to sump or not to sump

[tonythfish]

What is the purpose of a fuge ? Are you adding Live rock to your sump with a light a calling it a fuge ?

 

[snipe]

Kinda. A fuge is a place were you have sand instead of bioballs around 8 inches or so. And then you have live rock for the bugs "pods" to breed. Then you put plants and stuff to remove nitrates and you need a lite for the plants.

 

[tonythfish]

So is everyone using live sand ? Also How strong of a light are you using ? Is the sump area to turbulent for delicate stuff. Do you just tap off the sump with a small power head to a seprate area and have it drain back to the sump ?

 

[jobob]

u dont have to have sand in a sump. thats a refugium. i have a bio ball tower in mine. well plus the skimmer,heater, uv.

 

[1911_guy]

XOXOX,
This is exactly what i've been looking for. Great pics. LIke TurningTIm, i would also like to know what size aquarium you have and what size the rubbermaids are.
I have a 75G with a standard sized stand but the space where the doors open i kinda tight. i want to put the largest container i can fit down there for a sump so i can run 20X+ flow. I don't want to have to mess with lights so i'm not going to do a fuge.
All i want is the right size containers, a good skimmer and Magdrive pump, like 1200 or 2400 if i can get a big enough container for a sump down there.
Also, with all that equip plus your heater isn't your water too warm? i live in Alaska and just the room temp seems to keep my water at around 79. i don't even need a heater...almost thinking of getting a chiller cause i don't want the water too warm.
Thanks for your help.

 

[1911_guy]

still working on the sump size issue but i think i've narrowed down the skimmer to a final choice.
EuroReef CS6-2+ Protein Skimmer
it will just barely fit as i have about 25 1/4 inch clearance to the bottom of my tank from inside my stand. that leaves me 1.25 inches of clearance. i'll probably have to take it apart to get it out of there though.

 

[trainfever]

Your sump can be as big as you want it to be, but it has to be big enough to handle your ovrflow should you lose power. My tank is drilled so I dont have to worry about losing a syphon. Anyway, turn your pump off, block your overflow, and then fill your tank to the very top. Now let you water flow into your sump. (This is the amount of your overflow. Your sump has to be at least big enough to handle this amount of water). When your tank has completely overflowed into your sump and no more water is draining, fill your sump to where you want it. Now turn your pump back on. When the water starts to drain back into your sump, mark the water level in the sump. This is the highest that you can ever fill your sump. If you fill it higher and then have a power outage, your sump will overflow. So basically put, your sump has to be at least big enough to handle the overflow from your tank when you first let it drain and whatever amount extra you want in there. Remember, a sump is merely a way to make your water system bigger than the size of your tank. It's also a great place to hide things out of sight, like heaters and skimmers.

 

[chevcam]

I to was undecided to set up a sump but once I did I don't see how I could go with out one. Water changes are a breeze I do all my testing, and corecting water in my sump not to mention the water volume it adds to my system It seems my water perameters stay more constant and do not fluxuate as much. Here is a pic of my set up I have been fortunate to have a room in my garage that is compleatly sealed directly behind my show tank.

 

[xoxox]

Originally posted by 1911_Guy
XOXOX,
This is exactly what i've been looking for. Great pics. LIke TurningTIm, i would also like to know what size aquarium you have and what size the rubbermaids are.
I have a 75G with a standard sized stand but the space where the doors open i kinda tight. i want to put the largest container i can fit down there for a sump so i can run 20X+ flow. I don't want to have to mess with lights so i'm not going to do a fuge.
All i want is the right size containers, a good skimmer and Magdrive pump, like 1200 or 2400 if i can get a big enough container for a sump down there.
Also, with all that equip plus your heater isn't your water too warm? i live in Alaska and just the room temp seems to keep my water at around 79. i don't even need a heater...almost thinking of getting a chiller cause i don't want the water too warm.
Thanks for your help.

The main tank is 55 but the rubbermaid is 18 gal, I also have a container (old HOT fuge) in the back that is apart of the sump, its about 2 1/2 gallons and used for carbon. All told I have about 12 gallons of actual water in the sump, the extra space is for drainage (when the pump is off some of the tank water flows back into the sump).
My water is a little warmer than normal but thats has more to do with the two HQI 250s I run then with the heat from the pumps or heater. You have to think of the sump as being just an extension of the main tank. The mag pump is more determined by the height you need to pump the water up from (how far up is it going and how many turns do the pipes make determine the gph at the return end) then anything else. I Think the make mag 7s and 12s? Have to check what they have compared to what you would need.

