HappyGeorge
Fish Herder
Just finished this any feedback gratefully received.
SUMPS
Below is a series of frequently asked questions about sumps with short responses. Following on from this is a basic description of how a system with a sump operates and some ideas on the layout and contents of a sump.
What is a Sump - A sump is a second tank , series of tanks or container for water, that is separate to the main display tank, this is normally in the cabinet under the main tank but can be beside it or in extreme set ups even housed in a separate room. Water circulates round from the main tank to the sump normally gravity takes care of water moving from the tank to the sump and then back again by means of a pump.
What does a sump do - It performs a number of tasks. It adds to the total volume of the system and therefore provides the extra stability of a larger system without taking up anymore space. It provides somewhere to hide all the equipment that would normally clutter the main tank such as heaters, and the space to add other equipment (see “ What goes in your sump”). The presence of a sump also means that any evaporation shows in the sump not in the main display, and it gives you somewhere to dose additives and a place to add water to the system without disturbing the main display.
Do I need a sump - Not essential, and many successful systems use skimmers that are designed to hang on the back of a standard tropical tank, and canister filters set up for marine use (normally filled with Live Rock rubble to replace the normal filter media). Heaters and other equipment would need to be housed in the main display though.
How big should my sump be - It doesn’t really matter but basically bigger the better. If you were having one made then make sure it’s got room for everything you want to stick in there. Ideally it should also be big enough to take the overflow from the main display in the case of return pump malfunction.
What goes in your sump - It’s the place to hide all the workings of the tank. Typically it would firstly house your heaters and your return pump, but the range of things that people put in there is almost limitless, Skimmers, Reactors of various types – Phosphate, Calcium, Ozone, turf algae filters, refugiums, bags of carbon and rowaphos. Plumbing – durso/twin and levels.
How an aquarium with a sump operates
The set up shown below is a tank with a central weir, twin standpipes and a 3 chamber sump with bubble stops. When the sump pump is running as shown in the first diagram water is pumped into the main display, this water then flows over the top of the weir and into the weir box.
In a twin standpipe system water floods the shorter pipe and the weir box fills to the point where water is just trickling into the longer pipe. This is controlled by means of the tap on the bottom of the short pipe and the rate of water flow round the system is dependent on the rating of the pump. Should the pump go off for any reason as shown in the 2nd diagram water will drain from the display tank until it is just below the top of the weir box and the weir box will then empty until the water level is just below the level of the shorter pipe. For this reason it is important to allow enough space in your sump during normal operation to allow for this extra water should the pump stop operating, but it is a surprisingly small volume of water.
Anatomy of the Sump
The options for the layout of a sump and what it contains are limitless. Most commercially bought ones of the type that would come with a custom built marine tank would have a 3 or 4 chamber sump. The 4th chamber would normally be separated completely from the rest of the sump and would be used to put plain, unsalted RO water in, this would then house a pump connected to an auto top up device. This measures the level of water in the 3rd chamber of the sump containing the return pump as this is where evaporation of water from the system will be noticed. When the level of water falls below a certain point, a sensor will trigger the pump which will then top up the system.
The other chambers are generally separated by bubble stops, this is 2 walls of glass and as you will see on the diagram one is attached to the base of the sump and water flows over the top. The 2nd has a gap at the bottom for water to flow underneath, the action of the water having to flow over and then immediately under the glass walls eliminates the chance of bubbles travelling through the sump and appearing in the display tank.
There are no hard and fast rules as to where stuff should be housed, apart from the return pump being in the last chamber, although generally the first chamber either has the skimmer in it or the skimmer drawing from it and feeding back into it and many people fit filter socks to the bottom of the pipes from the tank.
The middle chamber is often used as a refugium of some description. This often houses some type of algae such as Cheato or Caulerpa. There is then a light set up above the sump which encourages growth of the algae, which as they grow use up dissolved Nitrates in the water. This area of the sump also offers an area that promotes the growth of your Copepod and Amphipod populations by offering a safe haven away from all your pod eating fish. Most people will also have snails, tubeworms and all manner of other things populating their sump. It also offers a place to dump any suspect hitchhikers you may find until you decide whether they are safe to let loose in the display tank.
Other things that generally go inside your sump will be heaters and any carbon bags or Rowaphos you may be running, where the skimmer output offers an ideal high flow area to run both. It is also an ideal place to carry out any water changes and a place to introduce any additives to the system, as the high flow through the sump offers a great opportunity for pre-mixing before it reaches the display tank.
People running Reactors will include them as part of the sump set up and it offers the space to set up a turf algae filter, should you want to run one. The possibilities are almost endless and there are no hard and fast rules, if you search on the net you will see all manner of clever and complicated set ups. With planning and fore thought you can set up an efficient sump where you can hide all your equipment away and carry out your maintenance without too much disruption to your display tank.
