- Hi this is Wayland from Marine Depot.
Today were going to tackle
the topic of filter sumps,
what they are, how they
work and how to choose
the best one for your reef tank.
(upbeat music)
Filter sumps aren't new.
They've been around since
the dawn of reefkeeping.
Their original function was to
provide biological filtration
and aerate the water.
The early designs worked like this.
First, water is drawn
from a surface skimmer
and gravity drains it down into the sump.
The water is then pumped
back into the reef tank
using a return pump.
Bio media would be suspended on a grate
and sprayed with aquarium water.
These trickle or wet-dry
filters were based
on processes that were
derived from much larger
industrial wastewater treatment plants.
The idea was to keep
the bio media suspended
in the air to maximize the oxygen levels
for nitrifying bacteria
living on the media.
Over time, aquarists noticed
that if the wet-dry filter
was bypassed due to a
pump failure or a leak,
nothing bad really happened.
There were no noticeable
increases in ammonia or nitrite.
That's because most of an
aquariums nitrifying bacteria
live on the rock and sand
instead of the biomedia.
It was also believed the trickling water
would de-gas ammonia out of the aquarium.
The idea of degassing ammonia
came from an industrial
process called air stripping.
Ammonia could be removed
from water by blasting air
through a tall contactor as water sprayed
over plastic media.
The problem is aquariums
don't contain enough ammonia
for the process to work.
Plus, it requires the pH to be above 10
for the ammonia to be
converted into a gas.
So the question is, what
are filter sumps good for?
Todays filter sumps function as a hub
for all the important water filtration
and automation hardware.
With a large enough sump,
your equipment options
are near endless.
The sump is the ideal place to connect
a circulation pump.
You can run it submerged
or plumb it externally
to save space for other hardware.
Protein skimmers are a great addition
to your sump and will help
keep your tank nice and clean.
A filter sump also makes it easy to set-up
media reactors and denitrifiers.
You can either use a T-off of
the main water return line,
or use a second smaller submersible pump
to supply water to the media reactor.
Sumps give you a place to
hide some of your mess,
and lets you clean up the hoses
leading to your tank.
The same is true for running chillers.
By hooking them up to your
sump you can eliminate
the need for long unsightly hoses.
An automatic top off is
one of the key pieces
to success in a reef
tank, as they make sure
your salinity stays
stable and can give you
a chance to relax.
Sumps are the perfect
location to install your ATO
and some sumps even come pre-equipped
with water level sensors.
For high tech reefers, sumps are great
for clean installation
of probes and other gear.
If you prefer a simpler low-tech setup,
sumps are great for just
plain old filtering.
Most sumps contain at
least one filter sock
which is great for pulling out debris
before it can break down into your tank.
Most sumps also have a number of baffles
that channel water flow through
the different compartments.
The spaces in between these baffles
are perfect for placing filter
sponges or bags of media.
There's a wide variety of sumps out there
to choose from, so you are sure to find
one that fits your specific needs.
Here's what you need to know about picking
the right sump for your situation.
The first step is to
figure out how much space
you have available.
Measure the width, height and depth
of where you are gonna place the sump.
And don't forget to measure
the size of the opening
if you're gonna be putting
your sump inside of a cabinet.
It's important to have
enough space above the sump
to install a protein skimmer.
Double check that you
have enough head room
to actually remove the entire skimmer,
as well as a convenient space to remove
the skimmer cup for cleaning.
Once you've narrowed down the sump models,
it's time to take a look at
the features each offers.
Some sumps are made for small aquariums
and have a lower water flow rating.
They provide the most basic features
without a lot of extras.
Larger sumps have more
room to add probe holders,
multiple filter socks and
even space for a refugium.
When shopping for a sump,
look at all the features
each model offers.
Chances are there's more than one sump
to choose from.
Think about the equipment
that you have now,
but also keep in mind what
you may want to add later on.
When all the pieces of the
filter system fit together,
you'll know which sump to go with.
If you still feel you need
help deciding on a sump,
feel free to give us a
call or send us an email,
and we will be happy to help you out.
Don't forget to hit like
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for more helpful content on the way.
As always, take care and enjoy
your reefkeeping journey.
