Sump Building

[Sharkie]

Hello!
So i just found an AWESOME buy on a 50gallon tank from my local paper ($30! woot!) and have been talking to my parents about having my tank move from my bedroom to the living room.

so I had a few questions, since what i have now is just a 20gl what do i need to get for a larger tank? Right now I just have the simple HOB filter, a few koralis and my heater for my tank, Ive seen protien skimmers, sumps, and fuges and think i would like to build a sump.

how exactly do i do this and what all do i need? how will this improve my tank and is it a good idea to even do a sump for a 50gl? if so i will be converting my 20gl into one (my dads pretty handy like that and has been looking at different DIYs)... Between my family finding cool fish and surprising me with fish that are going to outgrow my tank real quick (dad brought me a coral beauty, 6 line wrasse, and another baby clownfish because they were "pretty and cool" lol. my tank is way too full ugh. lol) and since its sorta turned from school project to family entertainment i think getting this one and setting it up would be pretty fun :) dad eventually wants to get a shark egg case haha... the one at the not so LFS (very far away from us haha) had one hatch in front of him and he was like "I WANT IT!" lol. silly dad.

and as always thanks for the help! you guys are really great :)

 

[cthegame]

Hello!
So i just found an AWESOME buy on a 50gallon tank from my local paper ($30! woot!) and have been talking to my parents about having my tank move from my bedroom to the living room.

so I had a few questions, since what i have now is just a 20gl what do i need to get for a larger tank? Right now I just have the simple HOB filter, a few koralis and my heater for my tank, Ive seen protien skimmers, sumps, and fuges and think i would like to build a sump.

how exactly do i do this and what all do i need? how will this improve my tank and is it a good idea to even do a sump for a 50gl? if so i will be converting my 20gl into one (my dads pretty handy like that and has been looking at different DIYs)... Between my family finding cool fish and surprising me with fish that are going to outgrow my tank real quick (dad brought me a coral beauty, 6 line wrasse, and another baby clownfish because they were "pretty and cool" lol. my tank is way too full ugh. lol) and since its sorta turned from school project to family entertainment i think getting this one and setting it up would be pretty fun :) dad eventually wants to get a shark egg case haha... the one at the not so LFS (very far away from us haha) had one hatch in front of him and he was like "I WANT IT!" lol. silly dad.

and as always thanks for the help! you guys are really great :)

Yes, a sump is always better than no sump no matter the size of your DT. You will need an overflow box so the water can drain down to the sump. A pump to push the water back up from the sump to the DT. Thats about it. I highly recommend you also get a skimmer.

The benefits of a sump is that you can hide all your equipment in it and you can have more water volume which is always a good thing. In addition to those benefits, you can also make a fuge and put chaeto or live rock in it for more filtration.

 

[mennazeher04]

I agree with Cthegame. Sumps are great to have and if you want to check out youtube for DIY video on building sumps. That should help you get a good idea of what it will do for you and how to set it up right. good luck

 

[IraqVeteran]

after I put my sump in and hooked up all of the eqpt with it and did the plumbing I soon realized it would have been better if I would have built my own sump. My next tank I will build my own sump. That DIY sump video on youtube.com is very helpful.

 

[JAG107]

You should definitely do a sump. As big as you can.
You can get an overflow box which needs a lifter pump along with the water pump, or you can find a place to drill it and put in bulkheads and drains. Whichever you decide will work fine for a 50g.
Also, if your dad gets a shark egg, you'll be using that 50g as a sump for your 300+ gal tank you'll need for that shark before you know it! ;)