Is BIGGER really better? Sump talk....:)

[House_64]

I'm setting up a 100g. rimless and will be building/ordering my stand soon. The foot print of the tank is 48"x24"x20".... the stand will probably be 36"-40" tall. I was considering ordering a sump that's 36"x18"x20".... is that overkill? I figured I'm maximize the space under the stand.... or should I spare some room for future equipment underneath? Thanks guys!

[Wijic]

I'm still learning/sump building, too, and the size of peoples' sumps mostly seems to be dictated by where the sump will go and if they need room for anything else. Some people like to have extra under-the-tank space and others build sumps to use every inch of available space. In general, the bigger you can go, the better off you'll be. The more water that's in your system, the more stable a system you'll have. It will also allow more room for a refugium and a return pump chamber, if you're using those. Just make sure, once your sump is set into its spot, that you have enough clearance room to easily reach and handle the equipment that will be in there. If you can't easily get to your equipment, chances are, as time goes on, maintenance of that equipment will get neglected.

So, the short answer is, provided the sump you got fits comfortably in the space you have for it, I don't think you've overkilled at all. My display tank is a 75g 48"x18"x20" and my sump is a 30g 36"x12"x16". The only reason I didn't go bigger was because I couldn't fit it.

[Indymann99]

I would put as big a sump as you can fit under your stand. More water volume, more space for skimmers, fuge, heaters, etc.

That said you may want to make sure you leave room for ATO.

My tank is 48x24x24 dont remember the exact size of my sump but it consumes most of the space under the stand.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn10/Indymann99/Tankdoorsopen.jpg

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn10/Indymann99/Sump12132009.jpg

[mfinn]

I've always said, get the absolute biggest sump you can get in AND OUT of your stand.
Order your stand with a extra door on the end, so you can side a sump in and out, without having to take the tank down.

[problemfixer]

More water stability with larger sumps. As mfinn mentions, make sure you can get the tank in and out of the stand in case it develops a leak or other problems.

[Joel A]

no, not overkill. I'm going to use the same size under my 120, 48x24x24

[House_64]

Thanks fellas! Still gotta figure out the configuration of the sump. Baffles, Fuge, Skimmer home, etc. I was trying to design the stand where the whole front of the stand is covered by just two doors, no center support on the face but I may just do the access doors on the side for now.

[mfinn]

Do both.
The more access to the inside of the stand you design into it now, the easier it will be to do things in the future.

[House_64]

Btw, Indyman.... beautiful tank! Thanks for sharing!