Tips For Designing A Saltwater Aquarium Sump
Building a custom saltwater aquarium sump is a rewarding task within the aquarium hobby, and we are here to tell you how you can build one yourself inside your home. Home-built aquarium sump systems are not only effective, but they are also easy on your wallet!
What Is An Aquarium Sump?
One of the most important components in saltwater aquariums is the sump AKA your main filtration system. I remember thinking ‘what on earth is that’ when I first heard of them.
An aquarium sump is an additional tank that is typically installed under the display tank. They sit outside the aquarium and can be a single chamber container or a purpose-built tank with multiple chambers.
The main purpose os a saltwater aquarium sump is to move water from the display aquarium to the sump and back again while increasing the water volume to maintain water stability within your system. They also provide an additional space to hide installation filtration equipment out of sight, keeping your aquarium setup looking tidy.
How To Design An Aquarium Sump?
Planning Your Sump
When designing and building an aquarium sump, planning goes a long way. So, the first step for building your home aquarium sump is proper planning.
Before you dive into the design, you want to size up your sump. You will want the largest tank possible to fill the space you have. Measure the size of your sump, and find an aquarium tank that will fit into that space.
Did you know that 10% of your tank’s total volume is the minimum sump size for all saltwater aquariums?
So, how big should your sump be?
Well, if you have a 50-gallon display tank, we highly recommend a 30-gallon tank to build your sump system.
You can use a rimless or a regular framed aquarium for your sump. The good news is, you can find them relatively easily and they are fairly expensive. Remember this doesn’t need to look ‘fancy’ as it will be out of sight.
Baffles
Next is to consider the baffles. Baffles trap bubbles and reduce any debris from entering the sump pump chamber. When planning baffles, you need to consider the water level and different chamber sizes. Taking a ruler and marker pen will help you visualize the baffle location and water level. We recommend placing the skimmer inside the sump tank to check that the positioning of the baffles is correct before you secure them in place later on.
When it comes to water levels inside your aquarium sump, aim for 4-6 inches between the top of the baffle and the top of the sump tank to make sure that the sump can hold a little extra water, if needed.
Using an aquarium volume calculator will help you calculate the amount of water that will drain from your tank if a power outage was to happen. Calculating this beforehand also means you will know if your aquarium sump is large enough to hold the water, and it means you can tweak the baffle height.
Gluing Baffles In Place
The baffle should be placed before the pump skimmer chamber. When cutting the glass for the baffles, we highly recommend taking the glass to be professionally cut instead of trying to cut them yourself. Cutting the glass yourself could lead to hazards such as cutting yourself, as newly cut glass is very sharp!
Getting the baffles professionally cut also means that they will be cut perfectly to size, to fit inside your aquarium sump.
You will want to leave around a quarter of an inch on both sides to allow enough room to adhere them to the tank side with silicone. Always use 100% silicone that is safe for aquariums to protect your livestock.
Tape the baffles in place and gently run a generous amount of silicone up each of the glass corners. Run your finger up each side, being careful not to press too hard to get a clean edge. Remember you will need to leave space under the glass to allow the water to flow between the chambers. You can easily prop the glass up with a book or CDs while you are gluing the baffle in place.
Allow the silicone to set for at least 24 hours.
Dry-Fitting
Before using your aquarium sump, you will want to dry-fit all the components to ensure that it all fits.
Sump Components
You will need the following components to hold the top off water:
- Protein Skimmer Chamber
- Return Pump Chamber
- Isolated ATO (Automatic Top Off) Reservoir
Adding Water To The Sump
Now it is time to test that your baffles are secure and that the water can flow into the different chambers. Fill the entire aquarium sump with water and let it sit for 24-48 hours to check for leaks.
Running The Aquarium Sump
Once you know that your sump hasn’t got any leaks, you are ready to plug in your system and use it!
Summary
Building your own aquarium sump is an easy and inexpensive way to create the sump design exactly the way you want it.
If you have been thinking about installing a saltwater aquarium sump but are still unsure where to start. At Reefco Aquariums we have a team of trained aquarium experts that are happy to help with any aspect of your aquarium set-up.
