Confused!

[fish_NEMO]

Hi

I am confused about hoe people filter their aquariums, sumps and pipes and drilled aquariums? why what does it do?
im getting an aquarium should i get it drilled? how does the whole concept work?

Thanks

 

[Avi]

Very simply, if you want to have a sump (and refugium) which you should, you need to have a plumbing system that will circulate the water from your reef tank to the sump, and then back again, using a water-pump. In order to do that, you need an "overflow" either in or on the tank so that the water can get down to the sump. If the tank is drilled, the overflow can take the water directly from the tank to the sump (of course, through tubing or PVC). If the tank isn't drilled then you'd have to use "hang-on" overflows. There are people that are very passionate about either buying "reef-ready" tanks which have overflows built in and so are pre-drilled, or that a tank should be drilled. I have hang-on overflows. I can say that reef-ready is good....drilled is good...and from my own experience, hang-ons are good (at least the kind with U-tubes are.) So long as you understand how an overflow works, you'd be all right, whichever you decide to get.

Take a look at Melev's website and you'll get more detailed info on this subject:

www.melevsreef.com

 

[dchao]

Another good read on sump and plumbing (by the The Conscientious Reef Aquarist - Bob Fenner):

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/plumbingmarart.htm

 

[fish_NEMO]

Hi
how big does the sump need to be can it be a small plastic aquarium, or do you buy them pre-made?

Thanks GREAT links

 

[mochabby]

depends how big you want ur sump to be.. I guess in my opinion the bigger the better.. you can hide all ur equipment there and setup a refugium to raise chaeto, pods and etc..

 

[Avi]

Sumps can be pre-fabricated as sumps, a fishtank modified with baffles, a plastic container, or any other kind of water recepticle. If you aren't a DIY kind of person, it might be best to get one that's pre-made. But there are plans for DIY's all over the Internet if you want to give that a go. Size is relative, with the bigger the better, as the general rule. But I'd say that it's also a general rule that it's better to have a small sump/refugium than none at all, so set up the biggest you can within reason. For a 75-gallon tank, a 30-gallon would be ideal but you could do 20-gallons without being ashamed. Just kidding...do the best you can.

 

[dchao]

Most people are limited by the space under the tank and the size of skimmer. Unless you want a sump room in the basement, which is a different story.

You can do either: small tank or pre-made sump. Depends on your budget, and if you are willing to do some DIY stuff.