Sump questions

S

SmokedNeptune

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Nov 21, 2015
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I got a new tank recently and it came with a sump which I have pretty much no clue about. It seems to be two parts an upright part that connects to the overflow that has two chambers and a drip plate at the bottom then another box that sits like most of the ones I've seen with two chambers so I guess my questions are

Can a sump sit upright like that?
If it doesn't sit upright why is there a drip plate at the end and what do I do about it?
Is it worth it to drill the tank?
How do I keep it from flooding?
 
A picture would help. Sounds like the upright part is for a wet/dry filter that has most of the biomedia (usually bio balls) exposed to air, and only the bottom part in water in sump. Water runs through it, through the holes in bottom, back up to the next baffle, and into the rest of the chambers.
 
Yes, wet/dry. There is the plate at the top with holes so the water flows/trickles down like rain. Normally you would have some mechanical up top so the bio balls don't clog up as fast. Wet/dry or trickle filters are highly effective as the bacteria has access to air and through it plenty of oxygen. Careful to not let it get too dirty or you might end up with a lot of nitrate from detrius that slowly rots away.
 
Duckie said:
Yes, wet/dry. There is the plate at the top with holes so the water flows/trickles down like rain. Normally you would have some mechanical up top so the bio balls don't clog up as fast. Wet/dry or trickle filters are highly effective as the bacteria has access to air and through it plenty of oxygen. Careful to not let it get too dirty or you might end up with a lot of nitrate from detrius that slowly rots away.
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It has some filter floss in with the bio balls I want to clean it but I'm not sure how to open it any suggestions on how it might open?
 
As for freshwater and going for a sump is another question. A lot of times it only goes on big tanks where HOB aren't big enough and maybe not even a canister. Or on tanks with a very high bio load. It won't hurt to use it, but if it is worth drilling the tank or using a hang on back overflow box is questionable. What size tank and what kind of fish you plan on having? The wet/dry might be overkill. Drilling the tank or overflowbox both comes with their own set of problems (mainly the danger of leaks and flooding).
 
Duckie said:
As for freshwater and going for a sump is another question. A lot of times it only goes on big tanks where HOB aren't big enough and maybe not even a canister. Or on tanks with a very high bio load. It won't hurt to use it, but if it is worth drilling the tank or using a hang on back overflow box is questionable. What size tank and what kind of fish you plan on having? The wet/dry might be overkill. Drilling the tank or overflowbox both comes with their own set of problems (mainly the danger of leaks and flooding).
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110 gallon probably going to have about 20-25 African Cichlids
 
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SmokedNeptune said:
100 gallon probably going to have about 20-25 African Cichlids
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For those it is probably worth it to keep water quality as good as possible. There is a lot of cichlid tanks that have a sump. Not sure if that is because they are messy or because you can "overstock" a tank easy with them? I have never owned cichlids myself. The only somewhat aggressive tank I have is 90gal SW.
 
Duckie said:
For those it is probably worth it to keep water quality as good as possible. There is a lot of cichlid tanks that have a sump. Not sure if that is because they are messy or because you can "overstock" a tank easy with them? I have never owned cichlids myself. The only somewhat aggressive tank I have is 90gal SW.
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It's best to overstock and I think they're a little messy but I'm still not sure if I'd rather drill it which I've heard tends to stop it from flooding or if I should get the overflow box for siphon sumps
 
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