Fresh Water Sump?

[aeroman9000]

So does anyone have any experience running a sump type system on a freshwater tank? I ended up with a complete 72 gallon bow front reef setup (stand, tank, heater, 4 bulb t5h0 light, eheim return pump, hob overflow and acrylic refugium for $100) I couldnt pass the deal up, but I am using the tank for freshwater instead. I would like to maybe use the sump setup aswell? I am currently running a Marineland Mag. 350. Any thoughts? Is it worth the time setting up?

Thanks!

 

[Bob]

I would use it, i use one on my cichlid tank, makes life way easier.

 

[Anonymous]

Sumps are said to be the best type filtration. I have used one on my 140 now for about 7 years. Before that I had a 55 acrylic saltwater set up that I converted to freshwater. Very simple conversion.

 

[Madness]

I run sumps on all tanks 150 gal and up. I would run them on all the 75's as well but it is much cheaper to run air on sponge filters in all of the tanks under 150.

 

[aeroman9000]

So what configuration are you guys running the sump media? Mine looks to be Return flow through fiber mat, drip down onto (fill in the blank) media? then water returns to pump holding area. Should I be using Bio Balls?

 

[Madness]

Can you post a picture or 2 of the actual sump, it will be easier to explain I think.

 

[Anonymous]

1600 GPH duel over low with prefilters. Aqualifter with prefilter for instant prime. Customization includes tops w/ straws on the water inlets to stop any gurgling and an acrylic top to further reduce water movement noise.



30 gallon sump. From top left - 2 inch thick course sponge prefilter with a filter mat laying on top to catch large debris. 2nd comartment (trickle), bio filter mat. 3rd comartment 3 inch square sponge. 3rd compartment, and 4th where the pump inlet is are currently clear from filter media. At the end is an an external 1200GPH pump filtering a 140 gallon tank. I use these last compartments for paramiter buffers and what ever else I can think of like CO2 defusers. There is also a water top off line. You can just make it out as a white water line with a black sponge on the end to defuse water pressure. I also have an LED pendant attached to the rim. I'm currently growing plant clippings in these last 2 comartments. The filter in the fourth compartment only catches potential plant debris from plants growing in the sump.



The second compartment is where one would put bio balls if they had them. After research I found this 2 - 3 inch bio filter mat at a local Koi garden store. With research it is said to have more surface area than bio balls. So I went with this bio mat. Its been in there about 7 years now.

 

[Grimblegrumble]

Where did you get the light for the sump? I like the style.

 

[Anonymous]

Where did you get the light for the sump? I like the style.

That is an Aquatop pendent (nano?) ,(I think TYPE-P), I picked up used from AquariumCoop a while back. I see them on Amazon and ebay but haven't bumped into anymore locally.

 

[aeroman9000]

WOW thats a really nice Sump Setup, Thank You for sharing that. I still cant figure out how to post pictures on here! But my sump is almost exactly the same as the one pictured. I like the idea of the bio mat better than the bio balls.

 

[aeroman9000]

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/t453/Michael_Olafsson/sump_zpso1ob5k65.jpg?t=1427900252

 

[aeroman9000]

This is my Sump.....

 

[Madness]

okay well it's pretty easy the very top tray is where your filter floss goes pads whatever you want to use, under that and on top of the white tray is where your boo balls go or whatever type of filter mechanical media you want to use, what Chad used I've heard a lot of great things about, i haven't tried it myself. in the middle there between the two dividers is designed for a sponge if you do not have a sponge you could probably cram more filter floss there and then where the rocks are is where you put your return pump and your heater.

 

[aeroman9000]

Very cool that helps. I will plumb it in this weekend. So I was looking at doing a spraybar down the back of the tank.....but I have noticed alot of people putting it to one end, any thoughts on whats best?

 

[jrygel]

Great info! I'm thinking about running a sump on my next tank project and have been doing a lot of research on it lately - my tank isn't that large, only 48 g, but I'm leaning toward a sump mostly to deal with evaporation from a topless tank and to get as much equipment as possible out of the tanks (it's viewable from all four sides) - but the massive amount of media and corresponding lower maintenance will be nice. Thinking I'll be making my own sump from a standard 20g tank - limited space in the cabinet below, but exactly the right amount of space for a 20 gallon sump and my 5 lb CO2 bottle.

Very cool that helps. I will plumb it in this weekend. So I was looking at doing a spraybar down the back of the tank.....but I have noticed alot of people putting it to one end, any thoughts on whats best?

I'm currently running a spraybar with my canister, and I started running it in the back pointing forward, but found that with the short distance from front to back, the flow would hit the front glass and create a noticeable downward current along the front glass, so all of my fish always looked a bit like they were struggling against a current when they were front and center - It wasn't so much that I think it was hurting anything (it's only a 250 gph canister filter), I just didn't like how it looked. I moved it to the side opposite the filter intake, pointing along the length of the tank (toward the filter intake), and like this much better - the flow is very gentle by the time it gets to the other side of the tank and I don't notice the fish 'struggling' in the current as much - even though there is still quite a bit of surface agitation everywhere in the tank.

-Justin

 

[aeroman9000]

Makes sense over the long distance diffuses the flow a bit

 

[Madness]

Very cool that helps. I will plumb it in this weekend. So I was looking at doing a spraybar down the back of the tank.....but I have noticed alot of people putting it to one end, any thoughts on whats best?

Remember how ever you do it makes sure that it is agitating the surface.

 

[Anonymous]

Very cool that helps. I will plumb it in this weekend. So I was looking at doing a spraybar down the back of the tank.....but I have noticed alot of people putting it to one end, any thoughts on whats best?

I've tried about every configuration of overflow and water return. Not like I had any real issue, just trying to obtain the best water movement/circulation. My tank is 7 foot long. Spay bar at one end, over flow on the other. This configuration has worked real well.

 

[Anonymous]

reniculous1


I just seen this set up forsale here on WashingtonFishBox. Thought it was neat the way the member used ceramics. Just another way to configure the filter media in a sump.
viewtopic.php?p=115755#p115755

 

[jrygel]

1600 GPH duel over low with prefilters. Aqualifter with prefilter for instant prime. Customization includes tops w/ straws on the water inlets to stop any gurgling and an acrylic top to further reduce water movement noise.



30 gallon sump. From top left - 2 inch thick course sponge prefilter with a filter mat laying on top to catch large debris. 2nd comartment (trickle), bio filter mat. 3rd comartment 3 inch square sponge. 3rd compartment, and 4th where the pump inlet is are currently clear from filter media. At the end is an an external 1200GPH pump filtering a 140 gallon tank. I use these last compartments for paramiter buffers and what ever else I can think of like CO2 defusers. There is also a water top off line. You can just make it out as a white water line with a black sponge on the end to defuse water pressure. I also have an LED pendant attached to the rim. I'm currently growing plant clippings in these last 2 comartments. The filter in the fourth compartment only catches potential plant debris from plants growing in the sump.



The second compartment is where one would put bio balls if they had them. After research I found this 2 - 3 inch bio filter mat at a local Koi garden store. With research it is said to have more surface area than bio balls. So I went with this bio mat. Its been in there about 7 years now.

FishNAbowl: That looks like your sump is somewhat wet-dry. You also run CO2 on that tank, correct? Do you have issues getting enough CO2 saturation with a wet-dry sump? I had been planning on using a fully wet sump with sponges and ceramic media, but I like the idea of wet-dry . . .