 

[tonythfish]

I live in NY and I plan to put my sump and show tank behind a wall in the garage ... The front side of the tank will be facing 70deg temps, in the winter my garage can get down to 45 degs any issues ?

 

[chevcam]

I was fortunate to have a heater/air condition vent instaled in this room, I live in oregon we don't get that exstrem weather much so temp is never an issue!

 

[turningtim]

Chevcam, Any chance you could explain your set-up in some detail? I see the sump and the large box on top is that mech. filter (bio-balls)? What is the other box on the left on the pic w/the light? Do you have LS+LR?
I was told earlier in the post to get rid of my Bio-balls and let the LS+LR carry the bio-load.
BTW NICE RIDE! 69' RS/SS?
Tonythfish, Maybe some 2" rigid insulation on the garage side around your set-up may help keeping the heat in? Maybe make a box/cover that could be removable? Just a thought.
Thanks Tim

 

[cowfishrule]

i would think 2-300 watt heaters in the sump should take care of it, even if the temp in the garage drops

 

[cowfishrule]

Originally posted by XoXoX
Here is an inside shot, the mag5 is in the inner container. I would encourage an inner compartment for the return pump. If the siphon is broken the water won't completely drain out of the sump thus exposing the heater, drying out the skimmer pump and filling the main tank with ALL the sump water.
ok, going off of your pic, how did you put that inner container? is that just a plastic garbage can that has your return in it?
also, since your skimmer sits in your sump,
a: what do you do about micro bubbles
b: is your collection cup drilled? how do you clean it (with fear of dropping gunk into sump)
xo, i think i am going to knock off your setup. i am going to get a small garbage can, and put it inside a rubbermaid container. that will be my seperate container for my return (as to not drain the entire sump). actually, i can also use the lines from my canister filter for my input/output. i just need to modify the intake to bring it up high so syphon can break (if needed)

 

[chevcam]

My set up is ..For my sump 50 gal with the container on the right is my bio balls and 'BTW they work great you will always get 1000 differant opinons on a 1000 differant set ups it works for me and many others". The container on the left is my fuge it now has LR rubble and alge growing in there now. That helps bring down the nitates, it really is a simple set up I only have a FOWLR tank and so I use a skilter 400 hang on filter with a protien skimmer built in works great for my set up not sure if it is enough for a reef set up. Thats about it the lights are real simple to , just to drop lights with two mini grow lights.:joy: :joy:

 

[xoxox]

Originally posted by COWFISHRULE
ok, going off of your pic, how did you put that inner container? is that just a plastic garbage can that has your return in it?
also, since your skimmer sits in your sump,
a: what do you do about micro bubbles
b: is your collection cup drilled? how do you clean it (with fear of dropping gunk into sump)
xo, i think i am going to knock off your setup. i am going to get a small garbage can, and put it inside a rubbermaid container. that will be my seperate container for my return (as to not drain the entire sump). actually, i can also use the lines from my canister filter for my input/output. i just need to modify the intake to bring it up high so syphon can break (if needed)
Yes, the inner can is just a simple cut down plastic garbage can. You have to secure it to the larger container. I actually used the screw holes that you can secure the mag pump with (the base plate) and screwed it down to the Rubbermaid and placed aquarium sealant to cover the screw tops. Make sure everything lines up and you can snap the pump on, it can get a little tight getting it on.The rubbermaid is inside of another container to give it extra security.
The Skimmer is an ASM-G1X (Euro reef clone), I don't have any microbubbles going back into the tank, the skimmer has that foam bubble catch. I don't really have any microbubbles at all maybe normal bubbles but nothing going back into the system, It works rather well.
The return suction point on the pump should be an elbo tube pointing down, you don't want that foam cover they give with the pump (someone says it creates a whirlpool) just thread an elbo joint pointing down as an in port for the water.
The overflow is a big u tube, I don't worry about algae getting into the sump because the system usually breaks it down, plus I have a carbon/filter catch chamber (not shown in picture).