Sump

[Danieltanay]

Hi i am setting up a 10 gallon sump for my 30 gallon soon to be reef and i am a little confused do you need a sump and a filter or just the sump with the protein skimmer and live rock?

 

[cloak]

The rock you put in your display tank will be your primary biological filter. A sump is basically just a place to hide your equipment such as a heater, skimmer etc. You can put some rock down there if you like, but it's not really needed. I prefer to just keep things simple and keep my sumps bare. It makes it a lot easier to keep clean this way.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/feature/index.php

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/newbie/index.php

 

[Danieltanay]

The rock you put in your display tank will be your primary biological filter. A sump is basically just a place to hide your equipment such as a heater, skimmer etc. You can put some rock down there if you like, but it's not really needed. I prefer to just keep things simple and keep my sumps bare. It makes it a lot easier to keep clean this way.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/feature/index.php

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/newbie/index.php

so i dont need a filter?

 

[cloak]

Not really. Like mentioned above the rock will be your primary biological filter. You can add some type of mechanical filtration to help remove particulate matter if you want, but just remember that these need to be cleaned on a regular basis. If you don't do this then they can become more trouble than they're worth.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-06/dw/index.php

 

[DeniseAndy]

Not sure what you mean by filter. I agree with cloak as sumps are a good place to have equipment and add a bit of extra water volume for stability. Some include a nice refugium, but in 10 gallons, you are looking at a place to hide equipment and extra water volume. I would definitely use a protein skimmer (mechanical filtration), but the rock in the display will be enough generally for the biological filtration needed.

 

[Dtackett]

I put rock in my sump for 2 reasons, it works for a bit extra bio filter and allows me to just use the rock I want in the display as the rest goes in the sump, and it also catches particles and bubbles to prevent any further issues like microbubbles going into the display.

 

[Lynn52]

You don't need a separate filter like a hang on the back or canister. Live rock and skimmer will do the job. I keep chaeto in my sump as well.

 

[Danieltanay]

I put rock in my sump for 2 reasons, it works for a bit extra bio filter and allows me to just use the rock I want in the display as the rest goes in the sump, and it also catches particles and bubbles to prevent any further issues like microbubbles going into the display.

What return pump would be good

 

[Dtackett]

depends on your setup. I suggest a DC pump so you can adjust the flow directly instead of having to reroute it or restrict it. jabeo makes a good one.

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

I was curious about the pump, too. I'd prefer a submersible pump so that I don't have to drill the sump.

Is there a submersible DC pump on the market that's worth a darn?