Is a sump necessary?

B

bgbalz

New member
I am planning to make my first tank purchase very soon. I am wavering between a 55 and 75 gallon setup. I am trying to price shop the various equipment that I will need as well as make some informed decisions on the type of equipment I want to start with. I unfortunately cannot afford to go top-of-the-line. Is a sump or fuge necessary??? I have seen a hang-on-back fuge that looked interesting, but not sure if I even need one. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Also, anyone have recommendations they would like to share on specific items/types of equip I should consider????
 
The main purpose of a sump is to keep the water level in the main tank constant, and to hide your equipment. People have been keeping tanks long before there were sumps, so it is definately not needed, but I personally would not run one without it. The sump just makes everything easier.
 
Sump and fuges are not mandatory, many people have succeeded without them. Having said that, I'd like to point few obvious advantages of having sump and/or fuge.
Sump:
- increases total system volume (I'd give two thumbs up for this one)
- place to hide all the bulky equipment (skimmer, heaters, etc..)
- place where to perform water changes, top off's, dosing additives

Fuge:
- also increases total system volume !!
- additional bo-filtration by growing macro algae in there
- could make it as a pod's farm where they could multiply without being eated all at once by fish in main tank.
- place for any creature that needs to be isolated from harrasing peers in main tank.

... keep reading :)
 
steps involved

steps involved

So either/both are beneficial, how much more equip/$$$ are involved in setting either up??? Anyone familiar with the hang-on fuge??

Anyone with suggestions on my tank in general??
 
First, I would suggest going with a 75 instead of the 55. You get a few extra inches on the depth to play with. Comes in real handy with aquascaping. As stated, you do not need a sump but it does help. None of my tanks have sumps and I've never had a problem with water stability.
 
Re: steps involved

Re: steps involved

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6652130#post6652130 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bgbalz
So either/both are beneficial, how much more equip/$$$ are involved in setting either up??? Anyone familiar with the hang-on fuge??

Anyone with suggestions on my tank in general??
Click to expand...

HOB fuges are ok. Just real small.... another advantage of remote fuges is you can light them opposite your tank and this will reduce pH fluctuations.

You can build one out of an existing tank-- I'd check out Melevs site for some ideas on how they are setup.

For a basic (under tank) sump--

Tank-- $45 for a 30 gallon or so
Return pump-- depends on type/capacity-- figure $30-40 for a mag drive
HOB overflow (if your tank is not drilled)-- $59 for Amiracle, $109 for life reef (these prices were from their sites--possibly cheaper elsewhere).

You will likely need some dividers for the sump-- acrylic sheets are sold at home depot/lowes-- glass might be cheaper (you can get custom cut glass pannels to if you want--- I haven't priced all that....

Figure about $15-20 for a light for your fuge....and a couple dollars for a timer.

YOu will also need various plumbing fittting (PVC or vinyl hose)...
 
I have a 55g tank and wish I would have went for the 75. Just for the increased depth alone. If possible go for a reef ready tank it just helps eliminate possible tank over flows. The cost of the rest of the equipment sould also be considered. Lighting skimmer size, the little details I was did not think about when I jumped into this mess.
 
The sump/fuge under the display tank is great for all of the reasons given above (which is what I did), but my understanding is that a HOB fuge has the advantage that the pods/bugs/critters can get into the display without getting diced up by the return pump. This could be important if you intend to keep a fish like a Mandarin that requires constant live food. I haven't put a Mandarin in my tank yet (waiting a few more months to be safe), but I will likely need to keep transfering bugs from my fuge (which is full of them) up to the display tank to supplement his diet (and help him keep up with my 6-line wrasse).
 
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