# considering a sump...



## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

ok so i have been watching and reading a great deal about sumps but i have a lot of questions i would like answered if you all could help me out..
ok so in theory i could use this on a fresh water tank if i chose to so i would essentially have more water and there fore have greater stability in my tank .. right?
now with using a sump i could clean up the appearance of my tanks and have better filtration that would promote safer and healthier fry.. right? 
could i rum multiple tanks off of one sump? my idea is like this have two 20 gallon and possibly two 10gallon tanks run into a 10 gallon (bigger if needed i am not really sure what size it should be) and on the other end have pumps for each tank return.. now i could just run the two 20's off of it but i am simply theorizing here to get an idea if it would work and what modifications i would need to make BEFORE i build and buy parts.
now other questions with the heater(s) in the sump i could get them out of the tanks
i have a hospital tank that will not get hooked up but if i needed to quarantine one of the tanks i could just take it off line right?
is a ten gallon large enough
and what else should i be considering in this line of thought here? 
you all are so helpful i can not wait to see the volumes of information you have to offer... thank you in advance..:-D


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## HotPleco (Nov 4, 2009)

Sumps are ideal for more larger aquariums IMO. They do clean up the display aquarium though because you can put everything underneath.

Linking aquariums via sump is more ideal on commericial level or breeders moving Fry from adult tank to their rearing tank's so water is the same, but multiple display tanks linked together isn't best idea due to transfer of viruses and infections, one tank gets it they all get it. 

You would need a drawup diagram to help you picture it out, but you could take it off the line to quarantine a tank but by then it's usually too late anyway by the time you noticed the symptons in one tank.

10g be hard to work with. When thinking Sumps, gotta remember they dont need to be pretty, they are designed to be out of sight, so even rubbermaid containers will work here! A Gang valve on the return is a plus! and on each aquarium they are running back to. You'd have to put a overflow on each aquarium or drill them as well. Some houses are warm enough in winter the need for heaters aren't needed, unless they are in basement, or what type of fish are being kept.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

ohhh thank you so far you have come up with all the questions i didnt post and we are on the same page (mostly) i breed guppies and platties and having all the tanks the same is in fact ideal for my set up... now for the gang valve part would i be able to run a return from one pump utilizing a gang valve? my thought was that each tank would need thier own pump for return..... as for the rumermaid containers thats a great idea i have seen them and i love the idea my concern was runnig a heater in there but now with better thought a heater would never get hot enough to hurt the container...... keep thought flowing here i really want to think this out....


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## HotPleco (Nov 4, 2009)

Well, you just dont want the heater touching the rubbermaid itself, just keep it in it's rubber holder it comes with.

You wouldn't need a return pump for each tank, just one will be enough, a gang valve right off the pump, I'd suggest a quick disconnect to that before it runs to the tanks in the event the pump fries down the road you can easily disconnect it to install a new one. Each tank will need a gang valve running on it to control flow, and as a safety measure too. The small gang valves are cheap enough. Your return pump needs to be rated higher then your down flow from the tanks as it's pumping against gravity.


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

Don't forget about evaporation. All evaporation will occur out of the sump, so it needs to be large enough to handle the daily evaporation rate of all the tanks connected to the single sump. 

Next, you also need enough room in the sump for the back flow of water that occurs when the power goes out. Naturally, you can test this by turning the power off.

If you do decide to connect multiple tanks to the same sump, I would consider adding a UV Sterilizer to the system. You can order a UV online for about $100. UV Sterilizers for Aquariums


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

thanx pasfur i really hadn't considered that.... also regarding the heat if i have the heat running in the sump would i need more than one and wouldn't the constant motion make setting the temp a pain in the back side?? i am asking all of this now again before i start to build..have been thinking also if i build it how much water turn over should i get from the pump i was thinking about 2x the amount of water in the tanks but would more nessasarily be a bad thing i mean i run two filters minimum now with a sump should i just have more juice????


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

no more ideas or any comments on this one?? just trying to get it all clear and i have to say it sounds good in theory at this point but i an a bit nervous...


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

rubber maid makes 75, 100, 150, 200 gallon thick plastic tubs. if your putting this in the basement, or another room out of the way these are the rubbermaids to use.
if your going with a few tanks your going to want to connect them with bulkheads, and your going to need the matching diamond drill bit for the holes in the glass. your going to need an overflow, so your going to have to drill the main tank or use a hang on overflow box. 
IMHO its alot to do for a freshwater tank but if this is what you feel fits your needs by all means go for it. your def. not going to want to have your QT or hospital tank hooked inline to this, keep that isolated. these tanks see medications as well as diseases that you wouldnt want introduced into the main display.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

oh no i would never hook the hospital tank in. in fact the more i think about it the more likely it will be the two show tanks with the adults and i will have a spong and submersible that run on air in the fry tanks.. i am going with a hang on over flow as i really dont want to drill the tanks... i was reading a sticky on here that had a ton of great info about sumps and have learned a lot.. you all are so great!!!! THANKS


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

ok so here i am.. we are getting ready to move next month and i am planing out the design for where my fish will be and i have some really interesting ideas that will fit in the potential space i will have available.. and along the lines of utilizing a sump for the two parent/show tanks i was looking around the web and found a great three part seiries about making a drip system for housing a lot of Betta's.. sooooooo i was thinking it over and thought why not modify the design a little and have a set up that runs the two big tanks with more traditional sup set ups and set up the smaller drip systen into it for the fry tanks!! i will eliminate about 4-5 heaters, 6 filters, and if set up properly have very stable water conditions in each tank....saving a ton on monthly expenses like electricity etc... what are opinions i am not set on this yet but very curious...


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