Aquarium SUMP:

A Sump is a container that can be used to increase water volume. You will need pipes to take water out of the aquarium into the SUMP & allow water to flow back into the aquarium. A SUMP is not a filter but it can contain filters or may include other equipment related to aquarium, but it does not offer any filtration itself.


How to build a fish tank SUMP filter


SUMP is a container used to store your aquarium products like filter, protein skimmer, heater, & other products.


Benefits of aquarium SUMP:

Aquarium SUMP can be used to keep equipment out of sight. Equipment such as filter, heater etc also have cables, & they do not look good in a fancy aquarium.

Keeping equipment in a SUMP area can provide an easy access to them, without disturbing the inhabitants when you are accessing them for maintenance or replacement.

It can help in allowing more water, offering more stability & capacity to keep more inhabitants without the need for a bigger aquarium. For example, if you have an aquarium which contains 50 gallons of water & SUMP can hold 15 gallons of water then your total water volume is 65 gallons.


Types of SUMP:

SUMP is divided into 2 types such as an overhead SUMP & under aquarium SUMP.


Overhead aquarium SUMP:

If diameter of output pipe of aquarium SUMP is equal or greater than input, there will be no overflow & no mess. But if the outflow capacity is lower than input, the SUMP will overflow & would cause a flood.

The outflow pipe will let water enter aquarium using gravity. You will need a stronger pump for the input channel because here you are working against gravity.


Under aquarium SUMP:


Under aquarium SUMP can be installed in a cabinet of an aquarium stand or you can put them on the ground. Water is taken out of the aquarium into the SUMP using holes drilled in the bottom of aquarium which allows water to be pumped back into the aquarium from below. Water will flow out of the aquarium using gravity but to move water back into the aquarium, you will need a pump.


Design of aquarium SUMP:

The basic design of SUMP is added below:
  • Water will flow from the aquarium into the SUMP
  • The incoming water will pass through a filter sock, which will wipe out any big debris.
  • Then water will flow through the chamber holding the protein skimmer, where water is skimmed using foam fractionation to trap organics & allow clean water to pass
  • When water arrives at the refugium region, it is purified biologically. You can add biological filter media such as bio baki balls in this region.
  • A pump then allows water to enter the aquarium again



Aquarium SUMP Working:

Water will flow from aquarium into the SUMP. It will pass through a filter sock to remove waste particles or debris so that clean water is allowed to pass. It will then enter biological region where biological filtration media such as bio baki balls or ceramic rings can be used which is highly porous & allow beneficial bacteria to grow on its surface. A protein skimmer chamber skims water using foam fractionation to remove organics & allow clean water to pass. Finally, water is sent back to aquarium using a pump.

Check out how to build an aquarium SUMP filter:


How to build an aquarium SUMP filter


Is aquarium SUMP a necessary equipment?

Aquarium SUMP is a necessary equipment & it can be used in any aquarium size whether big aquarium or small. It can hold stuff such as filter, heater etc which is vital for every aquarium & it is easily reachable because it is located outside aquarium & allows you to easily access filter & other components.

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