How long can I keep my sump offline?

[BobNY]

I am going to be changing out my sump in a couple of weeks. There are a few things I would like to do to the tank while I have no sump in the cabinet that will probably take me a few days. If I move a heater up into the display and make sure my power heads break the surface of the water how long can I get away with running the system without a sump?

Some of the things I need to do while the cabinet is empty:

Drain the overflows and fill with RODI/Vinegar mix to clean and kill the aiptasia that is living in there.
Paint the bottom of the tank,
Install a panel to mount my apex and pump controllers to.
Install a rail to mount my fuge light to.

 

[amps]

You could do it forever. Lots of folks run sumpless. Just keep the water moving normally and keep an eye on the water level for topping off.

Absolutely not a problem.

Good luck with all the renovations! That sounds like a lot of fun. I've done the overflow/vinegar thing for aiptasia before, just be sure to rinse with RO after.

 

[AdamNC]

Add your ato and heater up there and you’ll be fine. I run sumpless for now and have been for 3 1/2 years on my current build.

 

[BobNY]

Thank for the assurance guy's. With this in mind I think I may remove the sump soon and take my time. The tank was set up 7 years ago and there are many things I wish I had done differently. Now is my chance to get everything set up exactly how I want it

 

[PiscesPower]

The only thing I would consider is if you have anything in the sump that's assisting with your nutrient reduction. If so I would just keep an eye on nitrates, phosphates and maybe ammonia if you think you are dropping your biological filtration &/or mechanical filtration down a significant amount. For me I have fuge, live rock and a marine pure block, so I would have some concerns if I just shut off my sump flow for any time.

 

[jeffrey holloway]

I am getting ready to redo the plumbing of my 150 gal. I have at least 150 lbs, of Pukani rock in there, and excellent water circulation for the bio filtration . I am looking at 1 - 2 days to complete. But not worried if it take longer, the system has been running overs two years. Good Luck with your redo.

 

[Waters]

As PiscesPower stated, just keep an eye on your nutrients. You won't be using your socks, skimmer, or any reactors (if you used any of that stuff) to reduce nutrients while the sump is shut off.