Getting back into it
- Thread starter Greenspot
- Start date
I have a sump on my 150. I use a herbie style drain and a Jebao dct 6000 pump. It's probably quieter than my old 2262 that was virtually silent. If set up properly, overflowing is no more of a concern than a canister leaking. I run my heaters in the sump and made a lid with cheap plastic sheeting to keep heat in and evaporation down. The pump is rated at 1600 gph and about 45 watts. Far more efficient than any canister. They do take more effort and set up time initially, but well worth it imo. I wouldn't run a tank over 75 gallons without a sump now that I've had one.
Sunsuns are cheaper cost up front for canisters. But they run about 55 watts for 525 gph. So there is a trade off.
Sunsuns are cheaper cost up front for canisters. But they run about 55 watts for 525 gph. So there is a trade off.
My situation is pretty much like yours. I came back into the hobby after a 15 year break and instead of getting s small tank just to get back into it i got a big tank. When i was in the shop looking at my tank i asked the assistant if the tank underneath was a freebie for spending so much money! When he explained it was a sump tank and it was the filtration for the main tank i was horrified as i didn't have a clue. He explained the very basics of how it worked and anyway 10 months later my tank is well established, my fish are thriving and i absolutely love my sump. I didn't even have any teething problems. It's just a basic 3 section tank. 1st section mechanical (varying grades of sponges or floss), 2nd section biological (bio balls, ceramic rings) and 3rd section is for return pump and thermostats. Some of the guys on here would blow your brains with the set ups they have but as i've proved to myself, simple is just as effective.
I have both, cannisters and sumps, and the sumps are way less work.... Like stated before, they take a little more work and thought to dial it in but once you do you will never go back! I keep a cannister on most of my tanks but they are really there only so I can jump start another tank quickly in an emergency situation.
Just a thought. I am planning on having neons, would they get sucked into the intake of an fx6?
I don't think I'll be able to do a sump. My husband is not much on of tanks. He worries about water damage and stuff. so I think the mucking about setting up a sump would send his anxiety sky high.
I don't think I'll be able to do a sump. My husband is not much on of tanks. He worries about water damage and stuff. so I think the mucking about setting up a sump would send his anxiety sky high.
As stated above, you have about the same chance of water for either. When a sump is setup, you build in all of your redundant fail safes. For instance, return placement can greatly impact the reverse siphon of a power loss, or you can do what others do and have a small hole drilled to break siphon. My return is placed so that I have very little water above the top of mine in this situation. So, if power fails, between my tank still draining and the reverse siphon, I don't even 3/4 fill up my return chamber of my sump and the rest of the tank is the same, hits about 55% capacity AFTER my drain off from the DT after a power failure.
Also as previously mentioned, depending on the return flow you are wanting, a return pump is going to run close to the same wattage as a canister filter(s) would. So, for instance, on my sump I am running a Fluval SP4 @ 0 head is 1822 GPH and has a max wattage of 88W. A Fluval FX6 runs at 564GPH @ 43watts. So with 2 FX6, you have just over 1100GPH @ 86W and a significant increase of money spent to reach 60% of the capacity of a single pump.
The fluval SP4 is a more expensive example, as stated earlier cheaper pumps can be purchased. I have had good luck with Fluval and chose this pump after extensive research and knowing that I am gone quite often, I felt more comfortable with a more recognized brand than a knockoff. Strictly personal opinion.
Also with this setup, I have nothing in the tank but 2 siliconed overflows and a digital thermo probe that blends in with the back of the tank. All heaters are in the sump, no return pipes that are hanging down the back wall, so intake tubes, etc. Frankly, I hate having the thermo probe in the main tank, but the amount of flow I push through my sump has proven to give inaccurate readings when the probe is in the sump. This make be different for others, but I felt like I was fighting a never ending heater war cause it was always 2 degrees cooler than desired, I got curious and moved it to the main tank and wouldn't you know the temp was perfect again. But I digress.
Ultimately, you should go with what you are comfortable doing. If you will leave the house panicking about returning to a flooded home, then maybe the sump isn't the best option for you!
Also as previously mentioned, depending on the return flow you are wanting, a return pump is going to run close to the same wattage as a canister filter(s) would. So, for instance, on my sump I am running a Fluval SP4 @ 0 head is 1822 GPH and has a max wattage of 88W. A Fluval FX6 runs at 564GPH @ 43watts. So with 2 FX6, you have just over 1100GPH @ 86W and a significant increase of money spent to reach 60% of the capacity of a single pump.
The fluval SP4 is a more expensive example, as stated earlier cheaper pumps can be purchased. I have had good luck with Fluval and chose this pump after extensive research and knowing that I am gone quite often, I felt more comfortable with a more recognized brand than a knockoff. Strictly personal opinion.
Also with this setup, I have nothing in the tank but 2 siliconed overflows and a digital thermo probe that blends in with the back of the tank. All heaters are in the sump, no return pipes that are hanging down the back wall, so intake tubes, etc. Frankly, I hate having the thermo probe in the main tank, but the amount of flow I push through my sump has proven to give inaccurate readings when the probe is in the sump. This make be different for others, but I felt like I was fighting a never ending heater war cause it was always 2 degrees cooler than desired, I got curious and moved it to the main tank and wouldn't you know the temp was perfect again. But I digress.
Ultimately, you should go with what you are comfortable doing. If you will leave the house panicking about returning to a flooded home, then maybe the sump isn't the best option for you!
Okay so I have found an fx5 used for 8 months on a gravel tank for $250 Aus dollars. I am going to go the canister. A few reasons, mainly I think I want a stand rather than a cabinet, and it would just be neater. What are your thoughts on second hand filters? What sort of price is reasonable for a second hand fx5 with box and bits and stuff?
There is nothing wrong with second hand.... I'm sure that 90% of us have bought tanks from people and used some of there filters and such...... Not any difference than doing that. Make sure your seals are in good shape and not leaking before you set it and forget it and you should be fine.
I know I've been pushing the SunSun filters a lot lately, since I've been so pleased with mine. I think you can buy two SunSun HW-304B filters for less than the cost of that one used FX. That should be more than adequate for your setup and they include UV steralizers. I would recommend those.
