should i be using a sump for a 100 gal tank?

[jnsnams]

i have a 100 gal tank and wondering if i should be useing a sump for it? what are the benifits in useing a sump over the canister i have now? iam a newbie so any comments can help out please..

[jnsnams]

right now all i have is fish and nems no coral or anything till i upgrade my lights and my tank is 60 inches long

[paulyl61]

The cannister filter is okay for fish as it does do a good job of filtering fish waste. The problem if you get corals is it will raise Nitrates. It harbors only aerobic bacteria which will break down the amonia into nitrites and ultimately nitrates. Nitrates are bad for corals so you are better off with a sump where you can put in a protein skimmer which will remove wastes before they can break down into nitrates. You can also put macro algae like chaeto into the sump to further reduce nitrates from whatever waste escapes the skimmer. Of course you can take care of most all these functions without a sump but maybe the best benifit of the sump is you can hide all your filtration, top off, algae and whatever else you add under the tank in your stand keeping your display area clean and uncluttered. I am only a few months past newbie status myself and I am sure I missed something but I hope you get the idea of what a sump can do for you.

Paul

[GregC]

Another bennefit, is that it can be built to incorporate a Refugium. A fuge is basically a seperate tank, that is piped into the main system. In this area, there is usually very low water flow, that allows co-pods, and other forms of life to live without the hassle of preditors. The copod population expands, and eventually provides another food source for your livestock, Mandrin's etc. Here is a good link for you, study some of this stuff it can provide you with lots of valuable information.

[jnsnams]

links links??? more info more info!!!

[GregC]

I'm sorry, that was a knuckleheaded move on my part here is the link. http://www.melevsreef.com/links.html

[EllieSuz]

To me the biggest benefit with a sump is that it provides you a place to hide the "junk". Put a skimmer, heater, filter sock, cheato, etc. in the sump and your display tank will present a more natural appearance. I do my water changes from the sump without turning off a thing. The livestock doesn't even know I was there. It also provides a place to put additives where they can get mixed up a bit before flowing into the tank. Last, but not least, it adds volume to your system. While this may not be as important in your 100 g system, you can't have too much volume.

[Colin]

Another benefit is that evaporation drops the water level in the return portion of the sump instead of dropping the water level in the tank. As mentioned before, it's great for hiding the junk and having a refugium. Refugiums can be very simple. Mine is the return portion of my sump instead of a separate container.

You can do without a sump, but life is much nicer with one.

--Colin

[Paul B]

To answer your question you do not need a sump in any tank.
It helps with certain things like hiding stuff but in my 100 gallon tank I have never had a sump.

[jnsnams]

thnaks paul, you have a canister in yours? anything else you would recomend? i got a protein skimmer today, and have 2 korilia 4s in the tank right now? and of course a heater to keep it normal since i keep my house at like 70..lol

[Paul B]

I would not use a canister for more than a couple of days before I took it apart and cleaned it. They are good for temporary uses like adding carbon or cleaning up after stirring.
If you continousely use them any organic particles they catch will rot raising the nitrates. You are better off removing those particles before that happens.
I don't know what a Korilla 4 is

[jnsnams]

powerheads

[Paul B]

Powerheads what?

[jnsnams]

korilias...

[mskohl]

it's one of the newer styles/brands powerheads. koralia is the proper spelling. 4 is their strongest model at 1200gph.
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=HY-P19401&Category_Code=

jnsnams-
there are definitely benefits to having a sump/fuge, but no it is not completely necessary. To better answer your questions, you should test your water. If you have nitrates, then a sump would likely help you. Though, if you don't intend to keep corals, your tank will tolerate higher nitrate levels.

To have a sump, you don't have to drill the tank. There are 'hang on back' overflows. When I first started, I had a 'new to me' 45g tank that had a few small frags and a few fish. After moving it to my house, and letting it settle, the nitrates started to rise and I couldn't get them down with water changes. I was running an emporer 400 with biowheels. That's when I found RC and COMAS. I got to asking questions and all were in agreement to ditch the biowheels and then add a sump with 4" of sand, 2" rubble, and chaeto.
Being a newbie and plumbing challenged, Paul W. came over and helped me build the sump. I say helped me, but really he did it all. :) Thanks Paul! I've learned a lot since then. It's been awhile and we've seen a big turnover on the boards, but the advice is generally the same.

The cannister filter will like get you higher nitrates as detritus accumulates. You'd have to have a very dedicated maintenance schedule. I really don't know much about these, but I do know that they are being used less and less for saltwater. You have one, so you could use it until you have nitrates building or until you get tired of cleaning it.

If and when you decide you'd like to have a sump/fuge for filtration and/or to hide your equipment, you can find many answers right on this board.

[jnsnams]

i clean mine about once a month and my nitrates are none...so i guess iam doing good on that part..i hope..

[Serra]

I have a canister on my planted FW tank. I clean it weekly and I still have nitrates even with plants. As the tank ages it will produce the trates. I clean it weekly and change out the tiles a little at a time about every 3 months.

Another benefit of a sump is that it gives you more water which gives you lower total dissolved solids, more surface water for gas exchange and more volume for which to figure livestock loading levels. (LLL, I think I just made that up!)

IMNHO, a refugium is the best thing that has happened since my first reef tank in 1989...that and phosphate reactors. Well, T5's too. And definately forums so we can share our opinions.

[peaceinusa]

IMO - Use the Canister Filter for temp water detritus cleaning and water polishing in a reef tank. I bought a Fluval canister that I run during water changes and just after to pull floating detridus out of the water. I would not run this canister 24/7 in my tank as it could become a nitrate factory. It has its purpose, and I leave it at that.

I would most definetly recommend a sump for any tank 55ga or larger for a reef tank. It would probably be ok to run a marine fish only tank without a sump, but I have never done it. I have always had a sump of some kind on all my larger marine tanks as it is "the place" for all the ugly equipment needed for marine reef tanks.

[jnsnams]

i clean the canister aout once every three weeks right now and have been ok with nitrates, in fact never had a problem with them..

[paulyl61]

As several here have said, no you do not HAVE to have a sump, Paul B has gone 36 years without one, BUT, a sump gives you much more margin for error. I have an aquapod that has no sump and it requires a lot more attention to keep algae in check and keep everything in balance. My 75 with sump on the other hand is relatively easy and if I forget to even look at the tank for a couple of days I do not worry much about it. Paul B’s tank is a great example of what CAN be done but I think he would agree that 36 years of experience plays a big part in his success. Ultimately it is your choice but current thinking is nearly unanimous that a sump and or refugium can only help make a better environment for your critters.

[jnsnams]

thank you everyone that has replied, iam thinking of getting the 300 gal from the guy in tulsa and useing my 100 gal for a sump now..lol..should be a good setup from a few that have come out and looked at it...i will start the tread if i get it to show what iam doing with it..