- Hi this is Wayland from Marine Depot.
Today were going to tackle the topic of filter sumps,
what they are, how they work and how to choose
the best one for your reef tank.
(upbeat music)
Filter sumps aren't new.
They've been around since the dawn of reefkeeping.
Their original function was to provide biological filtration
and aerate the water.
The early designs worked like this.
First, water is drawn from a surface skimmer
and gravity drains it down into the sump.
The water is then pumped back into the reef tank
using a return pump.
Bio media would be suspended on a grate
and sprayed with aquarium water.
These trickle or wet-dry filters were based
on processes that were derived from much larger
industrial wastewater treatment plants.
The idea was to keep the bio media suspended
in the air to maximize the oxygen levels
for nitrifying bacteria living on the media.
Over time, aquarists noticed that if the wet-dry filter
was bypassed due to a pump failure or a leak,
nothing bad really happened.
There were no noticeable increases in ammonia or nitrite.
That's because most of an aquariums nitrifying bacteria
live on the rock and sand instead of the biomedia.
It was also believed the trickling water
would de-gas ammonia out of the aquarium.
The idea of degassing ammonia came from an industrial
process called air stripping.
Ammonia could be removed from water by blasting air
through a tall contactor as water sprayed
over plastic media.
The problem is aquariums don't contain enough ammonia
for the process to work.
Plus, it requires the pH to be above 10
for the ammonia to be converted into a gas.
So the question is, what are filter sumps good for?
Todays filter sumps function as a hub
for all the important water filtration
and automation hardware.
With a large enough sump, your equipment options
are near endless.
The sump is the ideal place to connect
a circulation pump.
You can run it submerged or plumb it externally
to save space for other hardware.
Protein skimmers are a great addition
to your sump and will help keep your tank nice and clean.
A filter sump also makes it easy to set-up
media reactors and denitrifiers.
You can either use a T-off of the main water return line,
or use a second smaller submersible pump
to supply water to the media reactor.
Sumps give you a place to hide some of your mess,
and lets you clean up the hoses
leading to your tank.
The same is true for running chillers.
By hooking them up to your sump you can eliminate
the need for long unsightly hoses.
An automatic top off is one of the key pieces
to success in a reef tank, as they make sure
your salinity stays stable and can give you
a chance to relax.
Sumps are the perfect location to install your ATO
and some sumps even come pre-equipped
with water level sensors.
For high tech reefers, sumps are great
for clean installation of probes and other gear.
If you prefer a simpler low-tech setup,
sumps are great for just plain old filtering.
Most sumps contain at least one filter sock
which is great for pulling out debris
before it can break down into your tank.
Most sumps also have a number of baffles
that channel water flow through the different compartments.
The spaces in between these baffles
are perfect for placing filter sponges or bags of media.
There's a wide variety of sumps out there
to choose from, so you are sure to find
one that fits your specific needs.
Here's what you need to know about picking
the right sump for your situation.
The first step is to figure out how much space
you have available.
Measure the width, height and depth
of where you are gonna place the sump.
And don't forget to measure the size of the opening
if you're gonna be putting your sump inside of a cabinet.
It's important to have enough space above the sump
to install a protein skimmer.
Double check that you have enough head room
to actually remove the entire skimmer,
as well as a convenient space to remove
the skimmer cup for cleaning.
Once you've narrowed down the sump models,
it's time to take a look at the features each offers.
Some sumps are made for small aquariums
and have a lower water flow rating.
They provide the most basic features
without a lot of extras.
Larger sumps have more room to add probe holders,
multiple filter socks and even space for a refugium.
When shopping for a sump, look at all the features
each model offers.
Chances are there's more than one sump
to choose from.
Think about the equipment that you have now,
but also keep in mind what you may want to add later on.
When all the pieces of the filter system fit together,
you'll know which sump to go with.
If you still feel you need help deciding on a sump,
feel free to give us a call or send us an email,
and we will be happy to help you out.
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As always, take care and enjoy your reefkeeping journey.