Sump increasing potential bio-load?

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BassetsForBrown

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Dec 2, 2012
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I understand that even the most obscenely redundant levels of filtration you equip a tank with, the potential bio-load (by which I mean number of fish appropriately housed) of a tank is not likely to increase.

However, if I were to fit my 90g aquarium with say a 20-30g sump, would this raise the bio-load capacity? How are LFS able to keep relatively small tanks so densely stocked if not because of their enormus network of sumps?

Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

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Maybe I was unclear, I mean to say a tank of say 90g with an adequate canister, and 3+ quality HOB's does not offer a larger bio-load than one with only 1 or 2 HOB's.
Overly redundant filtration in this sort of case provides not benefit, but may an increase in total water volume via aa sump?
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BassetsForBrown said:
I understand that even the most obscenely redundant levels of filtration you equip a tank with, the potential bio-load (by which I mean number of fish appropriately housed) of a tank is not likely to increase.
Click to expand...

(Bolded the main point)
The main purpose of the filters we use is to convert harmful ammonia and nitrites to less harmful nitrate which can be removed by water changes. The bigger the filter, the more surface area for beneficial bacteria to exist. The beneficial bacteria are what breaks down toxic fish waste. Many people seem to think if they get a bigger filter they can stock more fish and not do as many water changes. That is incorrect. A bigger filter will allow for more bacteria to break down nitrites but a corresponding amount nitrate will also be produced. Basically, if you add a sump, you could asd a few more fish but as said before, the bigger filter will only be capable of turning more nitrites and ammonia into more nitrates which means more water changes. .
 
BassetsForBrown said:
Maybe I was unclear, I mean to say a tank of say 90g with an adequate canister, and 3+ quality HOB's does not offer a larger bio-load than one with only 1 or 2 HOB's.

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Click to expand...

Actually it does. More surface for the good bacteria to live= capable of sustaining a higher bioload.
 
bassfisher91 said:
(Bolded the main point)
The main purpose of the filters we use is to convert harmful ammonia and nitrites to less harmful nitrate which can be removed by water changes. The bigger the filter, the more surface area for beneficial bacteria to exist. The beneficial bacteria are what breaks down toxic fish waste. Many people seem to think if they get a bigger filter they can stock more fish and not do as many water changes. That is incorrect. A bigger filter will allow for more bacteria to break down nitrites but a corresponding amount nitrate will also be produced. Basically, if you add a sump, you could asd a few more fish but as said before, the bigger filter will only be capable of turning more nitrites and ammonia into more nitrates which means more water changes. .
Click to expand...
So would a 20-30g sump let me get 1 or 2 more small guys into the tank, or would I need a larger volume?

Thanks again

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BassetsForBrown said:
I understand that even the most obscenely redundant levels of filtration you equip a tank with, the potential bio-load (by which I mean number of fish appropriately housed) of a tank is not likely to increase.

However, if I were to fit my 90g aquarium with say a 20-30g sump, would this raise the bio-load capacity? How are LFS able to keep relatively small tanks so densely stocked if not because of their enormus network of sumps?

Thanks for your help, much appreciated.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
Click to expand...

Stocking limits in tanks are due to many factors (a 3 foot long fish can't fit in a 10 gallon, a fish that kills all the other fish has to be the only one in a tank, the amount of bio load can't be processed fast enough by the filtration system, fish require a certain amount of space or they will kill others or simply sicken and die, etc.) These limitations do not always occur simultaneously.

If there are no existing limitations except the filtration system, then adding filtration capacity will enable one to add more fish until the limitation becomes something else. E.g., if you could do 25% water changes every 30 minutes, you would hit another limiting factor long before the filtration system was a problem.

In most real examples, adding more water to the system (larger tank, larger sump), and / or removing toxic waste from the water faster will always provide for more bio capacity. The exceptions are where other limiting factors become more critical.
 
A sump in and of itself, is just a place for stuff, pumps, heaters, media, a little more water.
If you add extra bio media, or plants, or a fluidized media compartment, then you may be adding fish holding capacity.
But, the most important factor in adding more fish, is the footprint of the tank.
A 100 gal long, compared to a 100 gal tall can hold more territorial fish.
This may be moot if were are talking angelfish or discus.
But if we are talking about the majority of territorial cichlids, or substrate dwellers such catfish etc, footprint is a much more important factor than gallons or filter media.
 
If you have a big enough sump it will definitely increase your bio capacity. Bigger sump = more water volume + more surface area. Check out this video. I have personally seen this tank and cannot believe the amount of fish in it. There must be giant sumps or holding tanks in the basement and an excellent filtration system. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWuf_0NIgCI
 
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