Confused?!?

Ok now i'm definitely getting a tank now. I have some confusion though. I want to have a mini reef tank with live rock and live sand and i think having a sump with a refugium and skimmer is a good idea for visual reasons. I am how ever very confused about the set up of a sump. what do i need to buy? do people make them? i was considaring not having one at all but people said it was easiest to set up all at once.

 

search sum design and you can answer your own question.........

 

you can buy expensive sumps with refugiums in them already. Marinedepot.com Search results for 'sump'
or you can make your own with just a old tank, silicon, and some sheets of plastic. i dont have any plans for one but you can probably find some. i dont have a refugium in my sump. mine just hold my equipment so its out of sight.

 

If you look in the DIY section there is a sticky thread about a sump Otty built. Also you can search in the photo gallery for sump to get alot of visuals. There are many benefits to a sump, and the sky's the limit on how you do it. From a small tank to a rubbermaid container.

 

A sump/fuge is a really good idea. You can do it yourself rather easily. You can make it out of acrylic or take really any tank size and modify it to fit your needs. Mine is a 15g tall sump only. I want to make a sump/fuge out of acrylic myself but I may just transform a 29 or 30 gallon tank to fit my needs (just add a few baffles).

I would not buy one if you have even one handy bone in your body. Take measurements of the space you have and cut to fit. Just make sure you do not get yourself in a situation where you have to move the main tank in order to remove the sump. If it springs a leak, you want to be able to get it out of there.

Here is the best site I have found for sumps and refugiums. I have searched the web near and far and have not come across one even close to it.

Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums

In terms of the hardware, you will need an overflow box and a return pump that are rated about the same in GPH. If you need to you can plumb the return with a ball valve to regulate the return flow if the pump outdoes gravity.

There are soooooo many designs. Just go through them and find one you like. Then bring it back to us and we'll guide you through the rest. Easy easy easy.

Rock on and have fun.......John.

 

Melevreef.com is where I got the idea for my sump/fuge. Look at figure 4 on the link below.


Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sumps, Part II by Greg Taylor - Reefkeeping.com

Not saying to do it that way, just saying it's one way (allows me to use carbon and filter pad so I don't need my Whisper Power filter anymore).

And as has been already said, make sure the overflow and the return pump have similar GPH ratings. And always use ballvalves on BOTH the return line and the drain line. Not only does it help if you need to service the sump, but the ballvalve on the drain line allows you to reduce/eliminate the noise it makes.

 

Just make sure that your tank as an overflow built in...my didnt and a sump was just too much trouble for me to ever build. Once you have that part ok, there are many different DIY and manufactured goodies to choose from