sump
- Thread starter vcelani
- Start date
well for a start it give you more water volume so it adds to the water stability. You can also put the heater and skimmer (if you use one) down here so its hidden from view in the main tank and thus giving more room for your fish and rocks etc.
The main reason for a sump though is to give extra surface area for filtration and also an area where different types of filtration methods can be applied that would not usually work in the main tank. Mud with algae/mangroves srings to mind with this.
The main types of filtration in the sump are as follows...
Extra liverock- More liverock can be put here giving more swimming room for the fish above if you wish
DSB (Deep sand beds) A very very effective form of filtration but a little tricky for beginners to stabalise inititally.
Mud systems. Muds based filter with macro algae for nutrient absorbtion. Mangrove are usually sed to support this also.
There are other types of course but this is just a taster. the advantages of a sump vastly outweight the dissadvantages. You can also isolte troublesome fish or inverts here, any crittere you dont like the look of can be put here for identification later. if its safe then put it back in the main tank.. if not then keep it in the sump. (no need to kil it if its not going to do any harm in the sump.. unles it emits poisons of course)
Hope this helps.
The main reason for a sump though is to give extra surface area for filtration and also an area where different types of filtration methods can be applied that would not usually work in the main tank. Mud with algae/mangroves srings to mind with this.
The main types of filtration in the sump are as follows...
Extra liverock- More liverock can be put here giving more swimming room for the fish above if you wish
DSB (Deep sand beds) A very very effective form of filtration but a little tricky for beginners to stabalise inititally.
Mud systems. Muds based filter with macro algae for nutrient absorbtion. Mangrove are usually sed to support this also.
There are other types of course but this is just a taster. the advantages of a sump vastly outweight the dissadvantages. You can also isolte troublesome fish or inverts here, any crittere you dont like the look of can be put here for identification later. if its safe then put it back in the main tank.. if not then keep it in the sump. (no need to kil it if its not going to do any harm in the sump.. unles it emits poisons of course)
Hope this helps.
In your sump you can have macro alage whitch will help with nutrition export, give pods a place to reproduce. As far as cheap. Use your imagination. you can make a good sump from rubbermaid storage unit.
I like the idea of a sump but I'm terrified that it will cause a flood if something goes wrong. I'm going to be in an apartment too so if 40 gallons lands on the floor it might drip into other apartments or something and just cause a lot of problems. Is there any way to make this thing foolproof?
oh ya also.. what's the difference between a DSB and a mud filter?
oh ya also.. what's the difference between a DSB and a mud filter?
There's no way to completely avoid disaster. A few things help.
First, make sure the sump can handle all the water that comes in from the overflow when the pumps go off.
Also, drill siphon breaks (small holes near the surface of the water) in you return outlets, so that you don't siphon the tank into the sump via your pumps during a power outage.
Don't rely on check valves to protect you during a power outage. All it takes is a snail or bit of glop to render them useless.
Melev's Reef has one of the best descriptions of the use of sumps, and how to set them up. Check it out.
First, make sure the sump can handle all the water that comes in from the overflow when the pumps go off.
Also, drill siphon breaks (small holes near the surface of the water) in you return outlets, so that you don't siphon the tank into the sump via your pumps during a power outage.
Don't rely on check valves to protect you during a power outage. All it takes is a snail or bit of glop to render them useless.
Melev's Reef has one of the best descriptions of the use of sumps, and how to set them up. Check it out.
