Sump question

So I got a sump for free from a buddy and it has a protein skimmer tube and a 3 tier gravity filter and then an open end at the far side.. But it has no pumps or anything.. What do I need to get this sump up and running cheaply?

 

You will need to buy a sump that runs at 6 to 10 times the sump's volume at 4 foot head.

I take that the skimmer has a pump?

 

Here's the sump

 

hmm, I dont see an opening for a dry pump on the other end. If you were referring to the top being open, then a simple wet pump would do the trick. How large is your aquarium?

 

Haha only 29gal :-X

 

Pretty hard to go wrong from here on out. Considering you got the sump for a great price.....free! Good luck.

 

So do I need two pumps? A wet pump to go back up to my tank from the far side and another pump to bring the water down? A suction? And then how do I get the protein skimmer to operate?

 

As far as I can see, it's a built in skimmer? What kind of pump did it come with for the skimmer? You'd need a woodstone? A lot of people would try to convert the wet and dry filtering to a simple fuge, since the "bio balls" easily become a nitrate factory.

I ran my 29G skimmer-less for more than a year, with a tiny fuge, but with light bioload.

 

I can tell you the basics. You need a return pump, internal or external, depending on your needs (to move water from the sump up to the tank). Gravity return via an overflow from your main tank.

The skimmer will need it's own pump with impeller designed for bubble production. I don't know a lot of specifics on what's good or bad here.

 

exactly is exactly right 29g can be maintain without a wet/dry filter system. pumps inside the tank for circulation, sand and live rock for bio filter are all you need, the wet/dry may hurt more than help. James