# help with a sump



## Redhead305 (May 30, 2012)

I recently found a great deal on 90G fish tank the tank has a built in over flow but i have no idea on sump advice would be greatly appreciated i want to get it down pack even before i plan on setting it up


----------



## jlpropst00 (Jun 12, 2011)

Sump size depends a lot on preference, and the biggest sump you can get is always best. The more water volume in the system the better. As far as min. size goes you need enough volume in your sump to hold the water that would drain back into your sump if you were to lose power to your return pump (power outage or equipment failure). To calculate this go to this link http://www.diyfishkeepers.com/SumpSizeCalculator.htm (Cool website). 

As far as were to get your sump? You can just use another tank or you can buy one from Aqueon or Eshopps. I know this is kinda basic but you can find a lot of info out there reading forum stickies. Hope this gets you started.


----------



## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

You can do so much with sumps, and you have so many options on everything from size, media, flow, stages, placement, and etc.. Since it doesnt really seem like you know what you want to do yet, and the question is rather general, the best advice anyone can give you right now is to go do some research. I would suggest planning what you want in the tank first, and how you want everything setup first; then see what your filtration needs will be and build a sump around that. 

There is plenty of good material around on the internet on this, google is your friend. Also be careful when it comes to specific suggestions in certain places, I find that for some reason, most people will tell you what they have is the best, even if its like the worst thing since molding bread.


----------



## Redhead305 (May 30, 2012)

i have a general idea of what i want. A sump of course, that will include a 3 stage filter i.e bioballs, carbon and foam or floss similar to say a canister or a hob. I also want to be able to place my heater inside the sump to keep it out of site.


----------



## Redhead305 (May 30, 2012)

i understand the general idea just not sure how its put together and i understand what a sump can be useful for it essentially makes your tank in terms of water amount bigger. I was thinking about fitting the biggest sump possible or at least a sump large enough to deal with a 180gallon tank even tho my tank is 90. and i plan on just doing fw not salt


----------



## Redhead305 (May 30, 2012)

display Tank dimensions 48x25x18
sump volume needed to handle overflow when pumps are off 8g min
max sump dimensions 46x 13.5
must push water min of 5 and 1/2 feet up
3 stage filter

min sump size would be 15gallons


i must calculate the gph of drainage coming from the tank with the overflow. the tank came reef ready so the overflow box bulkheads and actualy overflow are already built i simply am building the plumbing to the sump and from the sump to the bulkhead to the jets to actually go back into the tank
i think i did the calculator correct


----------



## Redhead305 (May 30, 2012)

anyone mind chimming in be greatly appreciated


----------



## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Redhead305 said:


> anyone mind chimming in be greatly appreciated


Like I said above, the best thing you can do is plan ahead, and know what you want to do with the tank; then research that setups needs, and build a sump around it. You havent even let us know what you plan to do with the tank, but it seems like your making progress. There are just so many options no one can really tell you what is right for you; and its also a big matter of budget. Anyone can tell you to go buy the biggest and baddest stuff, and it will make a good sump, but you might not be able to afford it, nor be best tailored to your setup. Google is your friend.


----------



## Redhead305 (May 30, 2012)

ive already built the sump id like but i simply dont know how to calculate the gph that will drain due to gravity in the overflow and idk how strong of a pump id need


----------



## Redhead305 (May 30, 2012)

ive already built the sump id like water will flow down the overflow then hitting a trickle plate to trickle over bioballs, from there it hits a bubble trap and is forced to pass through two micronsocks one filled with carbon the other with ammo chips. it then continues hitting a second trap then forced threw a sponge then into a sump where my heater,uv and return pump are. but i simply dont know how to calculate the gph that will drain due to gravity in the overflow and idk how strong of a pump id need


----------



## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

I couldnt tell you either, most pumps are adjustable these days though, so you usually have some room for messing around. It would be safer to get something a little too strong than too weak. What you will also need to figure out is head pressure. Head pressure is measured in feet or inches (usually), and its the amount of vertical climb the pump has to push the water. Also personally, is you have some tubing that isnt necessarily straight up or down, but side to side, I still usually try to account for it with a little bit of extra head pressure. 

Again though on the actual GPH we would have to know a lot more details about what you plan to put in there and your equipment, not to mention there is still the budget and opinion aspect. Something that would be good to look at are pond pumps, they are usually cheap for what you get.


----------



## Redhead305 (May 30, 2012)

see i had no clue at the adjustment part alot of the pumps i was looking at said only maximum pressure. I knew of the head pressure aspect so that what was confusing me tho. It terms of figuring out what i need i simply fill up the tank and allow the over flow to fill the sump a bit and then turn on the pump?


----------



## AquariumTech (Oct 12, 2010)

Redhead305 said:


> see i had no clue at the adjustment part alot of the pumps i was looking at said only maximum pressure. I knew of the head pressure aspect so that what was confusing me tho. It terms of figuring out what i need i simply fill up the tank and allow the over flow to fill the sump a bit and then turn on the pump?


For your specific tank, I dont think anyone could give you solid numbers. At least I couldnt though admittedly I am not the most skilled with saltwater equipment as I have not been doing marine tanks nearly as long as I have been doing freshwater. That sounds like something that would change too, depending on how full your tank is; there might be a formula or something for it, thats why if I was you I would google it, like I mentioned above.


----------



## Redhead305 (May 30, 2012)

i have been and its a freshwater, quick question tho can i simply get a canister filter and connect it


----------



## Redhead305 (May 30, 2012)

strike that i might just have the overflow drain into a sump and a canister filter pump up the water


----------



## jlpropst00 (Jun 12, 2011)

There are a lot of different factors involved like the size of your drain plumbing. But one easy thing to remember is that its an "overflow" so it can only drain as fast as the water being pumped back in by the return pump. So if you have a 1" drain pipe that is capable of somewhere like 800gph and your return pump is going at say 300gph thats what your going to drain. Hope that makes sense. So your return pump determines overflow not overflow determines pump.


----------



## Redhead305 (May 30, 2012)

thanks for the advice guys i was kinda confused but really its simple, as long as i dont exceed the amount of overflow i.e your example of 800gph then i dont have to worry about the tank flooding and then the second thing is just be sure to have excess gallons incase i have a power outage or such that way the excess in the pipes drains down


----------

