40g sump for a 55g too much?

[souperman]

I ended up with an extra 40g long. I am entertaining the idea of building a custom stand I could fit the 40 under to use it as a sump. Most of the volume would probably be divided into a fuge area.

Having more water volume is always better I've read. Does this seem a little overkill? The biggest expense would be a stand. I'm pretty close to getting the 55 up with a normal stand and a 10g sump. Patience is the only other factor, if I'd be delaying my setup a month or so.

What you guys think, is it worth it?

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[fishymann]

If you have it, no point to not use it will only be better for you.

 

[ANGRY JOHN]

volume is always better, the more you can get is good, there is a reasonable limit like 2 or 300 gallons then it might be overkill.

 

[smokey30]

Not a bad idea then you will more room for gadgets

 

[TellyFish]

If you dont do it you will be happy this week because you finished the tank. On the other hand, you'll be kicking yourself months later because your sump is too small

IMHO, get that 40g in there.

 

[allsps40]

Use it for sure. I always do the biggest sump possible. If I do a large tank 200+ gallons the sumps and supporting systems will be much larger than the tank.

 

[souperman]

I'm envisioning a stand just large enough for the 40 to for under. On one side would be a cabinet attached with the ato water and controller/electronics.

I'd like to split the overflow between the skimmer section and fuge. The return would also be teed with a ball valve to recirculate to tune flow through the system.

A frag area or qt section I could seal off would be cool too.

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[cody6766]

Sounds like a good plan. A quick word of advice though: look at the room you'll need for your sump, plus working, electrical and storage room. Now, add to that as much extra space and you can spare.

there isn't much constant in reefing, but there are a few things.
--good stuff happens gradually. Expensive, tragic things are always in a hurry to rear their heads.
--your scape is never as good as someone else's...in your eyes
--you can never have too much water volume
--your stand never has enough room
--No matter what you do, it ain't gonna be cheap!

So, try to combat those things early on, not later.

 

[dublo8]

^exactly. Build the stand to accommodate a bigger tank too. I built my stand for my 40br to accommodate a 48" tank for future upgrades. My stand can also house the 40br as a sump with I upgrade....again.

 

[sjm817]

How do you plan to build a stand to properly support a 12" deep display and fit an 18" deep sump?

 

[reeferlover]

do it no sump is too big

 

[souperman]

How do you plan to build a stand to properly support a 12" deep display and fit an 18" deep sump?

Both tanks have the same footprint, the sump will be a 40 long and the display a normal 55.

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[sjm817]

Ah... I was thinking a 40B.

 

[souperman]

^exactly. Build the stand to accommodate a bigger tank too. I built my stand for my 40br to accommodate a 48" tank for future upgrades. My stand can also house the 40br as a sump with I upgrade....again.

Killer idea! I can go 19" deep so I can upgrade to a 90 easily, muhaha.

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[cody6766]

It's not hard to build a deeper stand than the tank. You just have to reinforce the top with more plywood and braces below. Use some foam board to level it and you're in business. I did that with my 40 breeder and it's just fine. A little trim cut and stained and you have a level tank with no foam showing. I have a build thread on RC if you want to see it. Just search for Cody's 40g breeder and it'll come up. I doubt there's a whole lot of relevant stuff though.

 

[jeff@zina.com]

Does this seem a little overkill?

Not to me. But I have a 40B display with 40 gallons of water in the sump/fuge...

Jeff

 

[Orcrone]

I have a 125 gallon tank with a MegaFlow 4 sump. I can only put about 15 -20 gallons in the sump. I'd LOVE to have a greater capacity sump.

 

[mauger1]

The greater the sump the better it is in my eyes! It will give you more room for chaeto, equipment, and anything you need. Plus the extra water volume is nice. I am going to set up a 250 gallon for my 120 for my new place.