SUMPS
Below is a series of frequently asked questions about sumps with short responses. Following on from this is a basic description of how a system with a sump operates and some ideas on the layout and contents of a sump.
What is a Sump - A sump is a second tank , series of tanks or container for water, that is separate to the main display tank, this is normally in the cabinet under the main tank but can be beside it or in extreme set ups even housed in a separate room. Water circulates round from the main tank to the sump normally gravity takes care of water moving from the tank to the sump and then back again by means of a pump.
What does a sump do - It performs a number of tasks. It adds to the total volume of the system and therefore provides the extra stability of a larger system without taking up anymore space. It provides somewhere to hide all the equipment that would normally clutter the main tank such as heaters, and the space to add other equipment (see “ What goes in your sump”). The presence of a sump also means that any evaporation shows in the sump not in the main display, and it gives you somewhere to dose additives and a place to add water to the system without disturbing the main display.
Do I need a sump - Not essential, and many successful systems use skimmers that are designed to hang on the back of a standard tropical tank, and canister filters set up for marine use (normally filled with Live Rock rubble to replace the normal filter media). Heaters and other equipment would need to be housed in the main display though.
How big should my sump be - It doesn’t really matter but basically bigger the better. If you were having one made then make sure it’s got room for everything you want to stick in there. Ideally it should also be big enough to take the overflow from the main display in the case of return pump malfunction.
What goes in your sump - It’s the place to hide all the workings of the tank. Typically it would firstly house your heaters and your return pump, but the range of things that people put in there is almost limitless, Skimmers, Reactors of various types – Phosphate, Calcium, Ozone, turf algae filters, refugiums, bags of carbon and rowaphos. Plumbing – durso/twin and levels.
How an aquarium with a sump operates
The set up shown below is a tank with a central weir, twin standpipes and a 3 chamber sump with bubble stops. When the sump pump is running as shown in the first diagram water is pumped into the main display, this water then flows over the top of the weir and into the weir box.
In a twin standpipe system water floods the shorter pipe and the weir box fills to the point where water is just trickling into the longer pipe. This is controlled by means of the tap on the bottom of the short pipe and the rate of water flow round the system is dependent on the rating of the pump. Should the pump go off for any reason as shown in the 2nd diagram water will drain from the display tank until it is just below the top of the weir box and the weir box will then empty until the water level is just below the level of the shorter pipe. For this reason it is important to allow enough space in your sump during normal operation to allow for this extra water should the pump stop operating, but it is a surprisingly small volume of water.
Anatomy of the Sump
The options for the layout of a sump and what it contains are limitless. Most commercially bought ones of the type that would come with a custom built marine tank would have a 3 or 4 chamber sump. The 4th chamber would normally be separated completely from the rest of the sump and would be used to put plain, unsalted RO water in, this would then house a pump connected to an auto top up device. This measures the level of water in the 3rd chamber of the sump containing the return pump as this is where evaporation of water from the system will be noticed. When the level of water falls below a certain point, a sensor will trigger the pump which will then top up the system.
The other chambers are generally separated by bubble stops, this is 2 walls of glass and as you will see on the diagram one is attached to the base of the sump and water flows over the top. The 2nd has a gap at the bottom for water to flow underneath, the action of the water having to flow over and then immediately under the glass walls eliminates the chance of bubbles travelling through the sump and appearing in the display tank.
There are no hard and fast rules as to where stuff should be housed, apart from the return pump being in the last chamber, although generally the first chamber either has the skimmer in it or the skimmer drawing from it and feeding back into it and many people fit filter socks to the bottom of the pipes from the tank.
The middle chamber is often used as a refugium of some description. This often houses some type of algae such as Cheato or Caulerpa. There is then a light set up above the sump which encourages growth of the algae, which as they grow use up dissolved Nitrates in the water. This area of the sump also offers an area that promotes the growth of your Copepod and Amphipod populations by offering a safe haven away from all your pod eating fish. Most people will also have snails, tubeworms and all manner of other things populating their sump. It also offers a place to dump any suspect hitchhikers you may find until you decide whether they are safe to let loose in the display tank.
Other things that generally go inside your sump will be heaters and any carbon bags or Rowaphos you may be running, where the skimmer output offers an ideal high flow area to run both. It is also an ideal place to carry out any water changes and a place to introduce any additives to the system, as the high flow through the sump offers a great opportunity for pre-mixing before it reaches the display tank.
People running Reactors will include them as part of the sump set up and it offers the space to set up a turf algae filter, should you want to run one. The possibilities are almost endless and there are no hard and fast rules, if you search on the net you will see all manner of clever and complicated set ups. With planning and fore thought you can set up an efficient sump where you can hide all your equipment away and carry out your maintenance without too much disruption to your display tank.
