Filling a sump

[TauntingBeef]

So tomorrow I will have my sump up and running I hope. But I was just wondering if I could do a WC than use the water to fill up my sump than add fresh to the DT?

 

[scooter31707]

You will be defeating the purpose of during a WC because the water from the sump will flow back to your DT. Just fill the sump up and wait a about a week and do one.

 

[TauntingBeef]

sounds good

 

[Ron Reefman]

Isn't adding new water to the sump basically doing a water change?

 

[TauntingBeef]

I was just thinking that the old tank water would get filtered once I got everything running

 

[Ron Reefman]

Yes, but what I'm saying is you have X amount of water in your DT now. You add a sump that holds Y amount of water. You'll need to add Y amount of new water to the system or the system won't run. Adding Y amount of new water is almost the same as doing a water change.

How big is your tank and how big is your sump?

 

[TauntingBeef]

its a 55 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump. and I realize if I put say 15 gallons in the sump from the DT that I will need to put that 15 gallons back in and it will be clean water. I was just not wanting to fill up the sump with new water cuz its new and didn't want to have to go through a full cycle with it

 

[scooter31707]

Isn't adding new water to the sump basically doing a water change?

To me that's not really a water change. You are not taking out water, you just adding water.

 

[Rubasu]

Once you put the new water in the sump, it moves right up to your DT anyway, then back down to the sump to get filtered. It will all mix together anyway, so just put new water into your sump.

 

[mcgyvr]

its a 55 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump. and I realize if I put say 15 gallons in the sump from the DT that I will need to put that 15 gallons back in and it will be clean water. I was just not wanting to fill up the sump with new water cuz its new and didn't want to have to go through a full cycle with it

Whats in the sump that will cause a cycle?

A cycle is needed because of dead/decaying organic matter and there isn't sufficient bacteria colonizing your rock/sand to consume/convert it efficiently..

There is nothing about glass or acrylic that will cause a cycle..

Go ahead and use the WC water if you want.. But the more water you replace with fresh the more "crap" you are removing and the more trace elements you are replenishing..

 

[Ron Reefman]

To me that's not really a water change. You are not taking out water, you just adding water.

scooter, I understand that. But at the same time it's going from 55g of old water to 55g of old and 20g of new water. So you have diluted the nitrate level even though you didn't take any old water out.