to SUMP, or not to SUMP.

[mr . salty]

I,ve been thinking alot about building a sump for my 40 gal FO tank. I have an empty 20 gal that I would use. Is there any large advantages to doing this? And would adding more gallons to my system increse the amount of fish I can put into my main tank,within reason. Any input would be apreciated,THANKS STEVE

 

[mainejo1]

Steve, you most certainly can make your own sump, and save a bunch of money in the process. The actual gallon capacity of the entire system is increased with a sump, so in that respect you are dealing with a larger tank and will have more effective filtration, so you can support more life. However, the actual space your fish have to swim does not increase, obviously, so don't get too carried away by adding too many fish. There is a great web site that tells you how to build your own sump, but I can't remember what it is. Anyone know it?

 

[mr . salty]

I've been on a site that showed how to make one, and that's what sparked my intrest. Looks easy enough. At work we have boxes full of lexan, some as big as 4'x4'. Also saw one about an algae tank, The idea being give the stuff a perfect place to grow outside your main tank and it will grow there. Thinking about combining the two. Any thoughts?

 

[reptilicus]

Hi,
all you really need is an empty tank, you don't need to do anything to it at all. Unless you are going to put live sand or something in there, the simplest way to do it is just to drill a hole in the bottom of your current tank, connect it to your other rank (the sump) then pump the water back out. That simple.

 

[jimm]

Other advantages are moving your heaters, skimmers, thermometers etc below the tank and out of site.
I have also filtered the water coming from the overflow through a filter sock, and it removes all of the floating matter. The sock is extremely easy to remove and clean.
Another advantage is the aeration the water gets as is pours from the show tank into the sump.

 

[mr . salty]

I have an all glass tank so drilling a hole is out of the question. I have to figure out some type of syphon box, or pump it out of the tank. But I fear system failure and 20 or more gallons in my nice carpet. STEVE

 

[broomer5]

Do the SUMP man !!!! You'll be glad you did. DIY sumps are pretty easy to build, but the overflow can be a little tricky. Why not purchase a good overflow, and DIY the rest. If you position your overflow and return line high in the tank, if there is a power failure, you can prevent ( if done correctly ) a wet carpet. Here is a link I found very useful when putting mine together. http://saltaquarium.about.com/pets/s...ubdiysumps.htm
Good luck ~ you'll be very glad you went SUMP !
Broomer

 

[mr . salty]

Thanks boomer. Your right,lot's of good stuff on that site. I think I'll do it. Maybe this weekend.After I mow the lawn,nothing but rain all week,Looks like a jungle out there. STEVE