How would a SUMP improve my current setup??

[chuckiesmalls]

OK and this is probably because of phillydubs recent post but I am interested in building a sump possibly but don't want to waste my time if its really not needed.

The main reason would be to create a healthier environment for my fish vs. my current fish/setup...or help them or future discus grow grow, etc.

Secondarily because it will make my tank look cleaner/more simplistic without heaters, sponges and tubes from my current Aquaclears.

BUT are there any other advantages I am not thinking of? How much better would a sump do in comparison to my existing setup and what changes might I see in my aquarium?

I currently do daily 50-70% water changes in my 100 gal. which houses 11 discus....all about 1 year old and a few months. All are over 5' except for my AMG and ABD which are about 4". In addition, about once a week I will do a bigger change at about 90%, wipe down my walls and gently rinse my filters in aquarium water.

I WOULD NOT be doing this to decrease the amount of water changes and/or maintenance but actually just to create a better, healthier environment for my discus.

If I did get a sump I would try to keep it as small as possible. I saw phillydubs has a 29g...something like that I would imagine. Something that could fit under my existing tank without too much trouble.

Will a 29g sump help my fish more than their current situation/setup? Why?

Any comments, suggestions or insights are greatly appreciated.

[Debow]

Adding a sump adds water volume and improves fluctuations in water parameters, I use my sump to hold fish that need a "time out" or a rest from the group. good place to store extra media to have on hand for qt tanks, hospital tanks. Sumps have a endless customizable setup for media, refugium, filter material, I grew out some of my amazon swords in my sump. These are just what I have on my mind right now but I am sure others will chime in.

[atlantadiscus]

If you plan on continuing your present water change routine,I cant see the benefit of changing your filtration system,other than aesthetic.

[Phillydubs]

Oh no... What did I do now!! Hahahah...

At least I know someone reads the crap I post! LOL

Anyways... There are a few points that I may make, good and bad...

The Good:

Water Volume Increase
Cosmetic - which I love FYI - That clean wireless look is damn sleek and nice.
Water flow - turnover rate- this one hasn't been mentioned yet and I am not sure off hand the rates on the AC's but I have to imagine that small motor opposed to one that does upwards of 1000 gallons an hour is a big difference.
More room for media or fun toys - uv's whatever else

The Bad:
Cleaning - I find this isn't bad for me cause I already use a pump system to pull water. But I remember in my bucket days it was a PIA. Also, without a motor pump and the sump on the floor it is hard to get suction to pull water. The AC's are so easy to clean to fix anything if need be. Also if you run multiple AC's if one fails others are going, if your sump fails you are in trouble.

Final Weigh in - if you have the funds and time and plan to run this tank as is for a while I say do it. They are rather cheap to toss together and I enjoy the functionality and added benefits thus far

[Hart24601]

Spend $20 and get a bucket head wet/dry vac from home depot! Goes right on a 5g bucket and makes sump cleaning a breeze!

[rickztahone]

If this is a grow out tank, I would say to keep it as is. A sump offers aesthetics to me as well as practicality, but if you don't really feel the need to mess with something that isn't broken, keep doing what you are doing :)

[Neptune]

Agree with the above but:

1. Higher volume of water.
2. less maintenance and easier to clean. i just completely tore my sump down yesterday. Pulled all the media, used a buckethead to suck the chambers dry, rinse media and replaced. Start to finish 20 minutes. Fish look VERY happy!
3. Equipment is out of the main tank.
4. Easier to run reactors like a Purigen reactor.
5. Cheaper, I think i have about $100 into mine including the media and the pump. You can't get a canister with that GPH for that price.
6. You can drill and run a bean animal!

I personally would never run a display tank again without a bean animal and a sump.

[Phillydubs]

What's so great about the bean animal? I've heard the. And alkt

[gators111]

Bean animals are a somewhat complex setup, and as such are used a lot on reef tanks. Check out Bulk Reef Supply on Youtube. They've got a good video of how to set one up and the pros and cons of one.

[Phillydubs]

Cool thanks. Link?

[gators111]

Here it is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1tAnhIGpgA

[Neptune]

dead quite, self starting, clog resistant, power outage resistant.

[Phillydubs]

Thanks guys !

[Fred Grunt]

If you add a sump, larger is better just for the fact of evaporation. smaller the sump, more sensitive the system is to water levels. we all do a ton of water changes but it helps when you're on VC. All in all I a big sump fan.

[rickztahone]

Cool thanks. Link?

or you can check out my build thread on my Bean Animal setup. I made a video on youtube that is in my thread explaining how it all works ;)

[anngocta]

I love to use sump. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with hob or canister filter if cleaned regularly. I just like the sump for the ease of cleaning as well as getting a much cleaner looking display tank. I put all the heater, reactors, uv sterilizer into the sump. And you can hold 3x more biological media inside the sump as well as being able to easily add or remove chemicals filtration makes it worth it to me.

[Jack L]

all the above is correct

i also like the sump because if gives you room to try different things. i.e. right now prompted by post from Hart on another thread i'm trying water lettuce in mine.

i used herbie method, and it made it quieter than a whipser HOB