Sumps

[demonmagus]

HI, could someone tell me about sumps.

How they work

Do you have to drill your aquarium

What you need for a sump ( pumps, e.t.c.)

What goes in a sump

And would this be helpful?

Can't get link to work so go into ebay.co.uk and type in 'juwel overflow'

Thanks

 

[andywg]

A sump gives an extra tank uderneath the tank to hold equipment and filter media in it. It is a very good form of filtration for larger setups as it allows extra media that most filters can only dream of, as well as much more surface area and agitation for oxygen exchange.

It works by having the water drain down to the tank and then you pump it back up. You don't have to drill the tank but it is normally suggested to as overflows have a lot more that can go wrong with them with losing syphon etc. It's safer to drill.

For a sump you will need:

A tank or container to be the actual sump

A pump to return the water to the display tank

A way to get the water into the sump (either a waterflow or a a drilled hole and downpipe)

Some baffles (pieces of glass or plastic to seperate different areas of the sump)

Plumbing to transport the water between the two tanks.


It is very helpful in larger fish centered tank with large waste producers, but the extra aeration makes planted tanks a lot harder.

Do a few searches in DIY and you should see plenty of stuff.

HIH

Andy

 

[bluefire]

theres plenty of stuff about sumps on google

 

[ChrisC]

Don't bother with a sump. Too much agro. A decent external with an inline heater is all you need.

Thanks
Chris

 

[Paul_MTS]

Have you had any experience with sumps Chris? if you have maybe you had a bad experience.

But all it takes is a litle more planning and time on the setting up, but after that you have amuch better system than any external filter.

The capacity of most sumps is much bigger than even the biggest external filters out on the market.

With sumps you have also increase the flowrate quite easily by change the pump if you don't feel it's enough. I run 4000lph on my 800l tank, most external filters for this size will run around 2000lph which i wouldn't be happy with as I'm currently thinking of upping my flowrate.

Key thing when planning your sump is access make sure the sump isn't too high for you to get into it, and make sure the stand is of a sensible height giving you more space below deck.

Any large tank now I plan a sump for, in the end it works out about the same price as a descent external but most externals are very over rated on the volume they can filter by the makers.

Rant over, don't knock somthing until you'ved tried it.

 

[voycey]

Have you had any experience with sumps Chris? if you have maybe you had a bad experience.

But all it takes is a litle more planning and time on the setting up, but after that you have amuch better system than any external filter.

The capacity of most sumps is much bigger than even the biggest external filters out on the market.

With sumps you have also increase the flowrate quite easily by change the pump if you don't feel it's enough. I run 4000lph on my 800l tank, most external filters for this size will run around 2000lph which i wouldn't be happy with as I'm currently thinking of upping my flowrate.

Key thing when planning your sump is access make sure the sump isn't too high for you to get into it, and make sure the stand is of a sensible height giving you more space below deck.

Any large tank now I plan a sump for, in the end it works out about the same price as a descent external but most externals are very over rated on the volume they can filter by the makers.

Rant over, don't knock somthing until you'ved tried it.

I have 3 4ft tanks in a stand - was thinking of using a sump to filter all 3 at once - i know about the possiblity of cross contamination etc but was thinking i could possibly add an inline UV sterilisation unit on the downpipe - would take a lot of work and have no room at the moment but its a possibiity

A sump is def the best kind of filtration you can get - easier to heat / filter / medicate