how does a sump work/90 gal. drilled tank ?

[Munchkinz]

Hi,
My LFS has a 90 gallon drilled tank w/wood stand, canopy, uv light and sump for $380. Which sounds like a great deal to me (was there saltwater display tank). My question are these; can the drilled holes be plugged without it leaking? and/or never having a drilled tank or a sump how do they work? Do you just put tubes in the holes, what type of pump do you need. Can you just use a canister filter such as a Ehiem or is there something special you need. I hope this does'nt sound like dumb questions.

Darlene

[William Palumbo]

The holes can be covered with a suitable peice of glass and siloconed in place and will not leak if done properly. Usually drilled tanks drain into a sump or external filter, where then the water is routed back to the tank via a pump. Probally easier to just plug the tank...Bill

[Jhhnn]

If the used setup is a complete system, you might want to try it as is. Inquire with the seller.

The introduction of sump type wet/dry filters revolutionized salt water aquariums, and they supposedly have benefits for freshwater, too. Water flows from the main tank via a surface overflow down into the sump, where it trickles over bio-media, through various other media if desired, and is then pumped back up to the main tank. There are additional considerations with this type of filter, particularly wrt maintaining water level and avoiding back-siphoning if the pump should quit...

Lots of information online, like this, and lots of variations on the theme wrt submersible vs external pumps, overflow style, on and on-

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/wetdry.htm

Google up reef filter, wet/dry aquarium filter, and variations...

If it's not a complete system, or if it seems too daunting, then a properly sized piece of plate glass can be cut and siliconed in place, as has been mentioned. Take the sharp edges off the piece w/ wet/dry sandpaper or a whetstone, clean both surfaces squeaky-clean w/ acetone (no fingerprints!), glue in place w/ aquarium grade silicone seal...

[shoggoth43]

For Wet/Dry info, you can check around on several sites.

Here's a good one.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-01/gt/index.php

A sump gives you a lot of flexibility in that you have more water as part of your system and a place to put all your equipment. The only drawback to a sump is that you have to pump water back up to the tank so you won't be as efficient as a cannister filter. However, for something like a maxijet NJ5500 you're talking 75W at most running it full tilt. Smaller pumps aren't as bad and you can throttle them down for less electrical usage so it may not be all that bad. Bear in mind that to use a sump you really need an overflow setup. The link above should help clarify that.

If you already have the holes drilled you can just use a cannister filter and have hidden plumbing and all that. Throw in an inline heater and you can hide nearly everything in the stand. Use some locline and you can have some surprising flexibility in how you direct your water flow within the tank.

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S