A couple questions about my sump

[Charliegrs]

I have a 55 Gal long tank, and the stand has about 10 3/4" of width that I can fit a sump in. So when I went shopping at my local Petsmart for an aquarium to use for a sump the only size that would fit in my stand is a 10 gallon. I wanted to get a 20 or 30 gallon, but they were about 12 inches wide so they wont fit. Is a 10gal sump enough for a 55gal display tank? I plan on making a full sump setup with the skimmer, refugium, heater, and return pump. One thing Im worried about is where I will put the heater, is it best to put it in the refugium area? Or the inlet section? Ive seen a video of a 10 gallon sump and the person had the heater in between 2 baffles, this looks good except dont you run the risk of melting the baffles if they are made of acrylic? Also is it a good idea to use a HOB skimmer to maximize space in a sump that small?

 

[Ogaawd]

A sump dosen't have to be an aquarium, rubbermaid makes lots of sizes and shapes
the 10's a little small to do anything useful in as quite a bit of room must be reserved for power outs and the water that flows back.
Heaters won't melt acrylic unless they blow up then it dosen't matter if its glass or plastic.
Hob skimmers take less room but I always found them to be a PITA for running right, maybe start a thread about HOB skimmers someone may know of a good brand

 

[Charliegrs]

A sump dosen't have to be an aquarium, rubbermaid makes lots of sizes and shapes
the 10's a little small to do anything useful in as quite a bit of room must be reserved for power outs and the water that flows back.
Heaters won't melt acrylic unless they blow up then it dosen't matter if its glass or plastic.
Hob skimmers take less room but I always found them to be a PITA for running right, maybe start a thread about HOB skimmers someone may know of a good brand

I never though about using a rubbermaid. Can rubbermaids be divided into sections? Can you do it like how you would with an aquarium and use acrylic sheets?

 

[Ogaawd]

I never though about using a rubbermaid. Can rubbermaids be divided into sections? Can you do it like how you would with an aquarium and use acrylic sheets?

they tend to spread a bit with water pressure but you can use another tub that fits inside as a chamber