Head room over sump.

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Randys

Randys

Polypterus
MFK Member
Nov 3, 2015
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Traverse City, Michigan
I'm wrapping up my new 300 gallon tank and stand design and was wondering how much room I should aim for from the top of the sump to the top of the cabinet area. I'd like to push the tank higher but I'm limited by a section of dropped ceiling in my man cave. I'm kinda splitting the difference between the two dimensions.

What does everyone else's measure?

Thanks!
 
To put it really bluntly it depends how big your head is and whether you mind banging it all the time when you're down there doing maintainance and stuff. It's nice to have more wiggle room than you actually need imo. If you're struggling due to space restrictions then you need to get an helmet while you're doing your maintainance!

Or, if you have the room, and depending whether the aesthetics bother you, you could have your sump at the side and rehash your plumbing. After all, under the tank isn't the only place where a sump can go, hell, you can have it in another room or in the basement.
 
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I'm already in the basement! LOL

Ya, I know, the more room the better and I'm a neat freak so the sump is definitely going under the tank.

My current design is giving me about 7-1/4". That amount of room will work cause I ready don't need to stick my head in the stand to do maintenance. I was just wondering what other people ended up with.
 
That 7-1/4" might seem ok now when you're just replacing filter floss every week or whatever, no big deal just reaching in with your hand. The bigger picture for me was when I factored in having to mess around with pumps, installing other kit or even repainting the inside of my stand. Then you soon wish that you'd left yourself more room.
 
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I usually shoot for minimum 6" clearance when building my stacked tank racks or other stands that are meant to hold equipment underneath the tank. This has served my needs well but i haven't had to deal with any tanks or equipment that are too large. Like esoxlucius said, you may need additional room to maneuver given that the pumps youre using and probably a bit larger than mine. 7 1/4" seems plenty to me but i would measure the smallest dimension of your pump assembly just to be safe.
 
if you think 7 1/4 is sufficient i would go for at least 8" then. i know that if it is a hassle to get in and out of i end up putting maintenance off which is not good
 
Oh ya, a steel stand would definitely gain me more total vertical space for the sump. Using 2" square tubing would increase the height available inside the cabinet by 5" right off the bat. I considered a steel stand. I could even have built it myself in my shop. But I figured by the time I hauled it to the house and move it inside it would be easier just to build it out of wood on location.
It didn't dawn on me how much of a space advantage a steel stand had until I started drawing up this one outta wood.
 
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Randys said:
Oh ya, a steel stand would definitely gain me more total vertical space for the sump. Using 2" square tubing would increase the height available inside the cabinet by 5" right off the bat. I considered a steel stand. I could even have built it myself in my shop. But I figured by the time I hauled it to the house and move it inside it would be easier just to build it out of wood on location.
It didn't dawn on me how much of a space advantage a steel stand had until I started drawing up this one outta wood.
Click to expand...

You will love it if you go that route. Space for days, peace of mind and clean.

I always shoot for 10”-12” gap to access the sump. A taller stand isn’t a bad thing over here. It’s usually a goal to be honest
 
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