Oversized sump?

[HWY61]

I have a 10 gallon tank and a 45 freshwater setup that I want to tear down. It may seem weird, but I want to turn the 10 into a reef using the 45 as its sump.

There’s two main reasons for this. The first being that the 45 is too deep for me to maintain. As a freshwater it isn’t a problem because maintenance is mostly just top-off and a water change whenever I feel like it. But for a reef, I don’t want to stick my entire arm into it if a mag scraper falls and risk polluting the tank.

The second reason is that the 45 would fit perfectly beside my 10 if I put it on the floor (the 10 is on my desk, which is the another reason I want it to be a reef). I like seeing my equipment so having the sump be as on display as my actual display sounds awesome, especially a big sump on a tiny tank.

The main issue I can think of is that I’d need to use a pretty strong pump to bring water from the bottom of the 45 into the 10. This would cause a lot, maybe even too much, flow.

Though the biggest upside for me is that it’s both what I want aesthetically and I get all the fun of a nano tank without the problems. I can get a big pod population going, nutrient export should be easy, and it’ll probably look awesome. Plus I can use the Fluval AquaSky I already have on the 45 for a fuge since it can’t grow corals (more reason I don’t want to use it for a reef) but it can grow chaeto.

Any more reasons against it? Is there an underlying issue with larger sumps or do people just naturally make the bigger tank into a reef? Also, what could I do to fix the strong flow problem and can an effective sump be done with a tall tank?

45 dimensions: L36, W12, H23.
10 dimensions: L20, W10, H12.

 

[Chrille26]

I dont think there is any issues with having a large sump, just make sure you have a emergency drain pipe in your overflow so you dont accidentally pump 45 gallons into your 10 gallon if a snail or something blocks your drain.

 

[CrimsonTide]

I dont think there is any issues with having a large sump, just make sure you have a emergency drain pipe in your overflow so you dont accidentally pump 45 gallons into your 10 gallon if a snail or something blocks your drain.

I was going to say the same thing. Even of it is half full still dont want 25gallons of water on the desk.

 

[Sarlindescent]

A larger sump will always be better. More water will provide more stable parameters and reduced nutrients. The main premise to remember is the solution to pollution is dilution.

As for tall sump concerns, there aren't many. I would prefer to build in a baffled chamber for the return pump. This will make an auto top off, ato, more effective. Reason being, is atos utilities either mechanical or digital float switches. Let's say they require a 1/4" of water drop from evaporation to trigger. 36x12x1/4 is a 6 times larger swing than 6x12x1/4. And, swings in salinity will adjust every parameter.

As for filtration, unless you plan on packing the 10 gallon with fish, which I don't recommend, live rock should be more than sufficient to handle 10 gallons of livestock in 40 gallons of water. A skimmer will most likely not work effectively, and I doubt an algae chamber will be necessary andmay strip more than is desired.

Lastly, agree with the above regarding an emergency drain.