sump in a freshwater tank

[fishgirl53]

Hi has any one put a sump in a freshwater tank around 500 to 600 ltrs if so how do you go about doing that what all do I need ? 

[Shilo]

Advantage of a sump is that it is very customisable and can be designed to match your tank and fish.  It can also mean a lot less maintenance - I've only had to clean mine once in 6 months and that was just the pre-filter.

1st thing you will need is an overflow for the tank water to exit.  Look at salt water tanks for ideas on these, there are various forms and methods but a "Herbie" or "Beananimal" are easy to operate and silent.  These require the tank to be drilled and are mainly DIY designs but a good glass aquarium company could do one for you. An alternative is to use an overflow syphon which means no drilling and manufactured models can be brought (from overseas sites).

Other things needed are of course a 2nd tank to fit in your stand to act as the sump.  A pump will be needed to move the water that can push 5-10 times the aquariums volume per hour (allow for the head height with this).  

And finally the media and a way of holding it in place.  This is where things are very customisable as there are lots of choices to choose from.  Personally I use a wet / dry filter made from a 3 tier plastic draw unit from the Warehouse, 1st draw is covered with those green pot scourers as a pre-filter, 2nd draw is full of bio-balls (above water level of sump), and the bottom one with ceramic noodles (under water). The water then enters the sump and flows through 3 different densities of foam and some polyester matting.  Then it gets pumped back to the tank. This is for a 500ltr aquarium.

But you could use a fluidised bed filter or a "wet" only filter (all media like noodles under water) or foam etc.  Google salt water sumps for ideas but disregard skimmers and bubble trap baffles as they are not needed for freshwater.

They are not plug n play like canister filters and take a bit of research and diy to set up but once running are almost maintenance free and can be easily changed in the future. Any spare room in the sump can also be used to grow more plants to help remove nitrates or as a nursery / back up tank.

 

[fishgirl53]

Thank you for that information can you buy tanks already set up or are they very expensive

[David R]

Simple is good IMO, I think many people [myself included] have over-complicated fresh water sumps. Get any old fish tank that is big enough (bigger = better), suspend filter socks for the drains to run into (best mechanical filtration IMO), and use something like ceramic noodles or Pond Matrix in laundry bags. No baffles or anything needed.