Nano...Just my opinion though..Am sure others will chime in...

A few reasons that people install a sump and or a refugium is mainly to:-

1) add extra water volume.
2) a section that provides extra filtration with live rock rubble, deep sand bed ( or mud ) and macro algae to remove phosphates and nitrates.
3) space to store equipment like skimmer, heater etc etc..

Wait and see if any Nano Keepers post and see what their opinions are..

Niko

[fsn77]

Many sw tanks are run without a sump, refugium, or a combo of the two. So, I wouldn't say that it's a requirement, but you can greatly benefit from having one.

As for containers, if you go with a plastic container, it is best to stick with food grade containers (Rubbermaid Brute containers are food grade plastic, despite some of them being garbage cans). This is fairly important because food grade plastics are not suppose to leach anything. The last thing you'd want is your tank to crash / fail because of chemicals leaching from a plastic sump.

[Importskyline22]

Thanks for the replys and info guys!

This is my first dip into anything saltwater. So i have been doing alot of reading. I know that a 10g isnt the best for a saltwater as one change could cause disaster. But i just simply dont have the funds for my 55g to be a saltwater tank.

Making a nano reef seemed to be the cheaper route to go.

All i want in it is live rock/reef, anememe(sp?) and a clown or 2.

Thats not asking for much is it?

[Importskyline22]

Anymore info anyone can spill?

[boulderman1]

i would definately add a sump if you can, especially for a small sw system, the smaller the system, the harder it is to keep it stable, a sump will add water volume and make your system more stable, and yes, you can make them out of anything, my 90 gallon's sump is a large rubbermaid container, it really is that easy to make your own

good luck

[Importskyline22]

Thanks man!

Its been awhile since i had any replies on this topic.

IM still debating on what to do with my 10g tank. I have my 2 new Dp's in there to make sure they start eating right. Then they are going back into my 55g.

I need to keep my 10g freshwater for when my platty babies arrive.

But after thats all and done with i really would like to be a nano-reefer.

Im really dumb on the sump topic. How exactly would you set it up? Do you put your filter and everything like that in the sump?

COuld you explain exatcly how it works for me? Thanks a bunch.

[boulderman1]

all it is is an extra body of water, you put an oveflow system in your tank so that water drains into the sump and then you put a pump in the sump to return water to the tank, in the sump you can put skimmers, heaters, filters, basically anything you want, it is also a good place to put top-off water into so that you aren't putting fresh water directly where your livestock is, another advatage for a sump, is that the overflow system in your tank will keep your tank's water level constant, only the water level in your sump ever varies

good luck

[nyg215]

how does one make the overflow system for the sump? sorry for jumping in and asking another question

[Reefscape]

The overflow can be done in a few ways...Either drilling the tank or buying an overflow box. An overflow box is basically 2 boxes joined by an inverted "U". Box inside the tank set's the water level and water goes into the box, through the U tube and into another box which is then directed of down to the sump..

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_overflow_boxes_cpr.asp

Anymore questions, just shout up...

Niko

[jojo22]

Here is a link to my nano I have in a contest on another forum. The sump is a cheap 10 gal tank ($10) and 6 peices of 8X10 glass from home depot ($1.69 each) and a tube of all glass silicone (like $4). The pump has been changed to a CA 1800. The ball valve you see diverst water flow from the retun into the refuge. I did have to trim about a 16th of an inch off each peice of glass with a glass cutter and some cutting oil.

http://www.captivereefing.com/showthread.php?t=4521