freshwater sump pump setup

Is your tank drilled?
Sumps on freshwater tanks sould be a third to half the size of the display tank so a 10g is going to be to small.
IMO sumps on freshwater tanks under 100g arn't needed, you would do better and save money getting a good canister filter.

I made a sump out of a 10 and though it worked well, it's biggest failing was having to top it off daily. In spite of the covers I made, it still had a very high amount of evaporation. It did the intended job well and kept the water crystal clear, but I would not use less than a 20 in the future.

If correctly made it will be more than enough for a 55 FW tank. IF SW it needs to be 1/3 of display tank. You can make a spray bar for the return line to aerate the water.

yup it s a good idea , if i didn t have this huge canister i would go for a sump for my 55 .
no need to drill the tank , use a overflowbox , i build several of them and can help u with that , and u can keep all medias and heater and aeration in there and still have free space ! , IMO go for a 15 or 20g for the sump ... not much difference in price but lotsa more room

Here is how I did mine. Disregard the HOT Magnum. I Keep it there between vacuumings. The top tote is 5 gallon filter and bio-media. The bottom is 28 gallon sump with a MagDrive 9.5 pump.






Spray bar return and you can see it "sprays" across the water surface to help oxygenate the water. I can adjust the angle at which it strikes the water. I prefer some surface agitation.





. . . and yes the room is a bit small it is the smallest bedroom in the house and has 5 tanks, file cabinet, and a couch in it.

Actually sump style setups filter more than you might think. Example I designed and built a sump from a 5 gallon glass tank I had lying around. I design them to accommodate Aqua clear media <They just are simpler and way more efficient>. After building the chambers and installing the media I found that 5 gal. tank holds more media and flows better than a Hang on tank filter designed to filter 100 gallon tanks and it cycles the water efficiently. A 10 gallon would work even better on your setup, don't get caught up in the GPH so much as how the filter is actually working, GPH is a guideline at best but with that 5 or 10 gallon sump your water quality will be pristine <Good media of course>. Good luck

i wouldnt mess with a 10G sump bigger is better BUT if you have the 10G already and dont want to buy a bigger tank then have fun and build a small sump its easy and is a great filter.

i wish i could sump all my tanks lol . i swaer by them , 10x better than an external but plan ahead read up on the build and make sure you have room for draw back in a power cut