Make a sump from a garbage can

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JasonsPlecosCichlids

JasonsPlecosCichlids

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Jan 23, 2010
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jasonsplecoscichlids.com
I have a 500 gallon, running the specs below:

3 FX5
1 Marineland 360 with a UV attached

Some of you know I purchased all of Florecebigfish's rays, I also have 5 peacock bass about 15" each, 1 silver arro at 20"+, 1 8-10" Uaru, 1 Oscar and about 6 bichirs from 10" to 21", 1 Chinese Highfin loach

I dont have room for a sump underneath the tank but I do have room for a nice size garbage can so I was thinking about making a sump from one.

What would be my best approach?

What type of garbage can? I have heard that the plastic ones leach items into the water.
Should I use lavarock or bioballs or both or something else? I plan on getting the biggest can I have room for.

I'm asking this because my ammonia is staying in the high range, around 1.0 - 2.0. Nitrates and Nitrites are 0. Its been this way for a while now, at least 3 weeks. It has to be the large rays. I do 30% water changes each and every day I get home from work after a feeding, on the weekends I do two a day, I feed the fish every other day and I dont feed them a lot. The eat fish so nothing is left behind.


In the FX5's I have them loaded with bioballs, one of them is half bioballs and have filter floss. I also have some floating vegetation and 10 japanese moss ball the size of a golf ball. I have little substrate, not enough to cover the bottom but just enough to look nice and for the rays to play in.

I have two 8" round air disks and 8 coralinas running so I have plenty of air circulation.

What all do I need to complete this project?

Another reason I'm doing this is because I have a Tig that is 26", but I dont want it here till everything is right. He is over 30" with streamers so I'm told.

The water is always crystal clear, the photo below is from my phone so its not that good. I'm doing a water change right now as I type this. This is the same amount of water I change out every day.

IMAG0036.jpg
 
I personally would do a closed loop bead filter in lieu of the trash can filter. Trash can in the house is too messy not to mention the humidity.
 
People with big open sumps on this forum seems to have a problem with moisture but if you don't then no problem.

For your fish load and size tank you would need atleast a 55g trash can. Rays and pbass have very high bioload, you need lotsa bio media.

Here's my 35g trash can on a 55g tank
60761.jpg

Here's my closed loop 1.5 cuft of media for a 225g tank
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60761.jpg

58809.jpg
 
tiago62 said:
Why not use a lid on the trash can?
Click to expand...

Trash can lids are designed to keep rainwater out, not condensation in. If you put a lid on a trash can filter they tend to drip. You can cut down the lid to fit inside the can I suppose, but there are better looking solutions.

I would build a tall, narrow sump next to the tank. You can build it to fit whatever space you have. If build it at least 36-40" tall you could probably put a couple filter socks on top and a ton of bio-media underneath. Just about any media will work, in my opinion, but don't use lava rock - it is dirty, heavy, and not very porous.

If you want to do the same sort of thing cheap and fast, plastic food-grade barrels are a lot heavier built than most trash cans and a whole lot cheaper, too. You do have to get creative cutting them open, unless you can find the snap-top kind, which are really nice.

That is a really nice tank, good luck with the new filter!
 
Beautiful tank! I have bioballs in my sump (they were free) but my canister filters are full of matrix and ehfisubstrat pro, a couple have bio max too, but I've noticed a huge difference since switching my media. Matrix isn't that expensive either, at least compared to some of the other medias out there. Looks like your tank isn't drilled so you'll need either a pump in the tank to get water to the can or some sort of overflow box. Then another pump to return water from the can to the tank... Stuff the can full of scrubbies or bioballs with some filter floss on the top and you should be good. I just bought a tupperware container to set in my sump too, filled it with pothos and peace lillies from walmart and they're growing like weeds and eating nitrates like champs....
 
This is my idea of how it may work and Im ready today to buy the stuff and set it up.

Only thing is, where should the water line be?

I also added a check valve so if the power was to go out, the sump will not flood my apartment.

Anything I should change/add? I will be putting the heater on the bottom instead of where is shows in the drawing.


SUMP.png
 
idk why but OP thats the sweetest tank ive ever seen...its obviously awesome but i think its the coolest tank ive seen yet
 
I have built trash can sumps, and trashcan in pool filters.

I just filled mine with scrubbies. (I got rid of the sponges in the middle because they trap detritus, and just had the plastic floss packed in there.

Even so, I needed to rip out the floss at least once a month and rinse everything out because of how much waste got trapped in there.

Worked well with a heavy bioload though...50+ pacu with no ammonia or nitrates to speak of.
 
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