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Sump for 55 gallon?

captmicha

Members
I've never made one before. Have to do more reading, including the recent post on here. Watch some videos too.

To start, I was hoping for guidance.

If my 55 gallon is currently on the floor, is the option of a sump even going to be possible? I was thinking it could sit right next to the tank for now until/if I put the tank on a stand. Since it'll be lower than my tank, there should be enough water flow... I'm hoping.

Can you please recommend a guide to specs? As to what size aquarium I should use, pump GPM, etc.

Right how I have an AC 70 with Poret on the tank, but it's not handling the bioload well enough. I don't usually stock so heavily and am having to do more water changes than I can keep up with.

It's got two Guianacara stergiosi adults, about five of their fry growing out, several serpae tetras, and two Ancistrus.

It's planted, but not heavily.

Am kind of nervous about this going south.
 

Freakgecko

Members
I don’t believe this would work. You wouldn’t really be able to get a strong enough siphon going for the intake tube, since that operates mainly on gravity to pull the water down on a sump. Also, I personally don’t see the point in a sump on a 55 that lightly stocked. Freshwater sumps don’t do nearly as much as a saltwater sump would
 

captmicha

Members
I don’t believe this would work. You wouldn’t really be able to get a strong enough siphon going for the intake tube, since that operates mainly on gravity to pull the water down on a sump. Also, I personally don’t see the point in a sump on a 55 that lightly stocked. Freshwater sumps don’t do nearly as much as a saltwater sump would
Well, the hope was to increase the surface area (and also water volume) for increased beneficial bacteria colonization. I'm getting ammonia build up much faster than I used to before adding the serpae. It's been well over a month, so the filter should have caught up by now.

I don't have ammonia in my water supply.

I lost over half the water from this tank less than a week ago, with a 50% water change just a couple of days before that. I'm already seeing signs of poor water quality on the serpae.

Would a canister filter be a better choice? Was thinking of building a large one out of a five gallon bucket.
 

jonclark96

Past CCA President
A dump filter would be the easiest route with a tank located on the floor. It is very much like a sump, except the filter sits directly above the tank. pump water from the tank up to the dump filter and let gravity move the water back to the tank. It won't add any volume to the system, but is essentially impossible to overflow unless the drain to the tank becomes clogged.
 

DiscusnAfricans

Past President
In the meantime the easiest solution would just be to add another AC70, or large sponge filter. You could add a canister, but its something you'd still have to maintain regularly, or they can make water quality worse.
 
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