How big of a sump tank?
- Thread starter JP!
- Start date
The size of the reservoir section of the sump has to take into account the rate of evaporation from the tank and filter. A covered tank and sump will experience less evaporation and can be smaller than the sump on an open top/open filter design. The amount of space needed in the bio-chamber depends somewhat on the media you intend to use. The industry standard is 2.2 gallons of media to filter 100 gallons of tank. That's by using 1.5" bio-balls. These standard bio-balls have 160 sq/ft of surface area (per gal) for bacteria to adhere to. Using a media like plastic pot scrubbie pads will yield 370 sq/ft of surface area per gallon. Therefore, the scrubbies can handle a larger bio-load as compared to the same volume of bio-balls. All in all, you're looking at a bio-chamber that can hold 9-10gallons of media (remember the dead space above and below the bio-media when designing the size of the bio-chamber).
The pump you choose should turn over the entire volume of the tank around 4-6 times per hour. The turnover rate can even be higher if you plan on keeping riverine species with a high DO requirement. Realistically, you're looking for a pump that can deliver about 2500 GPH at the header (where the water actually enters the tank) which is about 4-5ft from the sump (if under an aquarium stand).
The pump you choose should turn over the entire volume of the tank around 4-6 times per hour. The turnover rate can even be higher if you plan on keeping riverine species with a high DO requirement. Realistically, you're looking for a pump that can deliver about 2500 GPH at the header (where the water actually enters the tank) which is about 4-5ft from the sump (if under an aquarium stand).