What is a good size sump for a 90 gallon tank?

[n72]

I'm new at saltwater and will be starting with a 90 gallon tank. Is there a minimum size I should make the sump? What's a good size for the sump? Thanks!

[mlogsdon]

Originally Posted by n72

I'm new at saltwater and will be starting with a 90 gallon tank. Is there a minimum size I should make the sump? What's a good size for the sump? Thanks!

as much room as you have,,,,im newbie at sw, but....more volume the better, yhat i do know. so do as large of sump that your storage allows

[Falconeer]

While more volume is better (so, as big as you can get), i'd wager that a 40gallon ish sump would be a good size.

[Daimyo68]

Pretty much anything that you can get under the stand and be able to work comfortably around if needed. What do you plan on keeping in the sump? Skimmer, reactors, fuge, etc. All this comes into play.

Your stand dimensions with be the most influential factor.

[Flamehawk1221]

Ditto.

[EllieSuz]

Try to design a four compartment sump so you have room for Chaetomorpha in one, skimmer in another and space for intake (and filter sock) and return. You also need to decide whether you want your return pump on the inside or external. Research the footprint needed for the skimmer you will purchase to be sure there is adequate space. Just some of the things to think about.

[stevetcg]

1000 gallons.

OR... as big as you can get. Dont be afraid to be creative. I have a 3 part sump for my 55 with each part being completly independant of each other (if necessary)

[gdsmith56]

Originally Posted by EllieSuz

Research the footprint needed for the skimmer you will purchase to be sure there is adequate space.

And don't forget the vertical space for the skimmer. Many (most ??) of them have a "lift UP and remove" skimming cup. You have to be able to allow room for the skimmer and any extra height needed to remove the cup.

[billdogg]

the sump and refugium for my 150 total ~ 170g. as big as your available room will allow, IMO

[Frick-n-Frags]

If I were setting up a 90, i would consider several things:

1)what size will my avg waterchange be. me i'd say no more than 20% for me, so i put 20gallons in the back of my mind.

2)figure out how much water in the correct sized sump container(for my stand and clearance etc) i need to keep the pump submerged and the skimmer working.

3) guesstimate my "return pump off" draindown volume.

4) throw a couple gallons fudge factor in there

Why? i like doing waterchanges so the DT( on my case 2 DT's or DT/fuge w/e) never is affected by it. so if i siphon dust or however i remove the WC water. the sump level goes down, not the DT. and with my planning, i never low tide my pumps, AND if the pumps are off, i don't overflow my sump from draindown.

i would probably be looking at a 30 ish gallon sump. the more the merrier.

[PDAlber]

I have a 29-gallon tank as the sump for my 90-gallon display. A lot of people use a 20-long for tanks our size. The 29 has the same footprint as the 20-long, but allows me a little more volume. It also leaves enough room in the stand for my 5-gallon ATO resevoir. Keep in mind, when selecting your sump, that most skimmers like to sit in 7-10 inches of water. If the water level in the sump is deeper than that, you'll have to build a stand for your skimmer (as I did). The taller the skimmer stand, the taller your aquarium stand will have to be to accomodate the skimmer. Also, don't forget to leave enough space in the sump to hold the water that will run down in the event of a power failure (you don't want a flood if the power goes out). hope that helps, good luck.

[pmcadams]

Sumps can be as simple or complicated as you want to make them. Depends on what you plan to do with it. I have seen 5g buckets used for sumps. If all you want is to set a skimmer and a return pump in it, 20g is plenty big. If you want compartments for a refugium, etc., get a 20g long, or a 30g breeder. Like someone else already mentioned, if the sump is going under the display tank, the interior of your cabinet/stand will also be a determining factor. Don't get a sump that's so tall that you cannot get your skimmer out of it for maintenance. Large is good because it adds water volume and gives you a larger time buffer for reacting to evaporation, but it's not essential.

[n72]

Thank you all for your advice and suggestion. Now I just need to build a sump that will fit in the stand. I think I'm limited to a 30g sump because I only have a 35 inch width to work with in the stand.

I plan to have a refugium, skimmer, heater and pump inside the sump.

[n72]

Oops, forgot to add one more question. Should I bother with bio balls in the first compartment? Is it overkill if I already have a refugium?

[fleming3]

As Pmcadams and PDAlber stated above, a 20G long is a popular choice. I'm running a 90G AGA and have a DIY 20G as my sump. Due to space constraints under my stand, this was the best choice for me. The skimmer I ordered works best at a depth of 6 1/4" of water. I wanted to go to the 29G route, but if I'd put the skimmer on a stand, I would have run out of room to remove the collection cup. Here are some pics of my set up:






I finished off the job by building egg crate lids on which to rest my refugium light. I added another small piece of eggcrate on top of the refugium divider to keep the chaeto in it's proper place. So far, it's working great. With this configuration, the water evaporates out of the return section, so an auto top off will probably end up being a must.

Just make sure if you go this route you build in enough space to accommodate the footprint of whatever skimmer you choose. To give you an idea, the materials for this set up (tank, 1/4" glass pre-cut to fit, sheet of eggcrate) cost me a whopping 60 bucks.

[n72]

Wow, thanks for the photos. It really helps in planning my setup.