leximommy

what are the advantages of having a sump and what are the advantages of not having a sump...also the cons of each..... do you have to drill holes or anything? how do you install one.....all details would be aprieciated....

sgould

Advantages are that it increases your systems total water volume. Larger volume systems tend to have more stable water quality than smaller systems. Also, with a sump you can move a lot of your filtering equipment to the sump, taking it out of sight for viewing the display tank. Down side is...uh...not much. I suppose risk of flooding if things are not plumbed just right.

Agsansoo can answer better as far as the plumbing and installation.

leximommy

ok well how/where would i get one and how do you set it up?

timg

Most sumps are DIY affairs. You make it to suit yourself and the needs you have.
Advantages are:
increased volume, as already mentioned
choice of filters. you can select your own media
the option to move not just the filtering but also the heaters out of the main tank

The dis-advantages are:
Risk of flooding; most sumps are installed below the tank, which can lead to problems with siphon effect, difficulty controlling the flow to and from etc
getting the water to and from the sump; It is best to have the pipes drilled into the tank, but if this is not practical, then powerheads or siphons have to be used. This then causes flow regulation problems.

The overall opinion is that if you are not sure what you are doing, either get someone to do it for you, or buy an alternative filter.

leximommy

ok well i have small kids so i cant take a chance on flooding and we rent so....


what would an alternitive filter be?

timg

Alternatives would depend on the size of the tank and what you keep in it. If you are running a reasonable size of tank, as in 55 gallons + then a cannister filter would be a good option, if it's smaller then either HoB or internal filters.

It depends on how much money you want to spend and where you live.

In the UK, HoB's are very expensive, Under Gravel Filters are very cheap, in the USA, it's the other way round.

bhcaaron

Thanks once again LexiMommy, once more you ask a question I had in mind. Also I wanted to ask another question for anyone reading...

Since a sump is not intended for public view, can a sturdy plastic container (like a small trashcan or clothes bin) be used? Will the plastic withstand the salinity?

leximommy

ok....i know whats what for the most part now, but im still not sure what i should get.....
is there anyways i could get a piece by piece list of what yall think is nessacary to keep a tank (30-55 gallons) running smoothly....NO SUMP! i know there are more advantages, but id rather try the basics to start out with...what would be "luxery" items yall think are nice to have?

bhcaaron

Fish!

leximommy

ok aaron! my original plan was to spend hundreds of dollars on a great tank setup and then just watch the empty tank....but your idea is better! lol

your funny

timg

No reason why not. Most of the small commercially available sumps are manufactured in plastic.

That is a luxury that only comes when everything else is right!

Saltwater or freshwater? The two setups are entirely different

agsansoo

Yes ... Sturdy is the key word. Rubbermaid Brute container are the preferred plastic container for sumps (strong, inert, easy to drill and cheap). Any plastic container should also be food grade, Any container made for holding food will more than likely be "food grade". Others will leak, crack or seep chemicals into the water.

bhcaaron

Wow, leximommy! You're weirder than I thought! hahaha! JK

Thanks to the other two answers about plastic.

Leximommy... were you thinking fish only, fowlr, or reef?

leximommy

fish only with live rock....i know everyone says about 1 lbs per gallon of water, but i probly wont have that much....maybe half that..... id want it mainly for my fish, not for the filtering......


can you mix substrate? like live sand mixed with crushed coral.... and how should you do it? half on one side half on the other, one on top and one on bottom....mixed all the way through?

agsansoo

Just make sure you have plenty of mechanical filtration or heavy protein skimming. Also I wouldn't mix the substrates. Smaller pieces will settle to the bottom, larger will stay on the top. Please stay away from crushed coral, it promotes nitrate build up. Stick with sand.

bhcaaron

I'm confused. I thought substrate was supposed to be a good thing. The Aquarium Dictionay states this about substrate:

Sometimes anaerobic conditions can form in the aquarium substrate and if these areas are disturbed, harmful compounds such as hydrogen sulfide can get released into the tank.

So, do the pro's outweigh the con's? I'd preffer not to endanger my future fishies at all. Can someone explain?

sgould

That is one reason why you want to be sure your substrate stays well oxygenated. One way to do that is to include "sand sifting" inhabitants (some types of snails, some types of stars, even some types of fish) that will regularly dig/sift/stir the substrate. Lacking any of those species, another way would be to periodically stir up the substrate yourself by hand.

leximommy

ok well how hard is it to keep a tank with sand? dont you have to vacume it often? if not how often should you do this and what would be the best way in a tank with sand.....oh and if i have a 50 gallon tank and i changed about 2 gallons a week would that be enough to matter or would i need to do like 12 gallons a month at one time.....and if doing little water changes is good how in the world does it make a difference in such a big tank?


lol sorry just wondering....