How to Plumb a Sump - Basic, Intermediate and Advanced - Marine Depot Blog 9/04/2019 1:33 pm

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Reef-A-Palooza New York
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Basic Sump (https://blog.marinedepot.com/
a-palooza-new-york-
A sump (https://www.marinedepot.com/Sumps-FIFRBS%2cFIFRWD-ct.html) is essentially a container 2019/)
June 22 - June 23
that houses your aquarium filtration equipment. To learn more about how a sump can benefit your aquarium
you can check out our post, What is a Sump (https://blog.marinedepot.com/education-center/charts- View All Events
diagrams/what-is-a-sump). A basic sump system consists of all the major filtration elements needed to sustain (https://blog.marinedepot.com/eve

a reef tank.

Your overflow (https://www.marinedepot.com/Overflow_Boxes-FIOF-ct.html) draws water from the Recent Posts

surface of your display tank and drains it into the sump. The overflow design is a safe and easy way to supply
Control Pumps From All Your
water to your sump while also pulling proteins from the surface of your water to be removed via your Favorite Brands With a Single
filtration. Controller—See The Game-
Changing CoralVue Hydros Wave
Bulkheads (https://www.marinedepot.com/Bulkheads-FIFTBH-ct.html) are used to provide a water tight seal
Engine At Reef-A-Palooza Orlando
through your glass and allows you to permanently attach various plumbing parts and components. From the This Weekend
outside of the bulkhead you have a drain pipe attached, this can be plumbed with hard or flexible tubing. Your (https://blog.marinedepot.com/2019/04/
drain pipe feeds water into the first stage of your filtration, a filter sock. wave-engine-coralvue-controls-
pumps-from-different-brands-
Filter socks (https://www.marinedepot.com/Filter_Socks-FIFMMEFS-ct.html) are mechanical filtration and vortech-vectra-gyre-octo-pulse-
offer a great way for removing undissolved waste and other particulates from your aquarium. Once the water varios.html)
has traveled thought the filter sock it will travel to the protein skimmer. April 5, 2019

Protein skimmers (https://www.marinedepot.com/protein-skimmer.html) help aerate your aquarium water

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How to Plumb a Sump - Basic, Intermediate and Advanced - Marine Depot Blog 9/04/2019 1:33 pm

Protein skimmers (https://www.marinedepot.com/protein-skimmer.html) help aerate your aquarium water DC Runner G2 Pumps Are a Hit With
and also pull out dissolved and undissolved waste. The waste is collected in the collection cup area of the Hobbyists—We Talk With Aqua
skimmer which is then removed during maintenance. Medic’s Chad Wohlers About The
Improvements They Made This Go-
A sump is a great place to house your aquarium heater Round
(https://www.marinedepot.com/Aquarium_Heaters-FIHT-ct.html)
(https://www.marinedepot.com/Aquarium_Heaters-FIHT-ct.html), this removes unattractive cords in (https://blog.marinedepot.com/2019/04/
your display tank and still provides your tank inhabitants with the correct water temperature they need to runner-g2-pumps-are-a-hit-with-
thrive. hobbyists-we-talk-with-aqua-
medics-chad-wohlers-about-the-
The layout of your sump may differ, but a key design in every sump is a bubble trap
trap. A bubble trap is a series improvements-they-made-this-go-
of baffles or walls in the sump that direct the water into your return pump chamber and helps to prevent round.html)
April 4, 2019
bubbles from entering your return pump which can then enter your display aquarium as pesky "Micro-
bubbles".
Red Sea’s ReefLED Lights Are
To return the water back to your display aquarium you will need a return pump Launching in May—Here Is
Everything We’ve Learned So Far
(https://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium-pumps-and-powerheads.html). This is the heart of your filtration
(https://blog.marinedepot.com/2019/04/
system because this pump is what moves water back unto your display aquarium from the sump. Water
seas-reefled-lights-are-launching-in-
travels from the return pump, through your return pipe and back into your display aquarium. may-here-is-everything-we-have-
learned-so-far.html)
To keep things organized it is recommended to have a power center
April 4, 2019
(https://www.marinedepot.com/Coralife_Digital_Power_Center_(Day_Night_Timer_or_Wave_Maker)_Lighting_Supplies_for_Saltwater_Reef_Aquariums_LED
Coralife-ES01692-FILTLA-vi.html). This gives you one main location to plug in all the devices from your sump. It Vectra 2 Pumps from EcoTech
is important to install this power center above the water line and in a dry location. When plugging in devices Marine Are Launching This Month:
Here’s Everything You Need to
into your power center it is important to use proper drip loops to prevent any water damage. During the setup
Know About The Generation 2
of your power center it is a good idea to label your outlets so you can easily identify what that particular plug
Vectras!
powers. It is also recommended that you use a surge protected power center to help protect your equipment (https://blog.marinedepot.com/2019/03/
from power surges and connecting to GFCI protected outlets can help prevent some serious hazards, after all 2-pumps-from-ecotech-marine-are-
water and electricity do not play well. launching-this-month-heres-
everything-you-need-to-know-
about-the-generation-2-
vectras.html)
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Prime Fuge Review: The Best

