Setting up a sump(s?) for my 100 gallon.

[BCherdingthefish]

I decided to go with a sump after getting tired of seeing ugly heaters and tubes and all that. Not to mention my HOB filter refuses to stop pushing little tiny, ugly bubbles into the water.
My stupid stand for my 100 gallon has a wooden divider in the middle of it.

Which means I can't do just one large sump like I want to. I can't put one on the other side of the wall or anything like that, this is a rental home.
The area on each side of the board is just over 2' x 1', so I was thinking of putting two separate 15 gallon sumps on each side. Would this work? I would have the intake for each one on seperate sides of the tank, and the outtake tube thing at the top of each corner of the tank. I would do just a simple DIY PVC intake.

I need some help planning this! I have never had a sump before.
Thanks!


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[GrantA94]

It could become a problem running two sumps. If one of the overflows was to block you may end up flooding the other one or even the main tank. I would stick to the one 15g and fill it full of media (leave out the refugium). Then have the inlet and outle on opposite sides. This way you have less chance of flooding. The two 15g's are possible, but may be unnecessary and could be quite problematic.
Just my two cents .

 

[BCherdingthefish]

It could become a problem running two sumps. If one of the overflows was to block you may end up flooding the other one or even the main tank. I would stick to the one 15g and fill it full of media (leave out the refugium). Then have the inlet and outle on opposite sides. This way you have less chance of flooding. The two 15g's are possible, but may be unnecessary and could be quite problematic.
Just my two cents .

Thanks for the input! How would one blocked overflow affect the other sump? Or the main tank?
And what the heck is a refugium? I keep hearing that but have yet to find out what it is.


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[aclockworkorange]

Is hole in the top of your stand big enough to fit a sump? Might be your best bet... Drain your tank, take it off the stand, then put the sump in and replace the tank.


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[BCherdingthefish]

Is hole in the top of your stand big enough to fit a sump? Might be your best bet... Drain your tank, take it off the stand, then put the sump in and replace the tank.


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Why would I do that? I can just scoot the tank/stand a little then stick the sump in from behind.


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[GrantA94]

Thanks for the input! How would one blocked overflow affect the other sump? Or the main tank?
And what the heck is a refugium? I keep hearing that but have yet to find out what it is.


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(If the sumps lacked emergency drains) When/If the overflow blocked the water which remained in the sump would be pumped into the tank. Thus meaning there is more water than there should be in the tank. Which may cause the second sump to overflow due to excess volume entering it. It isn't necessarily going to happen or isn't even likely, however, as is always the case with fish keeping - the unexpected usually happens.

A refugium is a small section of the sump in which plants can be grown - which remove nitrites (i believe, don't quote me however). The refugium also doubles up as an area where sick or injured fish can be placed to reduce stress. That is my understanding of a refugium.

 

[BCherdingthefish]

(If the sumps lacked emergency drains) When/If the overflow blocked the water which remained in the sump would be pumped into the tank. Thus meaning there is more water than there should be in the tank. Which may cause the second sump to overflow due to excess volume entering it. It isn't necessarily going to happen or isn't even likely, however, as is always the case with fish keeping - the unexpected usually happens.

A refugium is a small section of the sump in which plants can be grown - which remove nitrites (i believe, don't quote me however). The refugium also doubles up as an area where sick or injured fish can be placed to reduce stress. That is my understanding of a refugium.

Ahh okay. I don't think a refugium would be of much help to me, within a couple months my fish would all be too big to fit in there to reduce stress...And I've got plants in my tank!

How about two 15 gallons connected together with bulkheads?


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