Am I Sump Ignorant?

[nmadsen4]

I'm considering a sump for my 240 Long setup that is I should have all paid for by Feb 18th. I fully understand canister filters as I used them for years but I just don't understand sumps..... I've been reading and reading but it's all gibberish for some reason. Can someone give me an easy to understand full explanation of why you're designing the sump a certain way and how it works.

I have basic questions like 'How do you keep the sump from over filling or how do you keep the tank from over filling?' Is there a math equation that prevents the pump from pumping too much water into the tank or from the tank pouring too much water into the sump??? Like I said, I feel like an idiot because it's just not clicking like I think it should.

I would prefer that you guys answer me like I'm 5 years old at this point because I think I need it.... sigh..

 

[duanes]

A sump is a box you put stuff in, there are no rules about what you put in, or don't put in, or how it is configured..
You use 1 pump to pump water from the sump into the tank, where it flows by gravity back to the sump, and recirculates. The tank only overflows if you have a blockage in the gravity fed return line, or if the sump overflows if the line to the tank is blocked.
There are many ways to configure them, it's whatever you prefer
I like to run my sumps wet (almost full), and I don't use any dividers/walls.
I place media in mesh bags, or just lying around or floating. I use filter socks for mechanical filtration, and place heaters horizontally on the bottom of the sump.
This way the heater sits below the pump intake, so it is always submerged.
Here are some examples.
Barrel sump.

30 gal tank as sump

planted sump

same planted sump during a water change, in this sump I use a compartment to keep plants from entering the pump

sumps also don't need to be placed just below the tank, this offset, and has a lava rock tube that water flows thru for biofiltration

 

[rayguy84]

It depends mostly on how you get the water to your sump........if the tank has overflows and is drilled then it depends on the size of the plumbing ( 1" drain 2" drain ect.) Certain size plumbing is rated for certain amount of water flow (gph), if you use a hang on overflow those are individually rated by flow........then you match whatever flow you have there to the size return pump you need, taking into account head height ( vertical height to tank) and anything else that may slow flow ( uv sterilizers, valves ect.) So in short yes there is a mathematical type calculation to making sure you are not overflowing your sump or draining it..........also you need to make sure it is large enough that if the power should cut off the amount of water that drains from your tank before it equalizes doesn't overflow the sump either

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[nmadsen4]

Thank you for replying both of you. I guess it's just really simple... Some times the simplest things seem hard to understand. So it seems like i either need to buy a box or make one..... dividers if i want to, put some mechanical in there, then some media and pump the water back into the tank. If it's really that simple, why do people use canisters? I feel like there's something important that am missing.

 

[rayguy84]

Canisters are cheaper and work fine if you don't have a substantial bio load but in the long run they're more of a pain and take more electric to run

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[duanes]

I used canisters years ago, but found them to be un-user friendly as far as maintenance/cleaning goes, and ended up as nitrate storage units, and factories.
For me, cleaning a filter sock to export nutrients out of the system, is much easier than taking apart a canister, so I do it often.
I also like heavy water flow for my riverine fish, so I use 2400gph pumps, the canisters I had, never came close.

 

[Big Fish Freak]

Whenever someone asks me the difference between canisters and sumps I tell them that a sump is just a canister filter opened up..
Obviously it can be more complex than that, but for grasping the concept thats all it really is..its a box without a lid that has compartments for mechanical, biological, and chemical filtration..
Canisters are just the same, only with a lid..
You can add many other things to a sump that you can't add to a canister..You can make a sump 5' long or 1' long, you can make a high flow sump or low flow sump..

If you plan ahead properly you can even add on to your sump at a later time..


Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app