Sumps and why are they the greatest thing ever for reef aquariums
Reef tank 7 years ago 194,622 views
A sump is basically a secondary tank that your main display tank drains down into. They allow for a number of advantages for reef aquariums and I would personally never set up a system without one. Why do I love these things so much? First off, a sump is a great place to relocate all of your equipment. In systems that are just a stand-alone tank, the more technology that is added can start to clutter things up. The second big benefit to a sump is the surface skimming that an overflow provides. A big problem with tanks without an overflow is that scum tends to collect on the top surface. When the water in a main display drains down into a sump, the surface is cleared up nicely. The third advantage to having a sump is it provides additional water volume. Water volume is nice because it makes the overall system more consistent in terms of temperature and water chemistry because changes happen more slowly in larger volumes of water. The fourth advantage is flexibility. You can set up a sump in many different ways. You can make them as simple or as complicated as you like. There are plenty of people that use a regular glass aquarium as a sump but in this video we take a look at a high end sump that has specialized sections. Hopefully this video gave you some ideas for your own setup. If you like this video, please give it a thumbs up. Music: Tracks: “Groove Grove” Artist: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License Terms: Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/faq.html Video: Camera information: Canon C100 Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS macro Canon EF MP-E 65mm f/2.8 macro Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4-4.5 STM IS Sigma Art 18-35mm f/1.8 Sony Underwater Action Cam Copyright Information: This video was shot and edited by Tidal Gardens. Tidal Gardens owns all intellectual property rights to this content.
10. comment for Sumps and why are they the greatest thing ever for reef aquariums
I felt the same way when I switched over and after finding out how easy it really is and how much better the filtration was, I'll never go back to HOB or especially canister filters.
Part of the intimidation factor is the cost of the sumps which I agree is high but you can get very simple DIY kits to make your own. Also is plumbing and head pressure of the pumps which can be researched.
I can only speak from what I experienced but I'll never go back to anything but a sump. Everyone thinks what they have is the best until they experience a problem that they'll never tell you about or blame the equipment but I can attest that sumps do deliver if you're willing to do the proper maintenance just like owning a car and expecting it to last 10-20 yrs or more.
20. comment for Sumps and why are they the greatest thing ever for reef aquariums
Im eagerly waiting for someone 1 adivices..
Where i can get cheaper sump systems for 265 gallon tank.?
Or where i can get the perfect engineering art of sumps to build in my country..
If not, then you can make sumps cheaply (but not very pretty), by getting a small rigid tub, like those used for small ponds.
Just don't use storage bins
Lol i rhyme
30. comment for Sumps and why are they the greatest thing ever for reef aquariums
It's very simply to break the siphon flow in the event of power failure which I've experienced once lol. Never had a sump or overflow ever clog up in over 6 years of sump use.
Simple fix to figure out your water level in the overflow box and drill a small 1/8" hole in the back below the water surface line in the J tube. When the pump fails (never had one yet but is inevitable) or power goes out, the sump fills up somewhat pulling water from the tank and head pressure drops in the J tube which will eventually break the siphon for you guaranteeing no spillage from your sump. Works like a charm :)!
I don't really do YouTube. It was a bored afternoon thing.
i use a 40 gal as a refuge but can't find any macro that are colorful as yours here in canada.
every time i ask a fish store for some i get a strange look.
The other benefits are you can hide all of the equipment you would normally have sitting out in the open making your tank look less attractive. Not complicated at all but looks like it. Just be sure to plan for overflow by drilling a 1/8" hole in your J tube at the back of your overflow box to break siphon in the event of power failure.
Two of the best things to ever happen to saltwater reef tanks were the development of sump systems and now advanced lighting.
As you intimate, there is no 'law' here. You can demonstrate that by asking... 'what's the best situation between these two extremes'?. A) 10* turnover where you have purely a mechanical medium or B) 1* turnover where you have mechanical, biological, chemical and skimming plus and addition pump for movement in the tank! For me personally, I'd take an average from experts featured here and with an emphasis of making sure the methods were solid too (skimming, biological, chemical and mechanical to name the main ones).
Course it depends on what you're keeping (fish or inverts) plus other factors like husbandry. Why not come up with a list of variables and work out whether yours is a high, medium or low demand tank and work from there. You could take a low, medium or high average and be a bit better informed.
Reef tank can work amazingly without sump.
Very good and strong external skimmer bellow or next to the tank (in my case rated for 1.000 gallons) and customly made filtration/reactors system with enough live rocks in display tank and LED lights keep my 350 gallons tank in a perfectly clean and healthy shape with many happy creatures.
So, again, sump - one more myth in this hobby.
I don't use reactors but do use a HOB skimmer. I had no losses in my 90 gal reef tank in 6 yrs through proper maintenance and use of a sump as my filtration. Too many people want a hands off system that looks good (reactors) and know little to nothing about how and what they actually do other than what they're told. Good luck when you have a power failure too. Tanks like that are completely reliant on their mechanics and less on regular maintenance. Hopefully you don't experience that but your explanation is sorely lacking in information and more on bragging.
keep it up.
thank you
50. comment for Sumps and why are they the greatest thing ever for reef aquariums