Starting up a 90 gallon and looking for sump advice

jimmytacos · 05/28/2013, 06:30 PM

I am new to the hobby and I am looking at getting a 90 gallon tank. I want to ask the question that I'm sure everyone has asked but it seems very difficult to search through a million threads. I am getting many different responses from a couple of different LFS when asking what to do for a sump. Before I start the tank I want to try and do what is best for fish and eventually coral. I was wanting to do a refugium but some people say not to do one that it will not work in a 90 gallon tank. I was looking at making my own sump out of a 30 gallon tank. Any advice on how to set up the sump and what to use would be helpful.

bnumair · 05/28/2013, 06:32 PM

u can do a sump/refugium combo in a 30 gal sump. i have a 350gal setup with a 95gal sump which is divided to have a sump+fuge all in one.

jimmytacos · 05/28/2013, 06:33 PM

Wow that is incredible your sump is larger than my tank. Do you have a sock in your sump also or just the fuge?

neurosis05 · 05/28/2013, 09:34 PM

I have a 90 gal DT and a berlin style sump I made myself that holds about 30gal. I didn't go with a refugium for two reasons
1. Most pods you get in there won't really survive the trip through the return pump. I have a separate 20 gal for a refugium. If I want pods I just take the cheato from the fuge and shake it in the DT to release the pods.
2. I've read over time the fuge becomes so overcome with debri it will cause adverse effects on your system.

Refugiums are a pretty debatable topic on their pros/cons.

devimik · 05/28/2013, 11:27 PM

I have a 90g and a 29g long tank for a sump. I had my LFS silicone in the baffles and I do have a refugium in the middle section between the skimmer and before the return pump section. In the refugium, I keep chaeto, live rock rubble and my heaters.

jimmytacos · 05/29/2013, 04:58 AM

@neurosis05 - Is you refugium just separate from the sump or separate from the tank all together?

@devimik - How large is the refugium in your sump?

neurosis05 · 05/29/2013, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmytacos

@neurosis05 - Is you refugium just separate from the sump or separate from the tank all together?

completely separate tank. It's not hooked up to anything. i only have a heater and a small powerhead in there for very little water flow

crsswift70 · 05/29/2013, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by devimik

I have a 90g and a 29g long tank for a sump. I had my LFS silicone in the baffles and I do have a refugium in the middle section between the skimmer and before the return pump section. In the refugium, I keep chaeto, live rock rubble and my heaters.

This is exactly what i do. My sump is about 20 gallons overall. Skimmer on one side, middle has sand, rock rubble and chaeto, through the baffles i have my return pump.

jimmytacos · 05/30/2013, 04:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crsswift70

This is exactly what i do. My sump is about 20 gallons overall. Skimmer on one side, middle has sand, rock rubble and chaeto, through the baffles i have my return pump.

What are the dimensions of your sump and how large is the refugium portion?

jasimek · 05/30/2013, 04:27 AM

Here's what I have and found on ebay

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewi...id=68224838960

crsswift70 · 05/30/2013, 07:25 AM

26x12x16, i'd say the refugium area is about half of the overall length. If you're handy with silicon, get the baffles cut at any glass shop and get an old aquarium off craigslist. I'm sure there are DIY plans for this.

kclewis · 05/30/2013, 09:25 AM

I have a 90 gallon with a 40 breeder sump. Divided into 3 compartments. Left houses the skimmer, middle for the return, and right for fuge. I had a local glass company cut the baffles and divider for the fuge. It was really simple to build and I [IMG][/IMG]maybe have $50 in the whole thing. PODS WILL MAKE THE TRIP FROM YOUR FUGE TO YOUR MAIN. @nuerosis05 you have been given poor info. here is a pic of it when I first built it. Different skimmer now and I've added 3 media reactors but you'll get the basis.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

fishgate · 05/30/2013, 09:36 AM

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2270518

devimik · 05/30/2013, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmytacos

@neurosis05 - Is you refugium just separate from the sump or separate from the tank all together?

@devimik - How large is the refugium in your sump?

Mine is about 1/3 the length of the tank, so not very large - it's the middle portion in the pic below.

jimmytacos · 05/30/2013, 03:27 PM

Kclewis and Devimik thanks for the pictures this helped a lot. Also Jasimek thanks for the ebay link. Shipping is is killer otherwise I may think about this purchase. The pictures helped a lot and as they say about pictures (worth a thousand words).

Railcar79 · 05/30/2013, 04:06 PM

Jimmy, it all comes down to personal taste. Asking the best sump is like asking which is better, Dodge, Ford, or Chevy. I personally did my own, 1/4 Lexan from ace hardware, and a 29 gal tank. I sketched my baffles on the outside of the tank with a sharpie, got it how I liked it, bought the parts and siliconed them in myself. Complete setup: 29 gal sump $40, Razor blade $0.99 (to remove old baffles and silicone) New baffles $6.00 each (2 baffles reused one from the old tank) and a tube of silicone for $2.99

kclewis · 05/31/2013, 08:20 AM

One key thing if you decide to build a sump:

Glass does not bond to plastic and plastic does not bond to glass.

