The perfect sump

port hole · 03-13-2006, 09:25 PM

I want to build a sump for my 75 gal and wanted to know what everyone thought would be an essentail characteristics in the sump and what would be a waste of time to place in it.

motorslave · 03-13-2006, 09:34 PM

A sump is basically a place to hide stuff like heaters, probes, skimmers etc.. It also increases you overall volume for better stability. One thing I have learned is to leave room for things you may get in the future.
Check out the article in the FAQ section under "articles" there is a bunch of info there!

R

Tim224DT · 03-13-2006, 09:40 PM

Build as big of a sump as you can leaving room for expansion like Robert said.

Tim

Arlo · 03-14-2006, 12:48 PM

Here is one for you..

Arlo

Geoff · 03-15-2006, 09:11 AM

i feel a sump should just be a sump. inlet on one side and outlet on the other. nothing in between. maybe a couple of baffles on each end for bubble evacuation, but that is it. i think refugiums are a waste of time and effort. leave it empy and call it good.

G~

Tim224DT · 03-15-2006, 02:18 PM

Of course a skimmer in the sump also?

Tim

fat-tony · 03-15-2006, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geoff

i feel a sump should just be a sump. inlet on one side and outlet on the other. nothing in between. maybe a couple of baffles on each end for bubble evacuation, but that is it. i think refugiums are a waste of time and effort. leave it empy and call it good.

G~

I wouldn't say a waste of time. If you have animals that require a good critter population, you can't beat it. Couple that with the nutrient export you get form macro, you have a tank that is fairly clean and abundant life to boot.....

Geoff · 03-15-2006, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fat-tony

I wouldn't say a waste of time. If you have animals that require a good critter population, you can't beat it. Couple that with the nutrient export you get form macro, you have a tank that is fairly clean and abundant life to boot.....

well, then, where do you put the skimmer? if you put the skimmer before the refugium, than the skimmer will remove all food the fuge needs to eat. if you put the skimmer after the fuge than it will remove all of the food you want sent up to the display.

why would a pod want to be pumped up to the display? in order for a fuge to supply food to the display the food has to get there. i do not see why a pod would want to get near a violent incurrent.

if your skimmer is doing a decent job than there is no nutrients for the macro to export. IMO if you are able to grow macro than you have a high DOC content in your water column.

these are all reasons to counteract the limitations of a DSB.

G~

fat-tony · 03-15-2006, 04:14 PM

the idea of the refuge is for life to safely grow.

The skimmer would go before the fuge. Let's be honest, not much life is going to be A) pulled out by the skimmer and B) even make it all the way to the skimmer besides.

A pod will not have much say in the matter of being pumped to the display. All they have to do is move toward the top of the water column and they will be taken up. I'm confident they lack the reasoning to say "I better not move too high or I'll be moved across those baffles and then pumped via a mag 5 to the display". They're not the most intelligent of lifeforms and will swim across the current and will be taken up to the display.

Some people also like the idea of growing their own macro. It pulls garbage and can act as a food source. It all depends on what the person wishes to accomplish with their own setup.

My point was to provide both sides of the story so he could choose what he felt best with his sump setup.

Geoff · 03-15-2006, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fat-tony

the idea of the refuge is for life to safely grow.

The skimmer would go before the fuge. Let's be honest, not much life is going to be A) pulled out by the skimmer and B) even make it all the way to the skimmer besides.

A pod will not have much say in the matter of being pumped to the display. All they have to do is move toward the top of the water column and they will be taken up. I'm confident they lack the reasoning to say "I better not move too high or I'll be moved across those baffles and then pumped via a mag 5 to the display". They're not the most intelligent of lifeforms and will swim across the current and will be taken up to the display.

Some people also like the idea of growing their own macro. It pulls garbage and can act as a food source. It all depends on what the person wishes to accomplish with their own setup.

My point was to provide both sides of the story so he could choose what he felt best with his sump setup.

the object of a skimmer is to remove life. it is suppose to remove organic matter in the water column. this includes bacteria and plankton. if it is not than you are not running your skimmer properly. if the flows are matched properly than there should be clean water going into the next chamber of a fuge. in a properly set up system the water through the sump should equal the amount of water the skimmer processes. any more flow than this is just wasted water movement. not really helping the system IMO.

how often have you seen pods being ejected from your return? i ran a gravity feed fuge for close to 2 years. during that whole time i never saw a pod fall out of the fuge and into the display. i also found the amount of food necessary to support these added critters was creating more work in maintenance than they were actually helping.

i do agree with a balanced arguement, but i also agree with good reasoning.

G~

fat-tony · 03-15-2006, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geoff

how often have you seen pods being ejected from your return?
G~

That in itself is not the best reasoning. Are you saying you watched your gravity-fed refuge returns everyday, all day for 2 years?

Pods themselves are heavier than most organic compounds "bubbled out" into a skimmer cup so they'd likely be passed right through if they even did make their way to the overflow (whether they be eaten first or venture all the way too the surface instead of hanging out in 100#'s of LR). Personally I haven't ever seen a pod laying dead in a skimmer cup.

Kent E. · 03-18-2006, 07:10 PM

I think you both could be right. I had two full size sally light foots once, and both got sucked up in the skimmer. One just blew out the return unharmed, the other got caught in the turbulence and got skimmed up in the cup. He must of been there for a week or so, a little dazed but after I scrubbed him down with a scrub brush he was no worse for the wear.

Kent E. · 03-18-2006, 09:07 PM

Not really...

koko · 04-06-2006, 10:56 AM

I personally like to run Both an empty sump AND a gravity-fed refugium. In my sump (which has only a bio-ball stack, a skimmer, and a heater in it) has 2 return pumps. One feeds directly back into the display, and the other pumps upstairs to my refugium. I keep macro & seahorses in the 'fuge upstairs. I sectioned off 1/4 of the 'fuge to serve as an overflow and Carlson-type surge bucket.

Both my sump and 'fuge are former 55-gallon tanks. The 'fuge has been drilled and sectioned. but my sump is an intact tank. Running both in my system adds approximately 75 gallons to the water column for maximum water stability. While some water bypasses the skimmer in my sump, I still get great results. My skimmer is a Euro-Reef CS6-2+ that just sits in my sump, no baffles, no nothin'.

Peace,
koko