Totally new, Advice fro sump layout?

[Joseph_Piquette]

Hey reef central, I need some advice on what to do for my first Sump. As said in the title, I am totally new to reefing and I thought the sump was a great place to start. I am a moderate to advanced tropical and Malawi Fishkeeper, but i thought id step it up on the money spending.

Heres the deal. I just bought an API 75 gallon aquarium from Petsmart, which is over twice the size of any tank ive ever had. And now I am faced with the problem of filtering it.

The tank I was thinking of using to make my sump was a 29 gallon Aqueon that i previously used for malawi fish.

Is that about right on the size of the sump, and what layout should i use?

I am planning on staying on a fish only with live rock tank for at least a year and then slowly moving on to a reef

 

[top shelf]

As far as sump size goes if you are putting it in the stand you want the biggest tank you can fit. If it's located remotely whatever size you want. Bigger is always better, it will increase your water volume which equates to more stability. Ideally it should be able to house all your equipment. Skimmer, return pump, heater, and anything else you plan to run. You'll want a drain section, return section, and most use one for a refugium or to put more live rock in and many times both. When I built the one for my first some I googled imagines and went from there.

 

[Joseph_Piquette]

Ok thanks, for the advice.

 

[Jon0807]

Are you using the provided stand or are you building your own? Most of the tank/stand combos I've seen don't leave much room for a sump unless it's saltwater specific? Also keep in mind that you will want to put other stuff in there other than just the sump such as reactors, ATO reservoir, electronics, chillers, etc

 

[Joseph_Piquette]

I am building my own stand with marina grade plywood.I can make it any size i want.

 

[Clowning_Around]

I have the same display tank, if I had to do my diy stand again I would have oversized it. I started with a 20L sump and made it work, now I have a 40Breeder sump, much better but only leaves room for my sump and ATO. 29g can work but take it slow and plan it out. Start with your equipment, for example the size of your skimmers footprint in the smaller sump can drive alot of things.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk

 

[top shelf]

If you are building your own stand see if you can't atleast get a 40 breeder to fit. They have a great foot print with plenty of space.

 

[Lsufan]

I wouldn't use a 29 gallon for a sump. U will on run it 9 or 10" deep so u would have a bunch of waisted hieght that does nothing but make it harder to access into the stand & sump. U would be better off using a 20 L but I would want to use a 40 breeder. A 40 breeder makes for a great sump & would be perfect on your tank.

U would have to make the bottom section of the stand bigger then the top to fit a 40 breeder & u would need to size the top frame of the stand accordingly so u don't need a center brace. That way u can get the sump in & out from the front because u wouldn't be able to slide it in from the side.

Here is a pic of one of my stands so u can see what I'm talking about as far as making the bottom of the stand wider then the top. Sorry about the sideways pic but I had to post it from thumbnail & it turns it sideways



View attachment 377704

 

[Sthomasson72]

40 breeder is the way to go