You may see sumps combining the two but believe me you are setting yourself up for failure. It may seem like it is holding but long term it will fail. It took a little over 5 years for mine to do so on my nano but when it did it crashed my tank.

Reef Tech · 05/31/2013, 09:58 AM

nice sump guys

WOrchid · 05/31/2013, 10:26 AM

Here is my 30 gallon sump. Like many others, I simply had glass cut and silicone together. Make sure you give your skimmer (or future upgraded skimmer) enough space. Total investment: tank was free, $20 for cut and polished glass (1/4") at glass shop and maybe $6 for silicone.

jimmytacos · 08/06/2013, 08:37 AM

Finally finished my sump. I ended up building an Acrylic sump with the help of a local Plastics company who sold me the Acrylic and cut it for me for free.

BIGD0G · 08/06/2013, 02:36 PM

That sump looks good that you made. Did you glue it up yourself? If so any tips? I am planing to do the same thing.

kclewis · 08/07/2013, 12:25 PM

real nice clark

jimmytacos · 08/07/2013, 01:17 PM

@bigdog I glued it myself. I went to a local plastics company and they had weld on #4 and a tube of #16. I bought the application needles from them which worked great and then applied the glue using a small gauge of #22 wire spread ever 6 inches under the area to be glued so the the glue would get into all the cracks. After 20 seconds of applying the glue remove the wire and the plastic sets nicely. I used the # 16 tube to go over the area after it dried just to make sure. I also bought some 90degree angle clamps which I would highly recommend to do this.

This video helped a lot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEHOoGlGOkQ

05/28/2013, 11:27 PM	#5
devimik Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: KC, KS Posts: 637	I have a 90g and a 29g long tank for a sump. I had my LFS silicone in the baffles and I do have a refugium in the middle section between the skimmer and before the return pump section. In the refugium, I keep chaeto, live rock rubble and my heaters. __________________ Mike D Coral Beauty, Green Filefish, One Spot Foxface, Springeri Dottyback, 2 Ocellaris Clowns, Yellow Watchman Goby, Flame Hawkfish, Spotted Mandarin Current Tank Info: 90g Softie Reef, 150# live rock, 30g sump w/refugium, Tunze Osmolator 3155 ATO, Octopus NWB 150 Skimmer, Mag 950 return, Maxspect 120w Razor 10K LED light X2, BRS Phosphate Reactor; Apex Lite

05/29/2013, 04:58 AM	#6
jimmytacos Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 34	@neurosis05 - Is you refugium just separate from the sump or separate from the tank all together? @devimik - How large is the refugium in your sump? __________________ 90 Gallon tank, Tunze 1073.04 pump, 2 Jebao wp25 power heads, custom made acrylic sump, Reef Octopus skimmer. Current Tank Info: 90Gallon

05/30/2013, 07:25 AM	#11
crsswift70 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Spanish Fort, AL Posts: 1,032	26x12x16, i'd say the refugium area is about half of the overall length. If you're handy with silicon, get the baffles cut at any glass shop and get an old aquarium off craigslist. I'm sure there are DIY plans for this. Last edited by crsswift70; 05/30/2013 at 07:31 AM.

05/30/2013, 09:25 AM	#12
kclewis REEFER Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Beautiful Bargersville, IN Posts: 383	I have a 90 gallon with a 40 breeder sump. Divided into 3 compartments. Left houses the skimmer, middle for the return, and right for fuge. I had a local glass company cut the baffles and divider for the fuge. It was really simple to build and I [IMG][/IMG]maybe have $50 in the whole thing. PODS WILL MAKE THE TRIP FROM YOUR FUGE TO YOUR MAIN. @nuerosis05 you have been given poor info. here is a pic of it when I first built it. Different skimmer now and I've added 3 media reactors but you'll get the basis. [IMG][/IMG] __________________ #RageRestRepeat \mm/

05/30/2013, 09:36 AM	#13
fishgate Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Damascus, MD Posts: 3,340	http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2270518 __________________ 125RR in-wall, 40B Sump, CS180 BM Skimmer, ATI 4x80 watt, eheim 1262, custom wrap around rock wall, ReefKeeper Elite 120g in-wall, 40B Sump, PC 54wx4, Jabao DC-6000 (full siphon), future seahorse t Current Tank Info: 125g, 120g, 2x40b sumps, ATI 4x80 T5HO

05/28/2013, 06:30 PM	#1
jimmytacos Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 34	Starting up a 90 gallon and looking for sump advice I am new to the hobby and I am looking at getting a 90 gallon tank. I want to ask the question that I'm sure everyone has asked but it seems very difficult to search through a million threads. I am getting many different responses from a couple of different LFS when asking what to do for a sump. Before I start the tank I want to try and do what is best for fish and eventually coral. I was wanting to do a refugium but some people say not to do one that it will not work in a 90 gallon tank. I was looking at making my own sump out of a 30 gallon tank. Any advice on how to set up the sump and what to use would be helpful.

05/28/2013, 06:32 PM	#2
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	u can do a sump/refugium combo in a 30 gal sump. i have a 350gal setup with a 95gal sump which is divided to have a sump+fuge all in one. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

05/28/2013, 06:33 PM	#3
jimmytacos Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 34	Wow that is incredible your sump is larger than my tank. Do you have a sock in your sump also or just the fuge?

05/28/2013, 09:34 PM	#4
neurosis05 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Omaha, Nebraska Posts: 92	I have a 90 gal DT and a berlin style sump I made myself that holds about 30gal. I didn't go with a refugium for two reasons 1. Most pods you get in there won't really survive the trip through the return pump. I have a separate 20 gal for a refugium. If I want pods I just take the cheato from the fuge and shake it in the DT to release the pods. 2. I've read over time the fuge becomes so overcome with debri it will cause adverse effects on your system. Refugiums are a pretty debatable topic on their pros/cons.

05/30/2013, 04:27 AM	#10
jasimek Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Plainfield, Illinois Posts: 692	Here's what I have and found on ebay http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewi...id=68224838960

05/30/2013, 03:27 PM	#15
jimmytacos Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 34	Kclewis and Devimik thanks for the pictures this helped a lot. Also Jasimek thanks for the ebay link. Shipping is is killer otherwise I may think about this purchase. The pictures helped a lot and as they say about pictures (worth a thousand words). __________________ 90 Gallon tank, Tunze 1073.04 pump, 2 Jebao wp25 power heads, custom made acrylic sump, Reef Octopus skimmer. Current Tank Info: 90Gallon

05/30/2013, 04:06 PM	#16
Railcar79 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Colton South Dakota Posts: 229	Jimmy, it all comes down to personal taste. Asking the best sump is like asking which is better, Dodge, Ford, or Chevy. I personally did my own, 1/4 Lexan from ace hardware, and a 29 gal tank. I sketched my baffles on the outside of the tank with a sharpie, got it how I liked it, bought the parts and siliconed them in myself. Complete setup: 29 gal sump $40, Razor blade $0.99 (to remove old baffles and silicone) New baffles $6.00 each (2 baffles reused one from the old tank) and a tube of silicone for $2.99

05/31/2013, 08:20 AM	#17
kclewis REEFER Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Beautiful Bargersville, IN Posts: 383	One key thing if you decide to build a sump: Glass does not bond to plastic and plastic does not bond to glass. You may see sumps combining the two but believe me you are setting yourself up for failure. It may seem like it is holding but long term it will fail. It took a little over 5 years for mine to do so on my nano but when it did it crashed my tank. __________________ #RageRestRepeat \mm/

05/31/2013, 09:58 AM	#18
Reef Tech Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Posts: 1	nice sump guys

08/06/2013, 08:37 AM	#20
jimmytacos Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 34	Finally finished my sump. I ended up building an Acrylic sump with the help of a local Plastics company who sold me the Acrylic and cut it for me for free. __________________ 90 Gallon tank, Tunze 1073.04 pump, 2 Jebao wp25 power heads, custom made acrylic sump, Reef Octopus skimmer. Current Tank Info: 90Gallon

08/06/2013, 02:36 PM	#21
BIGD0G Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Shalimar, FL Posts: 307	That sump looks good that you made. Did you glue it up yourself? If so any tips? I am planing to do the same thing.

08/07/2013, 12:25 PM	#22
kclewis REEFER Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Beautiful Bargersville, IN Posts: 383	real nice clark __________________ #RageRestRepeat \mm/

08/07/2013, 01:17 PM	#23
jimmytacos Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 34	@bigdog I glued it myself. I went to a local plastics company and they had weld on #4 and a tube of #16. I bought the application needles from them which worked great and then applied the glue using a small gauge of #22 wire spread ever 6 inches under the area to be glued so the the glue would get into all the cracks. After 20 seconds of applying the glue remove the wire and the plastic sets nicely. I used the # 16 tube to go over the area after it dried just to make sure. I also bought some 90degree angle clamps which I would highly recommend to do this. This video helped a lot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEHOoGlGOkQ __________________ 90 Gallon tank, Tunze 1073.04 pump, 2 Jebao wp25 power heads, custom made acrylic sump, Reef Octopus skimmer. Current Tank Info: 90Gallon