Where to get a sump? Please help...

valval1029- Slow down and do a bit of research before you commit to anything!!

I am a "little old lady" with no plumbing experience or anything even remotely similar, and I built a sump out of an old aquarium as suggested above- complete with "different compartments/little sections for water to flow through".

Keep reading the links until you understand what you are doing- but you can do it.
Don't limit youself out of simple haste.
 
Cearbhaill, could you describe how you did it? Could I use a tank smaller than a 30?

I have found a lot of information here and there. Are the little "compartments/baffles" necessary? What is their purpose?

If anyone can post pics of their sumps (homemade) that would be cool.
What is the refugium for?
 
A refugium is a place for prey lifeforms to hide from predators and reproduce. This can mean algae, since you have a tang, or it can mean small crustaceans collectively referred to as 'pods that are eaten by many varieties of carnivorous fish.

I think the major problem with using the 30 for a sump has more to do with the fact that it has seven fish in it. It is easier to set up the sump, in my understanding, if you can work with it dry and then do a test run with freshwater before you add salt. The 30 does not have the room to spare at the moment to set up the pump as the fish need every square inch until you can get the 90 set up.

If you check out mogurnda's thread "New 90 gallon: the start", he has a picture of his homemade sump in it.
 
I was a little lazy before, but maybe I should expand a little.

First, there are multiple things you can do with a sump, and you don't need to do all of them.
-It can simply be a place for equipment, like your skimmer, heater, auto-topoff, etc.
-It can be a refugium, where you grow plankton-producing organisms as well as macroalgae that can absorb wastes and stabilize pH.
-It can be a place for a deep sand bed and more live rock.

For my tank, I wanted a place for the skimmer and a refugium. So I designed a sump with two inputs (I split the flow from the overflow), with the water flowing to the return in the middle. I would have loved to use a 30 breeder, but I could only fit a 20 long in the stand.

The baffles can be really important, because the water flowing from your overflow and your skimmer can generate a lot of small bubbles. You want to keep these out of your return pump as much as possible, because they will go back into your tank and be ugly and reduce water clarity. Baffles force the water to take a longer path, allowing bubbles to leave. Purists accept nothing less than 3 baffles per path (see the Melev link I posted, it really is helpful), but I didn't have room for that, so I have a few microbubbles in the main tank.

The other thing baffles do is to keep the water level in a given compartment constant. My skimmer wants to sit in water between 6 and 8 inches deep, so the water going out of its chamber in the sump has to go over a 7" overflow in a baffle. Ta-da, constant water level and constant skimmer efficiency.

The refugium is about 11"X12", and the output baffle keeps the level at 9" deep. I put two 19 watt PC floodlamps over it for the macroalgae, at a cost of about $20.
 
To be honest I would have tried to go sumpless if I had not found this website that explains everything in wondrous detail. The sump I made is an exact copy of his sump model "E".

I had my glass baffles cut at a glass shop, and instead of the toothed top of the refugium section I just siliconed a strip of gutterguard.
Mine is pictured on my reef page, but here is the main design

DSC02836.JPG


There are as many different designs as there are people who have sumps. That's why I advise you to take your time and not rush these decisions. It is much easier to do it before everything is set up than it is to after you have thousands of dollars invested and life in the tank then decide you need to redesign everything.

Hit the website I provided you up above, and read it until you understand things.
It took me many days.
 
I see there are many options. Benjen, I wasn't planning to use the 30 I have b/c of the copper that I may not be able to get rid of. I would have to buy a new 30 or 20? for the sump...

It seems some have baffles and some don't. I now have a better idea of the refugium, just not sure how necessary it is.

For the most part, I would like a place to put my heater, etc... and also if I'm correct the water in the main tank won't need to be topped off. I would like to have live rock, a couple of anemones, and mostly fish in my tank. However, if the refugium is beneficial- ok. Also, how important is it to keep live rock in the sump if I have 1-2 lbs per gallon in the main tank. Unless, I put most in the main tank and the balance in the sump.

I still have to read more on the last websites you all gave to me, but if you think of anything I should know or any advice, I would appreciate it.
 
Hey, I saw those on e-bay, but it's not really a sump, is it???? It's a wet/dry. I'm getting confused... If I take the balls out is it then a sump?

Oscrlvr, look at the description of the first thing I put on this post. That is from e-bay also but is described as a sump....


Val
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom