Sump for 180

mgoesma · Jan 15, 2017

I have been thinking of upgrading my aquarium to a 180. Does anyone have any recommendations for sump size. If anyone also has a DIY design that would be great too.

Shaun Sweeney · Jan 15, 2017

Bigger is better. 100 gallon sump would be nice with the 180 tank. In any case, for a sump to work properly (as a sump only) it has to be able to contain all the drain back water when you shut your pumps off. Only the DT and sump should be subject to water level changes with pumps off. Remember, you need a few inches above the pump intake in the sump to avoid sucking air. Ideally, the sump incorporates a bubble trap and the best of those requires 3 bulkheads. Water returning to the sump should pass over the first BH, under the next, and over the last one - closest to pump intake. The area above the pump intake is an ideal place to have you final layer of filtration. I use Marine Pure and lava rock. If you don't have a refugium proper, the first compartment of the sump can be a good place to keep a batch of live rock. With a big enough sump, you could also have some socks there but for a 180 gallon, you need at least 3 socks in play all the time with a few clean ones as backup. Skimmer should be in a separate container where the water level can be kept constant whether the main pump is on or off. There's bit to chew on. Hope it helps.

Chrisboling · Jan 16, 2017

I have a 100 gal sump

Shaun Sweeney · Jan 16, 2017

Interesting layout. Is the pump at the end with the 3 big holes? What are they for? Are there 4 compartments? Can you explain the design?

Chrisboling · Jan 16, 2017

Where the holes are is the drain section and from there to the skimmer section and then the fug and then return

Daniel@R2R · Jan 17, 2017

I really like Geo's sumps. Check out the SU46RD.

justingraham · Jan 17, 2017

Is the sump going to go under the tank or in a different room?

Daniel Strickland · Jan 17, 2017

Biggest mistake I made (so far) in the setup of my new 180 is the size of the sump. I went cheapo and got a 22g trigger systems. Now I don't have a problem with the design I really like it. It allowed me to eliminate the socks (I use a roller filter) and place things neatly where I could access them. But it's to small..... I can't put as much biomedia in the sump as I would like. My skimmer barely fits. And I have to be super careful with my water levels or when I shut the pump down the drain back will overflow my sump. Now all this being said it works. It got me going at a price I could afford. But it will get upgraded someday.

tvu · Jan 17, 2017

I have a trigger 40g on my 180. Leaves enough room in my stand and enough for back flow when the return pump is off. I think I purchased the sapphire 39(it's blue acrylic).

mgoesma · Jan 17, 2017

It will be under the tank. I am thinking a 40g breeder. I have a 29long now with my 90g display. I plan to reuse most of my equipment. I made sure to get a bug enough skimmer and return.

mgoesma · Jan 17, 2017

Chrisboling said:
I have a 100 gal sump

Is this 120 gallon? I can't find a standard 100 gallon glass.

mgoesma · Jan 17, 2017

tvu said:
I have a trigger 40g on my 180. Leaves enough room in my stand and enough for back flow when the return pump is off. I think I purchased the sapphire 39(it's blue acrylic).

Can you please post a photo. This is what I'm thinking also.

Chrisboling · Jan 17, 2017

It's 100 gallon sump

Daniel Strickland · Jan 17, 2017

This is a pic from BRS of the trigger 40g

tvu · Jan 17, 2017

mgoesma said:
Can you please post a photo. This is what I'm thinking also.

tvu · Jan 17, 2017

tvu said:

It's a lot bigger than it looks [emoji16]

Daniel Strickland · Jan 17, 2017

tvu said:

Looks awesome!!

cracker · Jan 17, 2017

I have a 75 gl sump under a new 180 . Not plenty but decent room.

mgoesma · Jan 18, 2017

Thank you everyone for the input. Can we switch the conversation over to lighting. I really like my current t5/led strip lights but led are not available in 72 inch. Does anyone have suggestions.