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(http://www.f3images.com/IMD/aquarium_images/plumbing-intermediate.jpg) Support Walt Smith’s Efforts to Save

Our Oceans with Bula Buddies

Intermediate (https://blog.marinedepot.com/2019/03/
walt-smiths-efforts-to-save-our-
As you gain experience keeping an aquarium you will soon learn that additional equipment and devices can be oceans-with-bula-buddies.html)
added to your sump. These upgrades help you more easily maintain a beautiful display because they make it March 8, 2019

easier to maintain stable water chemistry in between water changes.

Filtration media (https://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium-filter-media.html) comes in many forms is a great

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How to Plumb a Sump - Basic, Intermediate and Advanced - Marine Depot Blog 9/04/2019 1:33 pm

Filtration media (https://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium-filter-media.html) comes in many forms is a great

way to help keep your water clean, clear and odor free. Carbon Archives
(https://www.marinedepot.com/Activated_Carbon_Resin-FIFMCHCM%2cFIFMCHRM-ct.html), GFO < ▼
2019
(https://www.marinedepot.com/GFO_Phosphate_Removal-FIFMCHPR-ct.html) and various other media types ()
are most effective when used inside of a filter media reactor (Https://Blog.marinedepot.com/2019)
Jan Feb Mar Apr
(https://www.marinedepot.com/Inline_Specialty_Filters-FIFRIS-ct.html) because the reactor will increase contact 10 Posts 6 Posts 8 Posts 3 Posts
time with the media and ensures that all water passing through the reactor will come in contact with the May Jun Jul Aug
media. A media reactor can be placed inside the sump, hang on the side or even be placed outside of the 0 Posts 0 Posts 0 Posts 0 Posts
sump in most cases. You can then feed aquarium water through the reactor via a small pump/powerhead Sep Oct Nov Dec
(https://www.marinedepot.com/Cobalt_Aquatics-Powerheads-3C-FIPH%2cFIWPSB-ct.html) or use a tee off your 0 Posts 0 Posts 0 Posts 0 Posts
main return line (pictured above).

Maintaining the proper temperature in your aquarium is key to keeping happy healthy animals. While a heater
will raise water temperature to the desired range, a water chiller
(https://www.marinedepot.com/Aquarium_Chillers-FICH-ct.html) can be equally important in the instance
water temperature rise beyond acceptable levels. Rising water temperatures are typically caused from high
ambient air temperatures in combination with all of the heat transferred into your aquarium water from your
pumps and lighting.

A chiller is connected to your system via a pump that sends aquarium water through the chiller and then back
into your sump or display tank. You can feed your chiller using your main return pump (pictured above) or a
separate dedicated water pump. When using your return pump, it is important to make sure your return
pump can provide enough water flow to your display tank and the chiller.

(http://www.f3images.com/IMD/aquarium_images/plumbing-adv.jpg)

Advanced
While knowledge and experience are certainly a common denominator among the best reef keepers,
automation equipment is something that will really help to take your reef tank to the next level by further
increasing stability and helping you to keep a close eye on the conditions inside of your tank.

