another noob introduction! to sump or not to sump?

musho3210

bring the tank to a professional, that way they can do all this weird math measurement stuff to make sure that it wont colapse the glass once filled with water.

en71ce

yea i'll look into it... but still unsure if i should go ahead or not.

do u have a sump musho? and if so can you post pics =) i'd like to see!

musho3210

nope, my first post stated that i didnt and if you want more in-depth information to ask someone who has one, i only know the basics, if i wanted to i could add one but whats the point of a sump in a 20 gallon freshwater??

usmc121581

You never want to drill any holes in a tank unless your sure you can and even I wouldnt. I just dont trust something that didnt have it in the first place.

Trigger200

Excellent thread! I'm in the same boat..just starting up a 65 gallon FOWLR tank and I've considered getting a sump. Basically, the way I see it is that a sump can always be added later; and the added work involved in setting it up right away could be used in other areas. I'm currently running a Magnum 350 canister filter...not sure how that would work with a sump tho. I intend on getting everything started then probably adding a sump later and possibly upgrading my equipment. I was going to get a narrow protein skimmer to hang on the back of the tank so later on I could just stick it in the sump. Also, I don't see any reason that you would HAVe to drill holes in the tank for a sump.

musho3210

getting it added later can be a real hassle, with all the drilling, siliconing, mathmatics involved, you cant really make any mistakes since there are fish in there. When the tank is new with no fish and no water, then it can be much easier

usmc121581

Trigger believe me its easier to set the sump up with the tank.

Trigger200

Well, I'm obviously not-informed on the subject. Do you HAVE to drill into the tank or can you just use a pump/hose assembly to take water out of the tank into the sump and return it?

musho3210

no you do not have to drill but it is much more effective, either spend 50+ dollars on a professinal drill or risk all your sump water spilling over onto your carpet/tiles/floor.

en71ce

/golf clap
/completely agree
with you mate! thats exactly the path of thinking i was going..

my main interest in a sump was i thought it that better benefits of filtration compared to a cannister..

but my concerns have now been answered! once gain thanks guys!