Sumps!

[vinney]

I do not have a tank yet, but space is a big issue for me with the kiddos and size of the house. I have been wanting to start a reef tank at some point soon and everyone has been telling me bigger is better. Do sumps count as that additional gallons on say a 20 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump? Is that how it works I have no clue, really just trying to learn and get a better understanding. Thank you in advance!

 

[Waters]

Yes, any additional water volume adds towards your total system volume as far as system stability. Doesn't count towards fish that require a "specific" size tank though.

 

[edsbeaker]

I do not have a tank yet, but space is a big issue for me with the kiddos and size of the house. I have been wanting to start a reef tank at some point soon and everyone has been telling me bigger is better. Do sumps count as that additional gallons on say a 20 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump? Is that how it works I have no clue, really just trying to learn and get a better understanding. Thank you in advance!

Hi, and welcome!
When you see an advertisement for a tank with a sump in a cabinet underneath, the volume of water will be just for the tank and does not include the additional number of gallons the sump will hold. The sump volume will be stated somewhere else in the description.

This is a little different if you are buying an AIO (All in One) set up that has the sump area behind the main display. The display has a built in wall dividing the display tank from the sump area. These tanks will state the total volume of water which includes both the display tank volume and the sump volume. The individual volumes will be stated somewhere else in the description.

Now in either case, if you are adding medication, salt, dosing additives, you base this on the total volume of water, display tank plus sump.

And as @Waters stated, when adding fish, the only volume of water that’s considered is within the four walls of the display tank. Fish load is determined by space in the display tank itself, not water volume.

Hope this helps!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Personally speaking I've never touted the "bigger is better", I prefer small tanks and I feel and have always suggested that small tanks are better for new hobbyists.

I would suggest an all-in-one tank, or a normal rectangle tank and get hang-on-back (hob) equipment, small tanks require very little equipment anyway. But a small sump for a small tank doesn't seem feasible to me.

 

[edsbeaker]

Personally speaking I've never touted the "bigger is better", I prefer small tanks and I feel and have always suggested that small tanks are better for new hobbyists.

I would suggest an all-in-one tank, or a normal rectangle tank and get hang-on-back (hob) equipment, small tanks require very little equipment anyway. But a small sump for a small tank doesn't seem feasible to me.

^ I 100% agree with this statement.

I’ve had tanks from 20 gallons up to 170 gallons. I was never comfortable with taking care of larger tanks and always seem to downsize to smaller set ups.

I just tore down my 170 gallon and replaced it with a 25 gallon AIO set up a couple of weeks ago. The 170 was hard to reach all areas of the tank, expensive to run, and Of course, a much higher $$$ loss if something went wrong. I think a good size tank is what is manageable for you, not someone else. Bigger is better in certain situations, for instance, if you want to keep certain species of fish like tangs, but otherwise that “Bigger Is Better” statement has NO merit and is misleading. As a first tank, if you want a bigger tank, I think something in the 75 gallon size works well, But I have to say that their are plenty of us running smaller tanks that wouldn’t change a thing!

 

[1ocean]

Important note with sumps, you have to remember to get a sump that is big enough to handle the water drop from the main display if the power should go out or if you shut return pumps off during feeding.
I like having a bigger sump so that anything that might leak water is in it.
I am also not in favor of sumps with a lot of chambers; this restricts what you can fit in it.
I am building an open sump design with one chamber, intake water from display tank.
Sump is 42"x30"x16"

 

[Fish Fan]

I do not have a tank yet, but space is a big issue for me with the kiddos and size of the house. I have been wanting to start a reef tank at some point soon and everyone has been telling me bigger is better. Do sumps count as that additional gallons on say a 20 gallon tank with a 20 gallon sump? Is that how it works I have no clue, really just trying to learn and get a better understanding. Thank you in advance!

Welcome to Reef2Reef!

#WelcometoR2R

I'm with the other replies who say the whole "bigger is better" is way overrated. Yes, a larger volume of water remains more stable because when something changes it takes longer to affect the larger volume of water. In a smaller tank, things can go south quickly.

But, the cost and maintenance on a larger tank is far more than a smaller tank. If something does go wrong in a smaller tank, you can easily change out 80% or 90% of the water, basically resetting the tank.

Sumps are great, they do add extra water volume and they do allow the most flexibility to run whatever gear you want, but they are also more complicated to plumb.

If you're looking around 20 gallons, I would look for an All-In-One tank such as the Innovative Marine 20 gallon AIO. AIO tanks simplify the setup and would be a great choice for a first saltwater tank.

https://www.innovative-marine.com/s...cZ4kPPSNZzn_y5XRvKkCkk-W3Lp8rHo76Y4WoE1xNuBkK

Good luck!

 

[SantaMonica Verified Sponsor]

Besides more space, a big thing is cost/hassle of water changes in the bigger one.

 

[Rob A]

If you can swing a sump do it. I even put them on my fresh water tanks. I don't know anything about AIO's but either way a 3-5 gal week water change will be your friend with a smaller tank. This is a 40 breeder set up I have freshwater fish in now but it could be a nice little reef tank just by adding salt and a viparspectra light. I had to build this set-up/stand on the fly with what I had on hand and set up the tank in 4 hours because I had to take in some angle fish that got too big for my mom's tank. It was supposed to be temporary but you know how that goes and it is still up today with a 6in knife fish, 8in dinosaur and a buncha tetras and cardinals