sassmastawillis
New Member
Hi everybody, I've got a bit of a crazy idea of where to put a saltwater tank. The new house I've moved into has a corner fireplace in the living room with this huge TV niche built into the wall above it. I don't really want to put a TV in here, its a little too high and I don' like viewing a corner TV, but I thought a reef tank would go nicely. I'm still looking into what kind of support is back there (I climbed up in there no problem, but I still want to see how the structure is built), and wanted to see if anyone here had some thoughts about if I should put something in there, and how I should plan this out.
The biggest tank that will fit is a 40b, and when I measure it out, there's enough space back there for another 20h tank behind it (the cabinet is a trapezoid shape). I have a few options I've come up with:
Have a 20h sump behind the tank. I know sumps are generally placed under the tank so water can flow into it with gravity, but my idea was to plumb it directly into the side of the tank and just have the water level of the sump be lower than the tank, sort of how like AIO systems work. I've never worked with sumps before, so I wanted to see if this was a good idea or not. My biggest concern is that it wont be very accessible for maintenance. I'd have to reach over the tank, which won't be very ideal since I'll already have to be on a stepladder too. I know, probably a bad idea.
Raise the sump behind the tank. Probably not much better of an idea, but it could be easier for me to do maintenance on it and I'd at least be able to have a good view of the inside of the sump. All the ATO sensors would have to be in the tank, but it still helps add volume to the whole setup and keeps it looking tidy.
Or the most reasonable idea: use a HOB filter and use that extra space to store my ATO reservoir. The other 2 options I would put the bucket on the floor next to the mantle and run a hose through a bit of the wall. Filling the reservoir would be the PIA part, but I can just use a pump.
Curious to see what experienced members think. I know most people prefer to have a sump with their tanks, and I would too, but was wondering how feasible it would even be.
Thanks!
The biggest tank that will fit is a 40b, and when I measure it out, there's enough space back there for another 20h tank behind it (the cabinet is a trapezoid shape). I have a few options I've come up with:
Have a 20h sump behind the tank. I know sumps are generally placed under the tank so water can flow into it with gravity, but my idea was to plumb it directly into the side of the tank and just have the water level of the sump be lower than the tank, sort of how like AIO systems work. I've never worked with sumps before, so I wanted to see if this was a good idea or not. My biggest concern is that it wont be very accessible for maintenance. I'd have to reach over the tank, which won't be very ideal since I'll already have to be on a stepladder too. I know, probably a bad idea.
Raise the sump behind the tank. Probably not much better of an idea, but it could be easier for me to do maintenance on it and I'd at least be able to have a good view of the inside of the sump. All the ATO sensors would have to be in the tank, but it still helps add volume to the whole setup and keeps it looking tidy.
Or the most reasonable idea: use a HOB filter and use that extra space to store my ATO reservoir. The other 2 options I would put the bucket on the floor next to the mantle and run a hose through a bit of the wall. Filling the reservoir would be the PIA part, but I can just use a pump.
Curious to see what experienced members think. I know most people prefer to have a sump with their tanks, and I would too, but was wondering how feasible it would even be.
Thanks!
