Sump Tank for 55 gallon aquarium.
 

So i am looking to start a 55g saltwater aquarium in the next couple months and would like to do 10 to 20 gallon sump tank underneath.(10 would be prefered.) i dont know much about them but have heard they are very benneficial for your tank. any help or plans would be greatly appreciated.

Sumps help hide the mechanical equipment and filtration you don't want to see in the display tank. In my opinion cleans up the DT quite a bit, maximizes the DT space for fish, rocks, and whatever else you want in there. You will still need an overflow, a return line, and powerheads in your DT.

When partitioned properly it will help minimize down time and maintenance required on the main tank. Also helps when dosing chemicals they are able to disperse in the sump and mix with the water prior to getting returned into the main tank.

Here is what I recently built/designed. This was a 20gallon "high" style glass tank with acrylic baffles (better would have been a 20gallon "long" = more space length wise). I've heard you can also use plastic containers, considering how cheap a glass tank is I would (and did) recommend you go with a glass tank as your sump.

Design:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...0/607/i68z.jpg

Construction:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...0/600/8cwc.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/102...0/545/9l8c.jpg

Haven't started the cycle yet as it is still curing but I will water test it tonight. Sumps w/ refugium can also help to keep fish in if they are getting thrown about or aren't eating enough, you don't want to keep sick fish in there as the sump utilizes the same water makeup as the display tank.

My advice, do as much research as possible. This sump I built is heavily over-designed for my 30gallon bow front DT but allows for future expansion should I want to add side tanks. I would take into consideration what filtration you will be using before you design/build your sump IE. pumps, protein skimmers, reactors, filter media, heaters, etc. This way you can properly plan out your baffle sizes, compartment spacing, and return gallon containment in case of an emergency failure.

when it comes to a sump you want as big as you can. honestly a 10g is to small for a 55g tank..... a 20L sump would be better but a tank at 36" long would be best. but i would go minimal of 20L on a 55g tank....

also shoot for a fuge bulb of 6500k or lower, macro algae loved the spectrum around 6500k or lower...