When Is A Sump "too Big"?

[Tiggsy]

If a sump is not limited by size (as its housed in a garage for example)...when is BIG too big?

I plan to use 200 litre tanks for my sump, the first to recive the tank flow, 2nd for a DSB and fuge, a 3rd that can be taken in and out of the loop for water changes and a 4th for a return pump........so should i use 5? or 6? or 15?

Aside from heating the larger amount (cooling in summer) is it as simple as 600litres of sump system is better than 400 which is better than 200? What else should be considered? and if it is that simple why dont people with "sump rooms" just have a monster tank with 500g in it (or do they :o )

T

[Hardip]

Originally posted by Tiggsy+Dec 8 2005, 00:35--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Tiggsy @ Dec 8 2005, 00:35)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>I plan to use 200 litre tanks for my sump, the first to recive the tank flow, 2nd for a DSB and fuge, a 3rd that can be taken in and out of the loop for water changes and a 4th for a return pump........so should i use 5? or 6? or 15?[/b]The only thing I would be concerned with is how they are interconnected and what happens when the power cuts out.

I've rigged something similar up, and am using as much of gravity as I can. For instance, the display tanks water goes straight into container A which has a tank connector feeding into container B. This container B then pumps water (via OR6500) into container C, which is sitting on a shelf above. Container C is responsible for sending the water back to the display tank and is protected by a Schuran Overflow box that is also feeding Container A. In the event the power goes out, the water from above will attempt to flood Container B, but the level is set right so that this will never happen.

<!--QuoteBegin-Tiggsy@Dec 8 2005, 00:35
Aside from heating the larger amount (cooling in summer) is it as simple as 600litres of sump system is better than 400 which is better than 200? What else should be considered? and if it is that simple why dont people with "sump rooms" just have a monster tank with 500g in it (or do they :o )[/quote] Concerns for humidity as well as the changes needed in your filteration will help dictate how big a sump you really need.

[wayne in norway]

You can certainly have too large a compartment for your skimmer, or rather too deep.

[~Tony~]

The only disadvantage I can think of is that water changes will be a lot larger. But as the stock is the same, 'cos the display tank is the same, then the loading is much less and water changes could be less often, maybe.

There is also potentially a lot more water could be pumped into the display tank if its overflow got blocked or stopped, but that is easily fixed by making the pumped return from the sump from a separate compartment fed by a weir.

So long as the sump is insulated it shouldn't affect heating or cooling requirements too much.

I guess if people have a monster sump they probably want the monster display tank to go with it :lol:

Tony

[Tiggsy]

Originally posted by ~Tony~@Dec 8 2005, 10:24


I guess if people have a monster sump they probably want the monster display tank to go with it :lol:

Tony
thats for part 2 ;)

[Johnymajors]

I wouldnt of thought you could get too big. At the end of the day the more water volume you have the more stable it can be kept. Most sumps are used purely for keeping equipment out of view, keep it looking neat and tidy and whatnot. Others, myself included see the sump as just another part of the filtration setup, a way to have high water flow and turbalence to allow water to mix and airate, add minerals and chemicals fully, without having all of the tank inhabitants blow against the sides of the tank :D

It all comes down to personal preferance IMO. Some people will have monster tanks with a small sump to hide the equipment, others will have huge filter rooms with numerous amounts of sumps for each individual piece of equipment, and just a comparitivly small display tank. A total system containing a 1000L is basicly gonna cost the same wheather its a 800L tank with 200L sump or a 200L tank with 800L's in sumps. All running costs taken into acount will allways come to roughly the same cost wise.

The only disadvantage i can see is if you have a large display tank and you want to do any work on the tank , i.e change the look, remove corals around or change tank type e.g reef, Fish only or specimen tank then you gonna have to change slowly due to possible filtration problems. Whereas you have a large filtration system setup in a sump or sump's then that tank can be changed quite freely.

Just my 2ps worth :huh: ...... or 20 quids worth judging by the size of this reply :P

[keith hellyar]

I've increased my sump capacity over time so it now holds gallonage equal to that of my main 5x2x2 display tank. In my experience, this has helped the stability of my system.

I've not changed my skimmer (AP850) on the basis that my bioload has not increased, only the gallonage. 10% water changes are bigger so there is a cost associated with that but i believe these larger water changes are a good investment. With regard to supplying calcium to the larger volume, this is not an issue because i have not increased the corals. Therefore I only need to replenish calcium at the same rate as when my sump was smaller. there is another advantage in that swings in parameters tend to happen more slowly with a bigger volume.

Overall, whilst I accept there are practical sensible limits, increasing sytem capacity by adding reservoirs/sumps/refugiums is a positive move towards the health of your system.

Keith

[Jonesii]

I agree with Keith, more water will only benefit your system, add stability and improved health to your bioload. As said water changes will cost more in the long run. IIRC Martin Lakin has a 400+ gallon tank on his system purely to increase the water in the system as a whole - it's situated in the garage and is covered with insulation so doesn't even add any asthetics to the system.

[Stevielad]

Originally posted by Johnymajors@Dec 8 2005, 11:51
A total system containing a 1000L is basicly gonna cost the same wheather its a 800L tank with 200L sump or a 200L tank with 800L's in sumps. All running costs taken into acount will allways come to roughly the same cost wise.

Not really - lighting is a major cost of keeping a big display tank - both initial purchase cost and running - also liverock volume is less in a smaller display tank (ok u could fill your sump with LR - but its not strictly necessary as its the stocking amount that determines how much LR is required.)

[Tiggsy]

Originally posted by Stevielad+Dec 8 2005, 16:35--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Stevielad @ Dec 8 2005, 16:35)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Johnymajors@Dec 8 2005, 11:51
A total system containing a 1000L is basicly gonna cost the same wheather its a 800L tank with 200L sump or a 200L tank with 800L's in sumps. All running costs taken into acount will allways come to roughly the same cost wise.

Not really - lighting is a major cost of keeping a big display tank - both initial purchase cost and running - also liverock volume is less in a smaller display tank (ok u could fill your sump with LR - but its not strictly necessary as its the stocking amount that determines how much LR is required.) [/b][/quote]
also the fact that my sump can be cheap and ugly but the tank is expensive and looks good!

a 800 litre good looing tank is a lot more than a vast water butt!

[Johnymajors]

Not really - lighting is a major cost of keeping a big display tank - both initial purchase cost and running

Wasnt really taking lighting into account as it depends on what your keeping, reef tank with halides or fish only with just T8's, my fault nor not adding further info :blush: