Sumps?

[MightyMike]

I'm attempting to figure out what exactly a sump is made of, what it's intended purpose is and what options one has when constructing one for a tank. Any help, opinions or experiences would be greatly appreciated. I have a 40 gal tank and a 20 both just empty leftover tanks, could/should I be using these when building a new reef setup for anything? thanks
MM

 

[nanoreefer22]

A sump is basically a place for you to place your skimmer, heaters and other equipment that you wouldnt want in the tank. You could also have a refugium down there too. The sump is sectioned off with baffles that control the water height and prevent micro bubbles from going back up through the tank.

You could use one of the tanks for you sump. If you want to get a little more complex, a 20g could be a frag/growout tank and the 40 as the sump.

 

[jhale]

for the guru of sumps check out marc's site.

it explains sumps in great clear detail, and for that matter his site is a wealth of information for someone like yourself, and me too. I look at it all the time.

 

[MightyMike]

thanks- the site is perfect for what I'm looking into

 

[House of Laughter]

Also, Sumps increase your water column and basically bring it back to what the rock in your display will displace.

Sumps provide a space for maintenance that you won't want to do in your display

If you are considering a 120, I would go with the 40L and make it into a sump, few baffles a graviity drain and a pump return.

Easy as pie

House