An aquarium controller (https://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium-controller-monitor.html) is a device that

gives you the ability to control and monitor most all of the equipment on your aquarium. We are not talking
simple timers either, these modern devices have some amazing capabilities. The more advanced controllers
give you the ability to monitor various water parameters such as temperature, pH, ORP, Salinity, and more!

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How to Plumb a Sump - Basic, Intermediate and Advanced - Marine Depot Blog 9/04/2019 1:33 pm

give you the ability to monitor various water parameters such as temperature, pH, ORP, Salinity, and more!
You can then program the device to control your equipment based on any one of these parameters. You can
store data logs, access your tank remotely via the internet, install leak detectors, receive text or email alerts
and so much more! Think of an aquarium controller as the brain of your tank that keeps things running
smoothly and gives you the peace of mind that your tank will thrive in your absence.

In saltwater aquariums, freshwater evaporates constantly and therefore it is required that you replenish the
aquarium with freshwater on a regular basis to not only maintain water levels but also keep your salinity levels
stable. An ATO (https://www.marinedepot.com/Auto_Top_Offs-FIDPAT-ct.html) or automatic top off
system is an automated device that will add freshwater to your aquarium as it evaporates from a dedicated
freshwater reservoir (https://www.marinedepot.com/search?Query=Reservoir). This relieves the mundane
daily task of manually adding freshwater to the aquarium. Some aquarium controllers even have an ATO
function built right in!

Adding a refugium (https://www.marinedepot.com/Refugiums-FIRF%2cFIFRBS-ct.html) in the sump is a

natural way to help export nutrients via macro-algae and also helps provide a safe haven for beneficial micro-
fauna to reproduce. Refugiums are widely accepted to be very beneficial for reef tanks for these reasons. You
can employ a refugium a number of ways but many sumps have dedicated sections that are built-in for this
exact purpose. A typical refugium will consist of a substrate such as sand or mud
(https://www.marinedepot.com/Mineral_Reef_Mud_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-FISSMD-ct.html), along with
some small pieces of live rock (https://www.marinedepot.com/Search?Category=FISSLR) and various species of
marine macro-algae such as Chaetomorpha or Caulerpa and finally a small refugium light
(https://www.marinedepot.com/Refugium_Sump_Lighting-FIRFRL-ct.html) that will keep your algae growing.
Inside of a sump, the refugium should be located after the protein skimmer and before the return pump
chamber for the best results.

A calcium reactor (https://www.marinedepot.com/Calcium_Reactors-

FICRRA%2cFICRCP%2cFICREC%2cFICRCM-ct.html) is an awesome yet somewhat complicated device that will
automatically replenish major elements to the aquarium water that corals uptake to build their rigid calcium
carbonate based skeletal structures. We have some great articles available all about how a Calcium Reactor
(https://blog.marinedepot.com/education-center/charts-diagrams/what-is-a-calcium-reactor) works. Since a
calcium reactor needs a reliable dedicated water feed, the best method to feed the reactor is using a manifold
off your return pump (picture above) but you could also utilize a dedicated pump/powerhead to feed the
reactor instead.

A manifold is typically created using PVC pipe from your return pump that allows you to feed aquarium water
to various pieces of equipment in your sump. Using a manifold as shown gives you precise control over the
flow rates into these devices.

Notice the return pump in this advanced diagram is located outside of the sump which is typically found on
larger and more advanced aquariums. External pumps (https://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium-
pump.html) offer higher flow rates, more pressure and often times transfer less heat into your aquarium
water.

A closed loop is something usually only found on large aquariums (150 Gallons +) and provide a very efficient
way to increase water movement inside the aquarium and get water moving in every nook and cranny of the
tank. While a powerhead will typically suffice for smaller aquariums, you will often needs 3, 4 or more
powerheads to efficiently mover water inside of a large aquarium which clutters your display tank with
unsightly pumps. The closed loop system pulls water from the display, through an external pump which then
returns the water right back into the display aquarium through multiple nozzles.

A sump system is the most efficient way to filter your aquarium and the beauty is no one sump is exactly the
same. Proper planning goes a long way in setting up a a successful sump system but then again they can also
be quite modular giving you the ability to add various components as your experience and budget allows.

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