- Location
- Virginia
I agree, the bigger the better (the same applies for every aspect of water volume including main tank).
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sump size???
- Thread starter davelin315
- Start date
There is no general rule of thumb though I guess if you HAD to have one 20% of the tank volume would be an acceptable minimum. However the bigger the better.
Having the largest volume of water possible is always the best course. As far as establishing a minimum sump size you want one that is large enough so that it can run for an adequate period of time before your pumps cavitate from evaporation and still handle all the free water in the system so that you won't have a flood in the case of a power outage.
Having the largest volume of water possible is always the best course. As far as establishing a minimum sump size you want one that is large enough so that it can run for an adequate period of time before your pumps cavitate from evaporation and still handle all the free water in the system so that you won't have a flood in the case of a power outage.
Yes but not the same thing
i.e. you can take say a 40 Breeder (36x18x16) and section it off so that part of it is the sump and part of it is the refugium.
However if you try to put sand in the bottom of the sump you'll have some problems with sand following pumps and in general the water flow will be too high.
i.e. you can take say a 40 Breeder (36x18x16) and section it off so that part of it is the sump and part of it is the refugium.
However if you try to put sand in the bottom of the sump you'll have some problems with sand following pumps and in general the water flow will be too high.
A simple question that can have lots of different questions. In any event, I think the primary factors are:
1) How much water do you plan to run throught the sump? If the water is moving to fast, you may end up with bubbles from skimmers, turbulence, etc. Too fast of a flow may also limit the use of teh sump as a refugium.
2) How much water will drain into the sump if the power shuts down? Obviously, if it isn't big enough, you will end up with water on the floor.
3) What do you plan to put into the sump? Live rock? Heaters? Skimmers? A refugium?
1) How much water do you plan to run throught the sump? If the water is moving to fast, you may end up with bubbles from skimmers, turbulence, etc. Too fast of a flow may also limit the use of teh sump as a refugium.
2) How much water will drain into the sump if the power shuts down? Obviously, if it isn't big enough, you will end up with water on the floor.
3) What do you plan to put into the sump? Live rock? Heaters? Skimmers? A refugium?
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