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Ok, I've heard alot about these things here and I know what they essentially are, but I still don't get it. Can someone explain it to me in specifics so I can understand?
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Looking to buy a cephalopod? Check out Tomh's Cephs Forum, and this post in particular shares important info about our policies as it relates to responsible ceph-keeping.
SUMP?
- Thread starter superwaterguy52
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superwaterguy52;80617 said:
A sump is a seperate tank/container that is used to store water/add more volume to your system but water is exchanged between it and the main tank via pump/air lift. They can also be used in a lot of different ways such as filters, holding tanks for injured fish, refugiums, etc.
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Sumps have alot of advantages:
1.Sumps are also normally hidden because they are filled with the ugly equipment - the skimmer, algae-filled refugium, charcoal, heaters, etc.
2.The water level also stays the same in the tank and the sump water level changes so your tank always looks nice.
3.The added water volume helps stabilize the tank chemistry.
4.Normally equi[ment made for sumps is more heavy duty than hang on the back versions.
Here is a link to a sump article (I lost the other ones that go with it-sorry)
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/gt/index.php
1.Sumps are also normally hidden because they are filled with the ugly equipment - the skimmer, algae-filled refugium, charcoal, heaters, etc.
2.The water level also stays the same in the tank and the sump water level changes so your tank always looks nice.
3.The added water volume helps stabilize the tank chemistry.
4.Normally equi[ment made for sumps is more heavy duty than hang on the back versions.
Here is a link to a sump article (I lost the other ones that go with it-sorry)
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-07/gt/index.php
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A sump can be as simple as a smaller aquarium inside the stand of the big one. Water drains into it via gravity from the main tank, and a pump sends it back up.
The complicated part is how you drain water from your big tank. Your tank will either have holes already drilled in it for this purpose or not.
If your tank already has holes, it probably already has what's called an "overflow box" around the hole (this is commonly called a "reef-ready" tank). The primary purpose of this box is to define the water level in the tank: if the hole is at the bottom of the tank and there is no overflow box, all the water in the tank can drain out!
If you have no holes, one common solution is an item called a siphon (or "hang on back") overflow. This is basically two plastic boxes, one that sits in the tank and one just outside. A U-shaped plastic tube connects them and water flows from the inside box to the outside box; and from the outside box down a pipe or a hose to your sump. The boxes are set up in a way that the siphon won't break if it water flow stops. Given that, some siphon overflows should be avoided like the Plague (particularly Marineland and CPR brands). The best brands are Lifereef, Amiracle and Hurricane.
Another option if you don't have holes is to make holes. With a special diamond-coated hole-saw ($10), a power drill and a little patience, an amateur can drill holes safely and quickly in an aquarium. I personally think this is an infinitely better solution than using a siphon overflow. If you drill your own holes you will also need to install some sort of overflow box, for the reason described above; however this isn't too difficult.
The important trick is to find a way to make the overflows escape proof, since octos can find their way into very small places. A bit of fiberglass window screen and a lot of creativity go a long way!
Dan
The complicated part is how you drain water from your big tank. Your tank will either have holes already drilled in it for this purpose or not.
If your tank already has holes, it probably already has what's called an "overflow box" around the hole (this is commonly called a "reef-ready" tank). The primary purpose of this box is to define the water level in the tank: if the hole is at the bottom of the tank and there is no overflow box, all the water in the tank can drain out!
If you have no holes, one common solution is an item called a siphon (or "hang on back") overflow. This is basically two plastic boxes, one that sits in the tank and one just outside. A U-shaped plastic tube connects them and water flows from the inside box to the outside box; and from the outside box down a pipe or a hose to your sump. The boxes are set up in a way that the siphon won't break if it water flow stops. Given that, some siphon overflows should be avoided like the Plague (particularly Marineland and CPR brands). The best brands are Lifereef, Amiracle and Hurricane.
Another option if you don't have holes is to make holes. With a special diamond-coated hole-saw ($10), a power drill and a little patience, an amateur can drill holes safely and quickly in an aquarium. I personally think this is an infinitely better solution than using a siphon overflow. If you drill your own holes you will also need to install some sort of overflow box, for the reason described above; however this isn't too difficult.
The important trick is to find a way to make the overflows escape proof, since octos can find their way into very small places. A bit of fiberglass window screen and a lot of creativity go a long way!
Dan
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marinebio_guy;80623 said:
So, if I have a 50 gallon tank, and a 30 gallon filter sump, is that the same thing as having an 80 gallon tank?
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In a sense, yes...when you are looking at keeping cephs, though, it would still be regarded as a 50 gallon tank, suitable for a bimac or smaller species. The amount of waste produced by cephalopods is tremendous, and a sump is really the preferred method of maintaining good water quality.
Greg
Greg
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How would I set up a sump in a relatively large rubbermaid crate?
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superwaterguy52;80830 said:
Final Tank Review-Improvements Appreciated
This is my final setup. If you can get away with one tub it will be much simpler. The problem I had was joining the tubs in a way that would allow for the 3000 gph flow rate.
This is a overbuilt, complicated sump system. Most sumps are simple and straight forward.
If you need multiple tubs I would spend the cash and go with a glass system with bulkhead connectors. I do much prefer the multiple tub setup, but perfecting it took 3 rebuilds to come up with this.
KISS protocol is very applicable to sumps.
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