1. Forum
  3. Tropical Aquariums
  5. Beginners Haven
  7. To Sump or not to Sump.....
×
Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

To Sump or not to Sump.....

More
03 Sep 2015 16:04 #1 by alan61979 (Alan)
To Sump or not to Sump..... was created by alan61979 (Alan)
I'm about to order a 152 x 60 x 60cm (5 x 2 x 2 foot) aquarium.

It'll be a freshwater south American tank, tetras, angels, plecs etc....

I'm either going to go with a standard tank + FX6 canister filter

or

A drilled tank with a sump.

I can't make up my mind. I'm throwing the pros and cons around in my head all the time. I'm thinking maybe the good folk on here will be able to swing me in either direction, from experiences, either good or bad.

Sump Pros

Hide equipment
More water

Sump cons

Co2 gas escaping
Will have to seal partitions myself, so not too sure how that'll go! Not sure about spacing of compartments to ensure an even water flow.

Canister Pros

Simple set up.
No CO2 loss.

Canister cons

Heaters and canister intakes in tank.

There's probably a few more pros and cons that I've forgotten about. There's not much difference in price. If I go sump it's 100 or so dearer for the tank and I'll need a good return pump, say another 100. The non drilled tank plus an FX6 will be about the same. I have everything else I need.

Water changes will be straight forward with either system.

Well, what do you think? At the moment I'm slightly in the external filter camp..... :crazy:

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
03 Sep 2015 18:40 #2 by tetdiscus (Maritess McCarthy)
Replied by tetdiscus (Maritess McCarthy) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
Definitely go for SUMP! I find it is easier to see and add things when needed. Plus additional water volume. And the Pros as you've mentioned.

The best thing about the Sump... IMO, is if you decided to go Marine someday soon...

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
03 Sep 2015 19:08 #3 by helix8008 (Tomas Novak)
Replied by helix8008 (Tomas Novak) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
I would go for sump.

I'm not sure how did you do pricing but it's way cheaper. You can buy some second hand tank for bargain and return pump online for few quid. No much other stuff, sponge is cheap and you get more of it in sump.

If you going to get custom made tank you can order sump beside tank and hide it in cabinet. No need for drilling just stick hose in both tank and sump and water will level up automatically. My mate did same with 700l tank and he wouldn't change it, works perfectly. He also got cheap return pumps as you don't need to worry about water pressure from main tank.

Tom

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
03 Sep 2015 21:07 #4 by alan61979 (Alan)
Replied by alan61979 (Alan) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....

I would go for sump.

I'm not sure how did you do pricing but it's way cheaper. You can buy some second hand tank for bargain and return pump online for few quid. No much other stuff, sponge is cheap and you get more of it in sump.

If you going to get custom made tank you can order sump beside tank and hide it in cabinet. No need for drilling just stick hose in both tank and sump and water will level up automatically. My mate did same with 700l tank and he wouldn't change it, works perfectly. He also got cheap return pumps as you don't need to worry about water pressure from main tank.

Tom


The way I priced it is, the drilled tank is 700 + 100 for a new pump would be 800.

A standard tank is 600 + 260 for FX6 so only 80 euro in the difference.

I already have everything else I need including a smaller tank for the sump.

I was looking at an FX6 today and I don't really like the intake and return nozzles so I'm back thinking about a sump now.

My main concern about the sump is CO2 loss. My current bottle lasts me almost a year, I don't want to be wasting loads of CO2 because I'm running a sump.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
03 Sep 2015 22:06 #5 by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers)
Replied by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
Maybe a JBL e1901 would do the trick or better 2 e1501s for redundancy. Sump sounds more versatile though.

Maybe some one with a sumped planted tank will chime in

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
03 Sep 2015 22:36 - 03 Sep 2015 23:11 #6 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Replied by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
This is one that many question...firstly the pros and cons are well documented...however the level of gas off of the co2 will depend on the sump system you use.Its not the sump as such that causes the gas off but the splashing and surface area of water in touch with the air...so for a standard drilled and overflow effort then yes there will be gas off particularly if your using a waterfall overflow and maybe a wet/dry system underneath,but there are way to reduce it if you research the methods around it.you will need to seal off as much of the sump as you can...but it can be done to good effect.Tom Barr has done many tanks on a sump set up.
The canister is useful but for so many other reasons a sump can be of great use.I personally have a sump on my 5x2x2 and i add liquid ferts (profito & easycarbo)and not co2 to my tank.i choose plants that can survive without heavy co2 requirements and the sump gives me a range of options on my filter media etc..

Gavin
Last edit: 03 Sep 2015 23:11 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
03 Sep 2015 22:56 #7 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Replied by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
My attempt at a planted set up...without co2 and with a sump

i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac288/gavkie...3401_zps9jr7wycv.jpg

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
03 Sep 2015 23:07 - 03 Sep 2015 23:07 #8 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Replied by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac288/gavkie...3401_zps9jr7wycv.jpg


Im trying to get the pic to appear but its not working...sorry.
Last edit: 03 Sep 2015 23:07 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
04 Sep 2015 06:50 #9 by helix8008 (Tomas Novak)
Replied by helix8008 (Tomas Novak) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
If you don't like the canister piping then drilled tank with sump is really the only option. That's where the extra cost is. I don't know prices of return pumps but my mate got his definitely cheaper than €100.

