canistar filters vs. sump

[scotty37]

I am buying a sump/fuge combination online. I have been using a cannister filter with everything hung on to the back of the tank for a year, and I am tired of it. I feel I put so much money into this thing, I hate that it looks cheap because of all the clutter. With the cannister hoses, the heaters, the skimmer, airline tubing, and a brine hatchery all attached at the top, it takes up a fair percentage of the tank. I have also had a tough time with inverts with the cannister. I am using the fuge part to take care of the wastes that live rock and other media leave behind, which I am hoping will increase my success with inverts which are sometimes greatly affected by these small little impacts.

 

[prevwon]

Originally Posted by Dawman
I would go 30 , you need enough capacity incase the power goes out , you need to turn off the pump , or the pump quits . You need access capacity for the water in the tank to drain into the sump until the water level in the tank is below the overflow . Plus if you plan to put your heaters , skimmer , and etc. you will need more room than a 10 .
I don't plan on putting a skimmer in the sump. I will use a hang on Aqua C Remora. I don't have that much room under my stand, so I can't make it too big. I might end up making it all, instead of making a 10 gallon into one.

 

[ameno]

Arfugium/skimmmer/sump does take up some room. I have the same problem with the 125 I am setting up. so I am building a stand that comes out futher on one side for the skimmer. right now I have an 80 gal DT. and I used a 29 gal tank for the fuge/sump/skimmer. There is some good threads on how to build one of these. The tank I have now is a hex so I had to put all of this off to the side. Not too pretty to look at. But it's well worth having. along with what has already been stated. a lot of filters can turn into nitrate traps if your not careful. the fuge is more of a natural cycle, and also a good place to house pods, which is a great plus. The skimmer being in the sump has some very good advantages, such as better control of air bubbles being put back in the tank from the skimmer, and when something goes wrong the water stays in the tank and not end up in the floor. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[dawman]

Originally Posted by PrevWon
I don't plan on putting a skimmer in the sump. I will use a hang on Aqua C Remora. I don't have that much room under my stand, so I can't make it too big. I might end up making it all, instead of making a 10 gallon into one.

You will still need more capacity for water when ever the pump is off or you will overflow anything smaller .

 

[baloo6969]

if you looking to either buy one or the other(because of budget constraints), your better off getting the Can first while the tank cycles...while it's cycling, put in the sump...the DSB/plenium will take a few months to get the layers and bacteria built up anyway...
once your tank is up and running, remove filter pads from the Can and use it to run chemi-pure, carbon, or phosphate sponge...or what ever.

 

[prevwon]

Ok I decided that I am going to build my own sump out of 1/4 inch plexi-glass instead of making one out of a tank, due to space. Will it be ok if it isn't very wide, but long and tall? For the fuge can I use LR instead of algae? Can I hang the Aqua C Remora on the sump instead of the back of the tank and it still be effective?

 

[baloo6969]

Originally Posted by PrevWon
Ok I decided that I am going to build my own sump out of 1/4 inch plexi-glass instead of making one out of a tank, due to space. Will it be ok if it isn't very wide, but long and tall?
Just remember that for every cubic inch you take away, is another cubic inch of water you take away.
Originally Posted by PrevWon
For the fuge can I use LR instead of algae? ?
Sure you can. but you would be better off using chaeto...it will help lower you nitrates better than LR will.
Originally Posted by PrevWon
Can I hang the Aqua C Remora on the sump instead of the back of the tank and it still be effective?
depends on how far the water level is from the top of the skimmer...if the water level is too low and the pump dosent have enough power, it wont skim right.

 

[baloo6969]

also, using a premade tank, reduces the risk of blowing a seal...making your own can be dicey...

 

[nemo02]

i use a 38g sump/fuge and a rena xp2 on my 75g tank everything is very nice clean and clear. i do like the sump to hide things in, keeps display looking more natural.

 

[prevwon]

Where can I get chaeto from? What is something good to use to hold the plexi-glass together? Is silicone the best? Do you ever need to clean a sump?

 

[dawman]

I wouldn`t use plexi-glass as it can crack easily . If you are going to build one use Acrylic or make one out of a tank .Plexi will bow when there is water in it and lead to cracking .

 

[prevwon]

Yes I will be using acrylic. I looked at home depot and lowes yesterday and they had acrylic, which seemed good. I thought plexiglass and acrylic were the same thing actually...