Show Off Your Sumps!

[vaguelyreeflike]

The roots are super fragile so get the pods.
Most of the ones I've gotten with roots die from osmotic shock.
I'm sure they help with N and P a little I just like the way they look, they just make me smile.
I add a little mag once a week and spray them every day.
That's a must.

Would a slow drip acclimation help prevent shock? I love how they look. Good to know they need to be misted!

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

Been using this combo for 10 years across multiple style reef setups. It’s bombproof and I don’t need water changes

Trigger systems Ruby 30

Chamber 1 - octopus Diablo 160xs skimmer (offline/unplugged. Only use on as needed basis - remove a medication, or if tank has a nutrient issue)
Live rock in some free space
No socks or rollers or mechanical filtration in the sump at all

Chamber 2

3” fine live sand
Santa Monica surf 2 algae scrubber
Cryptic zone with Live rock, sponge, pods, micro dusters, etc under and around the algae scrubber

Between chamber 2 and 3 is a media shelf with chemi pure elite (2 bags rated 50g each) + media bag with matrix

Chamber 3 is return pump, live rock, and a phosban 150 reactor for running Phosguard if I ever need to quickly pull down phosphates

little messy, I never clean the sump and don’t believe sumps should be cleaned.

My results

What are the benefits you’ve noticed from having a sand bed in the sump? Is it just for buffering, extra biofiltration, nitrogenous waste collection, or all of the above?

 

[VintageReefer]

Everything. Sand and rock produce filtration in your display and the sump houses more of it.

Except in the sump is a stricter untouched environment. I dont have snails, crabs, fish, or light in the sump. It’s a cryptic zone and allows more micro critters to thrive unharmed. Sponge also thrives in here, and provides its own unique form of filtration.

By not running mech filtration, my cryptic zone is fed particulate matter which the filter feeding sponge, micro dusters, and tiny worms in the sand all collectively consume

Whatever makes it past them and back into the display, is coral food

 

[SomeHappyFish]

 

[backbayreef]

My sump is next to the tank so have to keep it clean & presentable. It’s like having two aquariums! I go BB and TRY to keep both DT and sump clean of detritus. I dose vodka to keep NO3 down and manually dose PhosphateRx for PO4. That is why you don’t see a lot of gear in a massive sump.

 

[00W]

Would a slow drip acclimation help prevent shock? I love how they look. Good to know they need to be misted!

I've tried lots of different things but it's usually trama in shipping I'm convinced.
The seeds are easy and cheap, can be had lots of places, and can be just set in a cup/pot whatever by the windowsill if you want.

 

[edsbeaker]

Some of these sumps are so clean!
Here’s mine. It’s small without room for a refugium so I have a Clearwater ATS.
It has a skimmer, and some live rock…dead when I bought it. I have a 4” X 12” piece of filter floss that I change out weekly, but am not using the three filter socks that came with it. Too much work, and with my skimmer and ATS my nutrients always test low. I may remove the filter floss in the future.
I’m fortunate to have a closet behind the tank cabinet so all of the controllers, electrical plugs, dosers, ATO container and supples are back there.

 

[Chuck_e]

New sump for my 90 g display. Previous sump was in the cabinet under the display tank. Got tired of banging my head, dumping the contents of the skimmer or Phosphate Reactor whenever maintenance was needed so I installed a Trigger Systems CRYS30E in the room next door. The sump has 3 chambers, including a Refugium and main chamber where the filters, heater, and skimmer sit. Might have gone a bit overboard with the control panel, but that's reefing...

Reservoir for the ATO is beside the sump, and the Refugium is lit with a Neptune GROLight.

 

[Peace River]

Ceramic media -> Rollermat -> Reactor (for activated carbon) -> CO2 scrubber -> Live Rock -> Skimmer -> Return Pump.
All controllers on the other side of the sump.

Nicely done!!!

 

[luis angel]

 

[RWinfrey]

 

[marcus aurelius]

 

[Coral Memere]

I seen another thread with only one reply. Show me your sump set up, bonus points for explaining the sections and what they’re for!

Do you have a refugium? Sand bed? What kind of bio media? What kind of sponge?

Looking to make an inspirational thread for myself and others looking into sump creation!

Thank you. I'm going to study these. I need to figure out my sump plan for a monster build! You started my research for me!

 

[marcus aurelius]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/180-upgrade-mixed-reef.1012730/#post-12938381

 

[Coral Memere]

This is my first true sump and I’m really proud of it. The aquarium is an IM 200 gallon and I’m slowly adding equipment. It’ll probably be cycling for a year before I have the lights!

Right now I just need a calcium reactor, two more MP40’s and a protein skimmer. Chamber 3 is full of 30 lbs of TBS rock and 30 lbs of TBS sand.

Purply pipe is DEFINITELY going on the must have list!

 

[marcus aurelius]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/180-upgrade-mixed-reef.1012730/#post-12938381

180 upgrade for now. Soon this monster 300 coming.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

The 40g cube...

The 25 frag...

 

[jonelder68]

Mines not operational yet and is currently a mess! Still a work in progress. Also not sure it’s what your looking for as it’s a “sump room”/basement

Took a note from past experience and am a big fan of natural filtration with macro algae’s. So primary drain splits between tanks. The left (20L tank) will house variety of macros then return to first chamber of main sump. Main 60 breeder sump first chamber will house chaeto and maybe another variety or two that love to tumble.

Second chamber is heaters, skimmer, probes, and probably dosing location for Randy’s 3 part balling supplementing kalk once its demand is surpassed.

Third chamber will be return pump with apex level sensor and avast auto feeder tied into return pump. Hopefully it will work how I’m hoping? Along with Avast ATO.

How do you all fit this under a tank in a stand!?!? I’m already out of room lol!

 

[exnisstech]

I like to run each tank a little different to keep things interesting. I got my inspiration for my latest build from @VintageReefer method with a cryptic fuge. My main goal was to keep things as simple as I could. I filled the sump with old live rock from an 8yo tank I was breaking down, much of it ocean live rock from my start.
I miss the good old days

First chamber socks

Second full of rock

Third some rock and ATS

Forth chamber return

 

[Cichlid Dad]

What are the benefits you’ve noticed from having a sand bed in the sump? Is it just for buffering, extra biofiltration, nitrogenous waste collection, or all of the above?

Same answer as @VintageReefer . Above video is my 90 gallon tank refugium that has been untouched for a few years.