Well you have tough decisions to make, but that's the beauty and fun with fishkeeping, so many options :crazy:

Good luck with it!

Tom

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
04 Sep 2015 09:17 #10 by alan61979 (Alan)
Replied by alan61979 (Alan) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....

My attempt at a planted set up...without co2 and with a sump

i908.photobucket.com/albums/ac288/gavkie...3401_zps9jr7wycv.jpg


That's a real nice tank. You need to wrap it it IMG tags for it to show,

File Attachment:


Thanks for the replies folks.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
04 Sep 2015 10:40 - 04 Sep 2015 11:11 #11 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)
Replied by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
I have overhead sumps working on a few of my tanks; not the same thing, I know. However, they're among the best filters I ever had and if even a small DIY sump does such a good job, I can only imagine a much larger one underneath is even more amazing. I think the pros will far outweigh the cons. The sheer customizability of sumps outweigh almost any downside.

Edit: I've heard people complain about the inadequacies of lots of different filter types...
Sponges are cheap and great biological filters, but poor mechanical ones.
Internals are unsightly and can't really be customized much.
Undergavels are, well, let's not go there (I know, I know... someone is going to say "Well, managed properly with the tank set up appropriately and once it's the last full moon before the vernal equinox they are the best filter ever!).
Even externals are bemoaned occasionally. They're expensive, hoses can be unsightly and, in my opinion, are probably the filter most unlikely to survive a power cut ie the bacteria.
However, I don't recall anyone ever telling me they wish they hadn't opted for a sump.
"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life; your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you.They're freeing your soul."
Last edit: 04 Sep 2015 11:11 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
04 Sep 2015 11:42 #12 by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers)
Replied by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
However, I don't recall anyone ever telling me they wish they hadn't opted for a sump

That is a very good point

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
04 Sep 2015 11:49 #13 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Replied by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
Well i can honestly say when i was ordering my 5x2x2 the same thoughts were in my mind...but the sump was a great decision for me and even a few months back i changed the layout of the sump and added a new baffle...so there is always options with a sump...i still consider actually running an external with it sometimes but its not necessary as my fish arent heavy eaters etc..
At the moment im even using it to house shrimp...plus the kulhis love it down there!

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
04 Sep 2015 13:25 #14 by Jonlate (Jon Late)
Replied by Jonlate (Jon Late) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
Go with a sump.
Cleaning is so much easier, and you don't need to worry if your canister is going to leak every time you open it.
The only thing I found is buying filter media is expensive as you need lots of it! Using plastic scrubbies as filter media makes filling it cheaper.
But definitely use a sump.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
04 Sep 2015 17:34 #15 by alan61979 (Alan)
Replied by alan61979 (Alan) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
It looks like sumps are very popular!

Fishowner, any chance you could stick up a photo of your sump?

Seeing as your tank is the same size as what I'm going for, I'm curious to see your sump design.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
04 Sep 2015 20:00 #16 by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers)
Replied by Q_Comets (Declan Chambers) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
All those in favour......

And it looks like the sumps have it :woohoo:

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
04 Sep 2015 21:29 #17 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Replied by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
Alan the camera phone is poor for shiwing dark pics...but i will try to get the proper canon camera out tomorrow .Basically my tank is drilled,water flows from an overflow into the sump via a filter sock...in chamber 1 is the filter sock and some sponge...water flows over into chamber 2 where ive a few bio balls and lots of sponges...the water in chamber 2.flows down through the baffle.into chamber 3...at the bottom of the baffle i have a net bag of ceramic rings...chamber 3 presently has some sponge but i take them out if/when im using chamber 3 for fish...from chamber 3 it flows over into chamber 4 with a bubble catcher as such filled with bio balls (is designed to take marine if needs be so hence the buble catcher in section 4,and chamber 4 contains the return pump.hope that makes sense.

Gavin

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
05 Sep 2015 14:04 #18 by alan61979 (Alan)
Replied by alan61979 (Alan) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
Yeah, that makes sense. No worries if you can't get a photo up.

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
06 Sep 2015 19:12 #19 by hammie (Neil Hammerton)
Replied by hammie (Neil Hammerton) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
If you plan a sump properly, an adjustment to 1 or 2 pieces of glass can be the difference between having it for Fresh and salt water!!!!

I wish i had sumped my 3ft marine from the get go

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
07 Sep 2015 09:50 #20 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
Replied by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner) on topic To Sump or not to Sump.....
So true...mine was set up for marine but i added a baffle and its improved my options now.

Gavin

Please Log in to join the conversation.

  1. Forum
  3. Tropical Aquariums
  5. Beginners Haven
  7. To Sump or not to Sump.....
Time to create page: 0.091 seconds
Powered by Kunena Forum