Simon Krugers

bio8504 · 04-29-2009, 11:21 PM

First I would like to start out by saying that I'm very new to the hobby and I don't want to offend anyone but I have a question. I was reading about Simon Kruger's 92 Gal. tank and I saw the picture of his sump that he had. I am starting a 125 Gal. reef tank and I was wondering if I would need that kind of a setup. It looked as if you could run an entire fish store off of that.

Jnicho · 04-29-2009, 11:49 PM

There are about as many possible configs for a sump as you can dream up...for a basic system it does not have to be terribly complicated.

motorslave · 04-29-2009, 11:53 PM

Hi and welcome!!!
Sumps are great things! They allow us a place to put equipment other than in the display tank, they allow us much more versatility when it comes to the type and size of equipment we purchase also (i.e. skimmers, UV etc). One of the best things about a sump is the added volume. This added volume helps make a more stable system and provide a cushion in the event of a tragedy or accident such as some sort of toxin in the water or an un-noticed death. "The solution to pollution is delusion" is a saying that covers it.
Now how complicated you make a sump is entirely up to you and what you want fo the system, as well as the type of equipment you plan or have. I prefer a simple glass aquarium as large as I can fit in its designated space. Throw in a few baffles and a make sure your skimmer will fit and your set. Simple doesn't mean un-effective by any means. Do a search on sumps here and you will find all kinds of info!
Again, welcome to TRT!

aquawolf · 04-30-2009, 01:01 AM

Welcome to TRT!!!

I do not know who Simon Krugers is, but here is a link that you should find very helpful when dealing with questions about sumps and their designs.

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

HTH

Geoff · 04-30-2009, 10:19 AM

Welcome to TRT!!

G~

scoop · 04-30-2009, 10:40 AM

Motorslave, You might mean 'The solution to pollution is dilution'.

Maybe thinking we can get or keep our tanks clean is delusional, but more water volume is a benefit.

Loverotties · 04-30-2009, 11:08 AM

Welcome to TRT!

tdwyatt · 04-30-2009, 06:03 PM

Simon (Kennesaw, Ga) will be the first to tell you that his system has a relatively small display and a very large sump. His reasoning is that it does allow him a large total body of water for a moderately-sized display so he CAN be on occasion a little lax on his husbandry (Simon travels a bit back to South Africa and his business keeps him moving). A large system in relation to a smaller system display also provides for a settleing effect for detrital suspended materialise, great additin to a high-flow display. I'll send him a note and ask him to comment on his constructural reasoning, and maybe he'll post his reasons for this more concisely than I have.

tdwyatt · 04-30-2009, 06:04 PM

Addendum: Simon's current setup now has a 300 gallon display tied to a 600 USG sump in his basement...

motorslave · 04-30-2009, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scoop

Motorslave, You might mean 'The solution to pollution is dilution'.

Maybe thinking we can get or keep our tanks clean is delusional, but more water volume is a benefit.

Doh!!!!

aquawolf · 04-30-2009, 08:35 PM

Thanks for the additional information Tom. That definitely sounds like a system worth seeing as well. I truly wish I had a basement.

tdwyatt · 04-30-2009, 09:54 PM

Simon say, "hit al the keys at once on yur keyboard"

now stomp yer feet...

No, NO, No, Simon didn't day, "Stomp your feet"...

Simon said he would come by and post a little about the current setup with his tank, as well as some info on the reasoning behind the original setup and some pix!

aquawolf · 04-30-2009, 10:18 PM

Sounds great Tom, although I never was very good at Simon says. I stomped my feet.

simon.kruger · 05-04-2009, 03:46 PM

"Simon says"

Well its all more innocent than it looks. I had a 1800 sqft basement so space wasnt an issue. I chose an area in the basement and started the build. I went with a 600 gallon acylic sump because i wanted everything to be easy to maintain. No more bending over and struggling with the plumbing or tweaking the skimmer late at night. Ive been there done that. The actual sump is a 8ftx4ftx2ft and my idea was to have some of it as a frag station. I even designed a shelving system in the sump for that. With all that said I do have some interesting points that may help you decide if this the way you want to go.

I have a very turbulant reef system. The display tank is a 300 Gallon with 4 Tunze Streams and a Sequence 5300 as a return. I'm guessing the flow in the tank is approx 15K gallons an hour. I have a few fish, some say to many :-), ok about 50+ some are large like the crosshatch triggers and the black tongue unicorn. My most recent favorite saying is "big fish = big pooh". What goes with that is quite a bit of food. I buy food in bulk sizes and always get the strange stares. With all this I grown to like the larger sump setup for its ability to settle all this detritus out before it returns back up to the display. I've also dropped approximately 1000lbs of live rock in the sump. Just because my bioload is so high. I have approx 600lbs in the display. What I can say is the amount of sponges i can keep is unbelievable. I love sponges and this set up is awesome for that. Multi colors as well.

As Tom so eloquently stated I travel alot. Sometimes out for weeks/months at a time. I just didnt want any issues. My wife doesnt help out with this tank (I'd like a poll on that just to see what others a doing ;-) ). Asking her to feed the fish is a bridge to far. I actually have someone come in just to do that. They never need to go to the basement to check anything.

My plan was to automate as much as possible I have had some success with this. I think i could do more but money is a limiting factor especially now. Today I automate the top off (you'll be surprised that i only evaporate approx 1.5 gallons a day) on this system. I also automate or at least make it easy for myself to do water changes. I can do a 120 Gallon W/C in a shot and it all by turn valves and pushing buttons. The skimmer is monster at over 6ft tall and really only needs to be emptied every month. The collection cup holds a few gallons of "well you know what".

I have always lived by this moto. Display tank should be Glass and the Sump plastic or acrylic. This has not changed in my opinion. Adding hard plumbing to this sump is a breeze.

Oh yeah, I forgot the big point. My sump was cheap considering the display system. Even though its double the size. Today that might not be the case. Sump is approx 5 years old.

Would i do it again. Absolutely YES.

I hope this helps. If you have more questions please dont hesitate to PM privately.

Simon Says "Go big"

Sorry for the pictures they were taken by my iPhone.