400gl fw sump build question

[johnle890]

hi guys so im starting the process to getting my first monster tank (7x3x2.5) by glasscage , im building my own stand at pre-existing wall in my business as divider wall with peninsula tank(wall will be remove after labor day) , with 150gl sump , my question is what kind of fw sump should i be using . there’s couple of different one out there(wet/dry , k1 with air pump..) what is the best one to have . my stocking list probably will be couple bds, got myself a luteus , maybe a platinum gar or aro in future. let me know what you guys thinking

 

[Rhyno8]

hi guys so im starting the process to getting my first monster tank (7x3x2.5) by glasscage , im building my own stand at pre-existing wall in my business as divider wall with peninsula tank(wall will be remove after labor day) , with 150gl sump , my question is what kind of fw sump should i be using . there’s couple of different one out there(wet/dry , k1 with air pump..) what is the best one to have . my stocking list probably will be couple bds, got myself a luteus , maybe a platinum gar or aro in future. let me know what you guys thinking

View attachment 1469444

Possibilities are endless for a sump it’s really what tickles your fancy! K1 processes a lot of nitrogenous waste very quickly and is easy to maintain if you have good pre filter down fall is it can be noisy. Wet dry are also great at nitrification. It’s more preference really. I personally use poret foam and poret aqua in my sump now and it’s been brilliant. Not sure if it’s an option but an ultima type filter might be a good option being in the buisness building just backflush into a drain or outside and filter maintenance is done no mess no fuss.

 

[johnle890]

Possibilities are endless for a sump it’s really what tickles your fancy! K1 processes a lot of nitrogenous waste very quickly and is easy to maintain if you have good pre filter down fall is it can be noisy. Wet dry are also great at nitrification. It’s more preference really. I personally use poret foam and poret aqua in my sump now and it’s been brilliant. Not sure if it’s an option but an ultima type filter might be a good option being in the buisness building just backflush into a drain or outside and filter maintenance is done no mess no fuss.

can you give me more detail about your poret foam set up? i actually got drainpipe and water source right behind that wall , the way shop lay out i cant really run ultima in different room or outside . i gotta say the noise probably my first priority . im currently have wet/dry on my 90gl, i dont think i done a right job to make that part”wet/dry” actually work . never use k1 with airline before , i cant tell how noisy it would be

 

[Rhyno8]

can you give me more detail about your poret foam set up? i actually got drainpipe and water source right behind that wall , the way shop lay out i cant really run ultima in different room or outside . i gotta say the noise probably my first priority . im currently have wet/dry on my 90gl, i dont think i done a right job to make that part”wet/dry” actually work . never use k1 with airline before , i cant tell how noisy it would be

K1 kinda sounds slightly white noisish if you insulated the cabinet and used a quality air pump you probably wouldn’t hear it lots of people use it in tanks that are in there lounge rooms. This is the set up I run i fluidise with a wave maker can’t hear a thing.

 

[Gpdriftwood]

I agree w rhyno that its mostly preference. The nice thing about k1 in a fluidized bed is that it cleans itself whereas stationary media needs cleaned out sometimes due to waste building up. Which I don't like as it stirs everything up like crazy.

 

[johnle890]

i really dont have any preference but according to rhyno and some home work i pulled this out in my lunch break

 

[johnle890]

basically water fill feed to 2 filter sock( i got 4 drain from a bean animal overflow box) then thru layers of poret foam , 2nd chamber we have gravel with undergravel filter with ceramic ring or bio matrix on top . reason because i will keep my tank bare bottom, i think gravel on sump will somehow have benefit and if any small particles that get thru those poret will stay there, i will have to clean it after awhile .
after that there will be few more layers of foam then return pump
main sump is 72x24x21 , since the whole stand will be 90x36x30ish, i still have abit space to play around , im thinking connect main sump to 2nd sump like 37gl (30x12x24) and fill it with k1 and air pump and smaller return pump back to main sump , maybe somehow connect it with uv sterilizer if it need it .i was planning to run 1-2 fx6 along with the system, or this 2nd sump

 

[Oughtsix]

My theory of sump design is keep it simple and keep it easy to clean.

Thru poret sounds good for maximizing its surface area. Gravel and an under gravel filter sounds like a head ache to clean. FX filters or a K1 fluidized bed sounds over kill and completely unneeded to me.

Remove the poop and other drbris as soon as possible in the sump and make it easy to remove and clean the media. Bags of bio media over air stones should provide for plenty of bennificial bacteria as well as oxygenate the water sufficiently while being easy to remove and rinse.

 

[johnle890]

yeah sound like undergravel filter is abit much but i don’t mind other part or cleaning, im trying to max out the capacity i have , i probably will end up keeping alot of big fish(ray, gar, aro) so im fine with the overkill game . so poret foam + bunch of porous bio ceramic , possibly fx6 at the end section of sump? return pump im using reeflo hammerhead so that should be enough

 

[Matteus]

yeah sound like undergravel filter is abit much but i don’t mind other part or cleaning, im trying to max out the capacity i have , i probably will end up keeping alot of big fish(ray, gar, aro) so im fine with the overkill game . so poret foam + bunch of porous bio ceramic , possibly fx6 at the end section of sump? return pump im using reeflo hammerhead so that should be enough

If you are using an fx6, just drop it right in the main tank. 2 reasons,

1 is the fx6 runs off of a partial syphon function so unless your sump is deeper than the height of the canister you may have issues getting it going. I experienced this with my 300g pond that sits on the floor, I need to have it fairly full to operate the fx6

2, the fx will polish your water in the tank, I keep an fx on all my set ups in addition to the sumps. As long as the fx6 is cleaned regularly itkeeps the water fairly pristine.