Still very confused new reefer here

[becerril17]

We are new to the saltwater world and even after watching a ton of videos I’m still confused about a sump.

We currently have a 40g breeder that we are using a canister filter on which may one day change but definitely not anytime soon. The other day I got a 90g tank with approximately 60g sump for free and I’m extremely intimidated by it. It’s needing some TLC and seems like it’ll be a long term project (maybe)
Im posting this in hopes that anyone has any “dumbed down” informational help they could offer or point me in the right direction of some! It would be very very much appreciated!

Thanks in advance

Attached is a photo of the tank. I have not cleaned it yet, that’s the next step. So far all I’ve done is scrape the glass and remove the painted sides.

 

[project1004]

You should stop by bunch of LFS’s (local fish stores) and ask them to give you some information as how it works. Take a look at their sump. They all work the same. Better than writing if videos are not helping.


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[silentdeath5]

We are new to the saltwater world and even after watching a ton of videos I’m still confused about a sump.

We currently have a 40g breeder that we are using a canister filter on which may one day change but definitely not anytime soon. The other day I got a 90g tank with approximately 60g sump for free and I’m extremely intimidated by it. It’s needing some TLC and seems like it’ll be a long term project (maybe)
Im posting this in hopes that anyone has any “dumbed down” informational help they could offer or point me in the right direction of some! It would be very very much appreciated!

Thanks in advance

Attached is a photo of the tank. I have not cleaned it yet, that’s the next step. So far all I’ve done is scrape the glass and remove the painted sides.

It can definitely be intimidating at first. Simply you are pumping water up to your display from the sump, it overflows into the “overflow” and down the pipes into the sump and it repeats. Don’t think about the other gadgets yet.

 

[becerril17]

You should stop by bunch of LFS’s (local fish stores) and ask them to give you some information as how it works. Take a look at their sump. They all work the same. Better than writing if videos are not helping.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you so so much for suggesting this! We went to one of our LFS’s today and the guy was so helpful and willing to share alll of the knowledge!

 

[billyocean]

I'm not understanding the front and back of this tank?

 

[becerril17]

Haha you and me both! I’m trying to figure out where the tank even came from. Like was it a store display tank or did someone actually have it built this way?? I am very very confused about the tank in so many ways. Tomorrow I will take more pictures and share them.

 

[snowmansnow]

I'm assuming you're confused about how a sump works, along with holes in the display tank. I remember thinking "how the heck".
In your display you probably have 2 holes drilled in the bottom somewhere (maybe behind an overflow baffle or something).

One hole is the "return from the sump" the other is a gravity drain.

You will install bulkheads on both of the holes which will allow you to attach PVC pipe.

On the DRAIN you will install a length of pipe going UP into the water column. The height of the pipe will determine your water level in the tank. This is called your stand pipe. The water will rise in the tank until it reaches the top of that pipe, then it will drain down the pipe into the sump.

The other hole will be your return. From the sump you'll have a return pump in the last lowest chamber which you'll plumb to this. Once inside the tank you'll plumb it out and over the overflow baffles, if that's how the tank is set up.

 

[chaples55]

Hey! I think I talked with you about corals at Nemo's the other day! Glad to see you joined the club

Since others already talked about the plumbing I'll give you some more general info on how a sump is used and why they're awesome.

Here's a basic diagram of a sump layout:



The cool thing about sumps is they give you a space to put things you don't want cluttering up your tank. I'm sure at a minimum you'll want to put a heater down there, and some filter media kind of like you would inside of a canister filter. You can just use extra rock rubble for this.

Don't worry too much about all this now, but in the future, some other common options you might want to put in the sump are:

- Filter socks: usually the first step in a sump. Catches poo and particulates in a fine mesh 'sock'. Very effective, but requires changing/cleaning the sock every few days, so some people don't use them.
- Protein skimmer: foams up the water and pulls out fish poop and other nasties and collects it in a cup for you to pour down the drain. Can be expensive, but less work than filter socks. Protein skimmers have the added benefit of heavily oxygenating the water. They can also remove dissolved organics that are too small to be caught by a filter sock.
- Refugium: this is a section of your sump dedicated to growing macro algae. The good algae cleans the water as it grows by removing nutrients, and it can help prevent bad algae from growing in your tank. You would need to add a light over the sump for this.
- Media bags or reactors: holds media such as activated carbon (clarifies water, removes toxins).

 

[becerril17]

Hey! I think I talked with you about corals at Nemo's the other day! Glad to see you joined the club

Since others already talked about the plumbing I'll give you some more general info on how a sump is used and why they're awesome.

Here's a basic diagram of a sump layout:

View attachment 74774

The cool thing about sumps is they give you a space to put things you don't want cluttering up your tank. I'm sure at a minimum you'll want to put a heater down there, and some filter media kind of like you would inside of a canister filter. You can just use extra rock rubble for this.

Don't worry too much about all this now, but in the future, some other common options you might want to put in the sump are:

- Filter socks: usually the first step in a sump. Catches poo and particulates in a fine mesh 'sock'. Very effective, but requires changing/cleaning the sock every few days, so some people don't use them.
- Protein skimmer: foams up the water and pulls out fish poop and other nasties and collects it in a cup for you to pour down the drain. Can be expensive, but less work than filter socks. Protein skimmers have the added benefit of heavily oxygenating the water. They can also remove dissolved organics that are too small to be caught by a filter sock.
- Refugium: this is a section of your sump dedicated to growing macro algae. The good algae cleans the water as it grows by removing nutrients, and it can help prevent bad algae from growing in your tank. You would need to add a light over the sump for this.
- Media bags or reactors: holds media such as activated carbon (clarifies water, removes toxins).

Hey!! Yes, thank you! You were so helpful! After chatting with you I knew it was a must to join.

 

[billyocean]

And it's all case by case (tank by tank) as far as what you want/need equipment wise. Starting off with LR will make life a good bit easier IMO from the jump. You can do dry rock, as I did, but looking back I would have gone at least 50% LR to start. This will help mature your tank much quicker. A skimmer, reactor, refugium, or scrubber may not be necessary at all or you may need/want a combination of those things. I can't over emphasize the importance of good test kits. Getting familiar with them and testing on a regular basis will help you know consumption trends and dosing needs along the way in the future (not needed at the start). At the start/cycle of the tank cheaper test kits like ATI will be fine to know a roundabout number. Get a plan together and be ready to adapt and improvise along the way but remember to go slow as reefing is a long/patient process that requires zero "knee jerk" or panicked changes. Research, application, observation, husbandry, testing are all part of the process in an endless cycle..lol. Plenty of people around here can help along the way. Remember that no 2 tanks are the same so it's not a one size fits all application.

 

[Hardy Reefs]

Just think of a sump as a hidden tank that hides all of the things you don’t want to see in your display. It also increases your water volume. The more water volume you have, the slower bad things happen in most cases. Your heaters, skimmer, filtration, etc. all go in the sump and that way you don’t have a ton of cords to look. The best way to understand your specific sump would be to start filling it up with a hose like the tank would and watch how the water moves through it!