Sump Questions

IceManCometh

Reefing newb
hey all,

i'm relatively new to the hobby, and i had a couple of questions about sumps.

1) how do i determine how large of a sump i should buy/build for my tank. i'm either going to go with a 40 gal breeder tank or a 75 gal tank.

2) a lot of people have tanks that are pre-drilled, mine are not. do they need to be drilled in order to have a sump installed?

I'm sure there are more questions, but at this time, i cannot remember them.:D

thanks for all your help

andy
 
1. Assuming that your putting your sump in the stand below your Display tank you'll want to go with the largest tank you can fit under your stand while still leaving room for other equipment.

I'm a little confused by your post but if your looking to have a 75 gal DT then a 40 gal "should" fit in the stand.

2. If your tank is not drilled you can go with a HOB (Hang Over Back) overflow. I'm not familiar with them but I think I've seen people say they have drawbacks. I'm sure somebody else will chime in.

or

you could get the tank drilled
 
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1)Go as big as the space will provide.Some careful planning like choosing skimmers,heaters,if the sump will include a refugium or not,return pump(internal or external) will help you decide on how big of a sump will be needed.In general,10-15gal for the 40g. breeder and 20g+ for a 75g. is a good place to start thinking about.

2)No,many people use overflow boxes.They generally run around $50+.CPR and Lifereef makes the better,more reliable boxes.
 
The bigger the sump the better.

I used a CPR overflow box on my old 55 gallon tank. I purchased the optional $12 AquaLifter pump so that the siphon would automatically restart in case of a power outage. I found it to be very reliable and would recommend the CPR brand, used in conjunction with the AquaLifter pump. Overflow boxes take up a little bit of space in the tank, but are an excellent alternative to drilling your tank.
 
Just like DT's with sumps the bigger the better. Biff did the aqualifter pump work for you? I was thinking of picking one up.
 
Yes, the AquaLifter worked great. It's super quiet, so you don't even notice it's on (it stays on 24/7). When the power goes out, then comes back on, the AquaLifter "lifts" water into the overflow box to restart the siphon. Definitely worth the few bucks it costs, considering the alternative is a display tank flooding all over the floor.
 
chances are that i'm going to go with a 75 as my tank. usually in april up here, the local dealer has sales on tanks, $1/gallon up to 100, then $2/gal after that, so...chances are i'll wait till then and pick up another 75 that is already drilled and then get a 20/29 or something and turn it into a sump. that leaves me enough time to purchase all my equipment, instead of doing it all at once. live rock/sand excluded.

actually, i've read about people storing live rock in rubbermaid tubs until they put it in their tanks. seems like i could probably do this and get accustomed to water quality and temp before actually putting the rock in my tank...hmmm...any ideas???
 
Since you'll be making purchases over some time you should keep checking craigslist from time-to-time. You might just come across a deal that is to hard to pass up.

I'm doing a slow build and I check the seller sections on different forums on a regular basis. I've managed to get a couple of good deals on things I need for my tank from people getting out of the hobby.
 
wow hornet, you weren't kidding about deals on craigslist. they have a 90gal complete saltwater setup for $900, and a 29gal biocube for $150... looks like i may have to do some purchasing in the very near future :)

so, as far as storing live rock in a rubbermaid tub, is this possible, and if so, what do i need and how am i going to set it up?
 
To store the rock in the rubber maid,all you need is the tub,saltwater,a couple of power heads,and a heater.
 
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