DIY Sump for Goldfish 55g

E

ebola

AC Members
Apr 30, 2008
139
0
16
Hi all,

I'm trying to upgrade right now to a 55 g. A goodsized filter looks to cost around $150 for this tank. A sump looks like a better idea, wallet-wise. Is there any reason not to use a sump for goldfish? And how big is appropriate? I'm thinking ten gallons, only because I have a ten gallon tank on hand. Would this work?
 
Eh...I guess it could work. I mean it'd be tough cramming everything in, but if you're creative then why not.

You'd have to build a container that could be partially above the sump to hold your biomaterial, and of course, a return pump. Oh, an overflow too.
 
Thanks for the answers. Legendary, what do you mean that I'd need to partially hold my biomaterial above the water? I had kinda planned on keeping it in pantyhose bags layered between baffles.
 
I was thinking something along the lines of this:


The dividers would be glass siliconed in. Exact distance between them would be calculated so that the first three compartments had equal volume, while the fourth was larger.

How much noise should I expect from a sump?
 

Attachments

And how necessary is an overflow anyway? If the siphon is only an inch below the waterline, and the sump has that much capacity, I can't imagine needing one.
 
To what I've seen of most sump setups, the sump is half-filled during normal operation, leaving half of the volume of the sump to catch overflow in the case of a power failure. 5g worth of overflow volume (it will be less, since you don't want the tank filled to the brim, and materials inside the sump will take up space too) for a 55g tank seems pretty small to me. A 20g long tank is usually around $30 at petsmart, and in my opinion would be a better alternative. Shoot, I think you can get a 29g tank for around that from petco, and that'd be plenty. I myself would rather have a little too much volume to play with, just in case, than risk having the sump overflow. Besides, the added water volume of a larger sump will help with water quality. :)
 
well, ideally, the rate of flow into the sump (using an overflow box) would be regulated by the flow rate of the pump. if you use a siphon, you risk losing the siphon if the pump cannot keep enough water flowing into the tank, or the sump running dry/pump burning out if the pump works faster than the siphon or if the siphon breaks. it would take a lot of fiddling to get it to be equal.

depending on the pump rather than the siphon keeps everything running smoothly. the only thing you have to worry about is if the pump fails/power goes out and the tank drains through the inflow. completely avoidable with a check-valve to prevent backflow.

adding to the above comment, petsmart (in my area at least) has 20g long tanks for just $24.

tempting. . . . .
 
wataugachicken said:
adding to the above comment, petsmart (in my area at least) has 20g long tanks for just $24.

tempting. . . . .
Click to expand...

If only I had permission to go and set up a bunch of tanks... hands down I guarantee I'd have at least 6 set up right now. 10g cherry shrimp colony, 10g w/ a single mantis shrimp, 40g reef tank with a couple little colorful fish, 29g marine invert tank, upgrade my 55g to a 125g for my discus, run the 55g with a huge school of cardinal tetras, 75g african cichlid tank, 20g L kuhli loach playground.... and if they'd go for it, I'd build a 500+ gallon pond in the back yard for goldfish. :drool::drool:


I wonder how they'd feel about converting a 15,000 gallon swimming pool into a koi pond..... LOL
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom