Views on using a sump system for tropical

Malcolm1974

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In addition to my tropical tank I have a 400l marine tank which obviously filters through a sump which also houses a heater, UV lamp and a protein skimmer. (I know I wonā€™t need the skimmer) Iā€™m looking at upgrading my tropical to an 8ft 1000l one. I really like the sump system on the marine as it hides all the filter etc without using up space in the tank. Itā€™s also really easy to top up and do partial water changes without disturbing the fish in the tank. They only problems I can for see is cleaning the substrate although with a tank this size Iā€™ll have gritters and a clean up crew anyway. The price difference is going to be around Ā£400 however I wonā€™t need to buy a filter as Iā€™ll just buy sponges and balls and when you look at what a tank like mine will cost Ā£400 isnā€™t much in the grand scheme. What are your views on doing this, can anyone see any issues. And advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
Trickle filters are great filters on fresh or salt water aquariums. The bigger the sump the better but they are exceptional filters and worth the extra they cost to set up. :)
 
I donā€™t have that on my marine itā€™s a traditional Herbie system. In the tropical I was thinking of having a trickle system in the return pipes from the weir in the main tank but hadnā€™t thought of doing a trickle filter. I suppose that would have the benefit of using all the media in the sump as apposed to just having the water going in to one area. Although I guess Iā€™ll need to research if a filter system is better or worst than having one outlet and a sock. Thank you for your feedback greatly appreciated.
 
I'm not sure what a Herbie system is?

If I understand what you have written, you were thinking of using the overflow system in the tank as the filter?
If yes, that is one way of doing it but it will be a fairly small filter, although it would work.

Another type of trickle filter is where they have a sheet of glass along the back of the tank and it separates the main aquarium water from the area at the back. The section at the back becomes the tickle filter.
 
Iā€™m with you. I was thinking of putting the trickle system in the sump underneath.

My concern with having at the back of the tank is that the tank will be viewed from both sides as I will cut a hole in a wall so I would need to do it at the side and the other thing is it will reduce the size the fish have to swim in.
 
If the tank is a room divider then a trickle filter in the sump underneath the main tank is the way to go. You have a drain pipe at one end and the return pipe at the opposite end. The water drains out of the main tank into the sump/ filter below, where it is filtered before being pumped back up to the main tank.

The only things you would see in the tank is the drain pipe and the return pipe, and these can be hidden with plants or driftwood. The heaters, filter media and pump/s would be in the sump underneath the display tank.

If you get a double tier stand you have the display tank on top and a big sump underneath. When you do water changes you turn the pump off and drain the sump, then refill it and turn the pump back on. You enclose the bottom part of the stand to cover the sump and have a nice display tank on top.
 
Yes that was the basis of my question as I have that system in my marine tank. I wanted to see what peopleā€™s views where as I didnā€™t know if there was a downside of having the sump underneath the main tank
 
About the only drawbacks to having a sump under a tank is the stand can rot or rust more readily due to the moisture from the sump. However, lots of paint on the stand will reduce moisture getting to the metal or wood frame of the stand, and coverglass on the sump will reduce evaporation and limit the amount of moisture that collects on the stand. Having air vents around the stand also helps.

And if the sump is not large enough to hold the water from the main display tank when the pump is turned off, you can have a flood. But if the sump is made for the tank it will be big enough.
 
Thanks Colin. Thatā€™s what I thought. I know with my smaller tanks I use a symphon in the tank to agettate the gravel when I clean it. I donā€™t do that in my marine as the bacteria in the sand is good for the ecosystem. If I have a sump underneath I didnā€™t know if Iā€™d need to still syphon from the display tank or if I can just do the water change through the sump.

Your suggestion about a trickle filter was useful and something Iā€™ll look into
 
If you have plants in the display tank then you don't need to gravel clean where the plants are, but you should gravel clean areas where there are no plants. You can use a basic gravel cleaner from the pet shop or if you have a big tank, then make one from a 2 litre plastic drink bottle and a garden hose. Just cut the bottom off the 2 litre drink bottle and stick the hose in the top where the cap normally goes on. Then run the hose out the door and gravel clean the gunk out onto the lawn.
 
Setting aside the increased cost and complexity (over a HOB or canister filter), a sump can be excellent for a FW tank....whether a drip filter is employed or not. The ability to hide the heater as well as employ deep sand and/or medias like Matrix/De*nitrate, MarinePure CerMedia, and/or plants/refugium to aid in water purification is really intriguing. Large array of possible configurations.
 
Thanks Colin. Thatā€™s what I thought. I know with my smaller tanks I use a symphon in the tank to agettate the gravel when I clean it. I donā€™t do that in my marine as the bacteria in the sand is good for the ecosystem. If I have a sump underneath I didnā€™t know if Iā€™d need to still syphon from the display tank or if I can just do the water change through the sump.

Your suggestion about a trickle filter was useful and something Iā€™ll look into
If you use a sand substrate it will develop beneficial bacteria. For a well balanced planted tank there really is no need to clean the sand. I have MTS, Corydoras and a Bristlenose in mine. Between them they provide all the agitation / aeration the sand needs.
 
Seangee thatā€™s great thank you for that info thatā€™s just what I needed. I was thinking of having mostly sand with a little gravel just for ascetics.
 
Seangee thatā€™s great thank you for that info thatā€™s just what I needed. I was thinking of having mostly sand with a little gravel just for ascetics.
Just don't make it deep enough to form anaerobic pockets, at least not sulphuric ones. 2 - 3 inches on average is plenty.
 
No I wonā€™t. Itā€™s the same with my marine tank. I did read somewhere that you can use play sand in a tropical tank, donā€™t know if itā€™s true though !!
 

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