Simple Sump Setup ?

[GlennR]

Sumps seem like the way to go.

I have a couple of questions though. For a 120 gallon tank what size tank should I use for a sump and what's a good size pump?

I have a couple Aquavia pumps that are rated at about 600 gph and very quiet, would that be a good size to use? Also, I have a 10 gallon tank in storage. Is that too small for a sump?

I'm sure there's a good thread that covers all my questions & has pictures & drawings, maybe somebody could point me to it?

thanks,

[SejRamkas]

I would not use a 10 gallon for a sump in a 120 gallon tank. I would put the largest sump you can fit under the stand/afford. I would say a minimum 20 gallon long for a sump, but something more like a 40 breeder might be better suited for that tank. The larger the sump you have the more total water volume you will technically have, and this leads to a more stable tank. I have a 10 gallon sump for my 55 because its the only tank I could fit under the stand, and I think it's too small. The larger sump will also give you more room for filter media to harvest beneficial bacteria for your tank.

there are plenty of DIY sump threads and websites online just do a google search. They all serve pretty mucht he same purpose it all just depends on how simple or complex you want to go. Its typically a good rule of thumb to have 8-10 times the turnover rate of the aquarium, so your 600 gph pump would be a bit undersized (I use a 600 gph pump in my 55 gallon). You would want to have a pump that does closer to 960 to 1200 gph to achieve this. However, you will need to account for head loss from the water column travelling from the sump up to the tank so the pump should ideally be slightly larger than this.

Is your 120 drilled? If it is not drilled you will need to build or buy an overflow or drill the tank. If you do buy an overflow it will also need to be large enough to facilitate your flow rate (which will be given with any overflow you look at purchasing).

[GlennR]

I haven't purchased the 120 yet. Can I order it predrilled, or do most folks drill it themselves? I have a large core bit that I use for drilling the glass vessel sinks I make, it's either a 1.25" or 1.5" (I can't remember). If the tank suppliers don't charge too much, I'm sure it would be wise to let them do it "just in case".

I'll google for the details. Seems there's plenty on things I need to know that I didn't think of asking.... ;)

[SejRamkas]

If you haven't already bought the tank and you want a sump then its a no brainer to get one pre drilled with an overflow. Just search for a "drilled 120 gallon". It will make things much easier on you to get one with a built in overflow if you for sure want to go with a sump.

[joanstone]

I have both predrilled and have drilled my own. I would get a predrilled tank. I would also get the biggest sump you can fit as one of the main reasons that I use a sump is for greater water volume. You can often get used tanks pretty inexpensively or Petco is still having their $1/gallon sale.

[GlennR]

The sumps that I've seen so far don't seem to have much water in them, maybe 25% or so. I guess I don't quite understand what I'm looking at yet.

I've seen a "fluidized bio reactor" design which utilizes an airstone to churn & oxygenate the bio media. It appears to be a good design, to my "novice sump mind anyway".

The $1 Petco sale is great, but I'd better wait until I actually have the main tank in case I change my mind about the exact size or dimensions.

[joanstone]

You can fill the sump as full as possible along as you allow space for the overflow of water in the event of a power outage. I do own a 48" 120 gallon. I really prefer 6' tanks.

[strawberryblonde]

I used a sump on my 48" 115g for a year.

I wanted a LARGE volume of water in my sump, so I used a 55g tank I had on hand. Filled it with Poret Foam sheets, added 40 gallons of water, a pump and a heater and I was good to go. Best water quality I've ever had in that tank! Sadly, my dog has a "happy tail" and landed one good thwack on the sump...end of sump.

[GlennR]

I'd like a 6' tank too, but 6' of wall space is hard to justify to my "better half". I'll have to prove my dedication and wait till she likes having Discus as much as I do. I'm okay with that. I was looking at an aquarium size/dimension chart and realized that there's a couple of 5' long tanks, I might be able to accommodate a 5'. :)

[SejRamkas]

http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

This guy really knows what he is talking about when it comes to sumps and has a load of information. There are a lot of great designs/pictures/tutorials to look at and this should be a good place for you to start. I know I relied heavily on this site when I was first building my sump. The design shown on this page is a good simple design. Essentially you have the first compartment that holds your bio media, then a second larger portion (in this case a refugium), and then the last portion is solely for hte sump. Since you are not doing saltwater a refugium is unnecessary and I use this compartment to stuff full of whatever filter media I want as well as holding my heater.

The three panes you see between the main compartment and the return pump are known as a "bubble trap" This is essential in any good sump as it causes the bubbles to get trapped in the first section because they float to the top and cant travel under the second baffle with the water. The extra turbulence of a sump causes small bubbles to form, and without this your return line would fill your tank with small bubbles which is annoying.

If you want to go more elaborate than this you can add a wet/dry setup which is essentially a trickle filter that "rains" through some bio media such as bio balls and allows for extra nitrification.

Hope this helps.

[GlennR]

Thanks Sej,

That looks like a good site.

[joanstone]

Keep it simple. A lot of people use Poret foam for dividers and kaldnes media. You can add other components as well, but it literally takes minutes to set up. I have my 55 gallon tank sump set up this way. The overflows from the display tank flow into each end of the sump. The sump is divided into 3 compartments, the center one holds the return pumps. The other ones hold heaters and media, etc. I actually have plants in one section with shrimp, riccia is growing all over one panel of my foam. I just added an external filter to the return compartment with a poly filter and Purigen. Overkill, but I had it laying around so threw it on. You can have the overflow water flow through something to trap debris before in enters the sump water as well. Basically, once you throw the foam in, you can play around with getting it the way you want it. I used to have a 100 gallon sump set up with glass baffles, etc for my saltwater tank. For freshwater, I took all that out. The baffles for saltwater really serve a different purpose-elimination of bubbles, holding water in areas that house different items like skimmers, live rock, calcium reactors, etc. In my freshwater sump, the baffles are one of the main components of the actual biological filtration. The bonus is, they're so easy. The downside is, Poret foam is pricey.

[GlennR]

Where's a good place to buy the Poret foam and the Kaldnes media?

[joanstone]

Stephan Tanner at Swiss Tropicals sells Poret and Kaldnes is available from a few places. I believe Josie from Chicago Discus (a sponsor here) has it.

[benbonsaikl]

I got a 75 gallon, recently plumbed overflow pipe, works wonder. I setup my sump using a 2 feet sump tank, 1st compartment mechanical , 2nd compartment bio filter and k1 media and heater with powerhead and 3rd using zeolite, carbon, UV and 3000l/h pump, with both inlet and outlet ball valve fitted. This already being optimum and I do wanna try out refugium sometime soon.

[farebox]

I have an 20G long DIY sump my 125G Discus tank. My tanks was not drilled, so I went with an overflow filter from LifeReef.com. I made mechanical filter tray and that drains into the K-1 micro section, then an 20ppi Poret foam, and last an 30ppi Poret foam from Swiss Tropicals. Also in the last section have an tray of Sera siporax bio filter medium. Using an Mag 9.5 pump for the return. This set up has been tested and true for over three yrs now with very little cleaning of the sump. https://youtu.be/wR4w-uvOAUo