The amount of PVC you will need, depends on where you situate the sump.
The idea that a sump needs to be directly below the tank is not always right.
If you have family member sensitive to the humming, or vibration sound of a pump, you may want it elsewhere, behind wall, in a utility room, even on a lower floor, possibilities are endless.
I have friends whose house gets hot in the summer, and to help maintain cooler water temps, place the sumps in a cool basement.
I also don't like sumps directly underneath tanks, because for me, the lack of arm movement space, makes maintenance restrictive.
I also believe the different types of bio-media are in the end, meaningless, whether its lava rock, bio balls or old tooth brushes. To me they are just a surface for beneficial bacteria to grow on, and the claims that one is better than the other, just hyperbole.
The only way to know would be to count the robust individual bacteria, to see if one collects more than the other, an impossible task.
The idea that a sump needs to be directly below the tank is not always right.
If you have family member sensitive to the humming, or vibration sound of a pump, you may want it elsewhere, behind wall, in a utility room, even on a lower floor, possibilities are endless.
I have friends whose house gets hot in the summer, and to help maintain cooler water temps, place the sumps in a cool basement.
I also don't like sumps directly underneath tanks, because for me, the lack of arm movement space, makes maintenance restrictive.
I also believe the different types of bio-media are in the end, meaningless, whether its lava rock, bio balls or old tooth brushes. To me they are just a surface for beneficial bacteria to grow on, and the claims that one is better than the other, just hyperbole.
The only way to know would be to count the robust individual bacteria, to see if one collects more than the other, an impossible task.
