sumps for dummies

[moviepastor]

So i bought a kit tank deal at petsmart because the price was right and the size was good. 60Gal, Tall. MARINELAND® 60 Gallon Heartland Aquarium Ensemble | Aquariums | PetSmart

The stand is nice but there is not much room inside. I was going to do a FOWLR tank anyway at my work location. Got it set up but then needed to move the tank home. Migrating to a reef. Its set up in the living room.

• 60 Gal Tank+stand (not drilled for reef)
• 4 T5HO light (2x12K, 2 Actinic + moon led)
• 2 T5 Low Watt (1x1K, 1 Actinic)
• 2 hydor koralia 1150's
• 1 API NEXX 110 Cartridge Filter (in tank pump feed)
• 1 Reef Octopus HB1000 HoB skimmer

I dont need a skimmer in the SUMP- since i have the RO hanging on back doing a nice job.

I dont want any more HoB stuff if I can help it since it sits in my living room.

I have very little room in the stand. Its barely 12" tall in the cabinet I think. The doors make it harder to put stuff in. Front to back its Barely 10" wide because the tank is narrow (13")

I was thinking about just enough for a refugium and build in some sort of ATO. Would it be possible to use my API NEXX as the pump source (remember its in tank now) and integrate the canisters from the filter into the whole deal somehow? That way they arent wasted.
I dont know enough about sumps other than reading a few articles on DIY and kits you can purchase. A new bigger stand is not really an option. My tank backs up the the kitchen wall but I cant convince my wife to give up any cabinet space. She knows I will take over under the sink with a huge sump and install my RODI there for a short path to ATO. :tongue:

So what would you do with limited space if you didnt need the skimmer but wanted to build a sump for better filtration is what Im asking i guess.

I started in this hobby in the late 70's and then quit for a long time. started again in the 80's and quit. A lot has changed since undergravel filters and airstones. haha!

 

[Reefing Madness]

YOu can build a sump for that area, but I'd not use your equipment that you have. You want a return pump unrestricted, and one thats not doing anything else, so the flow is constant, and not all over the place, that would make it tough to guess your return flow, and get it right. That plus head loss on a normal return pump is significant.
How does a sump work? | Melev's Reef

 

[redfishbluefish]

I'm going to come right out and say it....that stand is not going to fit any sump that can hold a skimmer!

That bottom open shelf robs too much height within the stand.

 

[dereks16]

I had that exact set up from petsmart. I couldn't even for the cannister i was using for the fresh water cichlids set up I had. Very difficult to do a sump in there. Fortunately for me that tank broke in the middle of the night and they took both the tank and stand back. I swapped out for a 75 gallon aqueon with a larger stand. Which still wasn't good for a sump I literally gutted the stand reinforced the corners and put a sump in. And went salt water.