2 tanks on 1 sump

[Shawn51773]

Right now me and my wife have a 93 gl saltwater tank and picked up a new 95 wave front tank. Would like to set them up side by side in a custom built cabinet etc. question is can I run a single sump for both tanks or would we be better running 2 separate sumps?

 

[Michael Lane]

You can use a single sump for both tanks. I have 3 display tanks plumbed together via a single sump. I think you just have to make sure you have sufficient capacity in the sump to handle the additional water volume when the pumps are shut off.

 

[WVNed]

It will work.

 

[Sparkymarc]

My friend has 3 tanks on 1 sump. It helps if you have fish being aggressive because you can just put the fish in the other tank without acclimating.

 

[KrisReef]

If you want two fish tanks it can work great. If you want one tide pool tank (warm) and one deepwater (colder) fish tank then you will have difficulty keeping one warm while the other is cold. SO, it depends on what you want to put in both tanks?
Again;
Some corals like high nitrates and phosphates and will tend to thrive in a well-fed fish system, and some corals like very low nutrients and need cleaner water than a fish only system requires. If you keep the system low nutrient for the corals the fish will also enjoy the sparkling clean water, it justs takes more diligence doing water changes than a fish only system can handle.

The plumbing and sump sizing for one or two tanks just require planning for water capacity and pump(s) to handle moving the water back and forth. You need to consider all of these aspects to decide if it makes sense and can work for your needs.

 

[George Lopez]

You can run as many tanks as you want on one sump. That being said it has to be large enough to sustain the bioload as well as backflow when the is a power outage. Also what happens in one tank will affect the other as far as nutrients or possible diseases/ infestations and as stated previously it also depends on the type of stock you wish to keep in both, if they have similar needs fish/corals then you can, not if they require different temps or different water cleanliness then you'll have a hard time. Just plan out your second tank first as far as what kind of stock you want and then make the best decision for your current and future needs.