Sump Design

hey guys I know you all are majority reef keepers, just wanted your opinion on a freshwater cichild set-up. this is a pic of my sump idea, I was going to use bio balls instead of matrix but heard that bio balls are bad!!

I was wanting to DIY this sump but am a little unsure of what the baffle heighths should be, I want as much water in there is possible and I know I have to allow for pump on-pump off, but am unsure of the measurements?? could anyone help? my sump size is 4ftLx50cmWx43cmH (note: the actual height of the tank is 50cm but there is a drilled hole in the tank so max height of tank is 43cm)

any help would be appreciated!!!

 

oops just noticed the middle baffle is way to high!! just ignore that, it will be about an inch off the bottom of the tank

 

um generally sumps are not beneficial for a freshwater tank, inless youy have a planted tank.

 

I disagree. I have been running a 30g sump on my 90g cichlid tank for over a year now. It makes water changes so easy. The water level in the display tank remains a constant level and i get superb filtration options compared to HOB filters. When i make a water change i just turn off pump, vacuum the sand, add some dechlorinator to the sump and hook up a hose to my sink and fill it up. Turning on the pump to fill the display tank is much easier than lifting 5g buckets to the top edge of the display tank which is higher than a usual stand bc of my diy stand.

My sump has no and doesnt need any baffles. 1 30g tank, 1 diy overflow, 1 pump, and 1 diy sponge filter tower=all i needed.

 

"um generally sumps are not beneficial for a freshwater tank, inless youy have a planted tank"

so so Wrong, they have great benifit lets see increased airation bio filtration water volume for a more stable system,

Plz have some idea of what you are talking about before you post

 

ooooppsss osrry all, i didnt mean beneficial, i ment nessiary, haha

 

lol
true not necessary
but every bit helps

But back to original post
Bio balls are not bad for freshwater
There's alot of fw sump info on these sites which i found very helpfup when i started my cichlid tanks
Cichlid-Forum.com
Cichlid Forums - Neotropical and African Cichlid Aquarist Community

 

as i understand it.the bioballs got a bad rep only when the people failed to clean a 3rd of them off each month.if left onlone without proper care the bioballs crashed the tank.thats just what i read.i've never used them myself.my live rock takes the place of bioballs.

 

You should perhaps incorporate an easy access filter sponge area for prefilter polishing, then the media tower area (bioballs) of the filter design emersed from the sump water level when under normal running conditions for more efficiency.
You can automate many things by using a sump design for sure. I would say that having a lit pony tank that has plants in it would be of value also as a sort of freshwater version of an algae scrubber.