# 25 gallon sump for 90 gallon PICS!!!



## bigsliks (Mar 17, 2009)

Just wondering if this is a good size sump, I also have a magnum 250 HOT. Should I have more filtration on my 90 gallon?

I'm using 80 plastic scrub pads in a dryer bag for bio, with the filter floss on top.

I'm using a AC 901 or 110 900GPH in the sump and the 1 pic shows the return to the tank, I had some concerns with it not being a great sump pump but I'm pretty sure it flows around the 400 - 500 GPH mark at a 4 foot head height.


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## illusions2281 (Jan 25, 2009)

thats pretty sweet. kinda what i'm looking to do. What are the mearsuements on it? i want to know if it owuld fit under my hex tank.


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## LowCel (Apr 6, 2004)

It looks like a good start but I see a couple of changes that could be made to make it much more functional. I don't know if you feel like doing a little work or not but if you shorten your last baffle it will lower the water level which would turn your sump into a wet/dry instead of just a wet/wet. Also, if you could move both of the baffles over towards the pump it would allow you more room for biomedia. You would be able to fit approximately 50% more scrubbies. My last concern is the heater, it may be perfectly fine but it would worry me a little it being out of the water so much.

I'm not trying to be negative, it's just that you have what you need to make it a nice sump. With less than $20 and a couple of hours of work you could make it a lot more functional though. When space is limited it seems a shame to waste what you have.

If you make a couple of small changes I think you will be fine with just that filter.


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## bigsliks (Mar 17, 2009)

> I'm not trying to be negative


No don't worry I could do those things quite easily.

my thinking was to keep the water level as high as possible so to have more overall water.

I'm guessing a wet/wet is not as good as a wet/dry, but is it THAT bad  ?

Thanks


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## Malawi King (Apr 10, 2009)

not at all they both have benefits and negatives i have a wet/wet for my 55 is thats what were calling them and in case my u tube failed my bio matereal would be under water and not die.

but thats not the case in a wet/dry...

your sump looks great wish i could fit a 25 under my stand i have a 5.5 gal sump

i think that they both a extremely efficient and i would keep it just like u have...


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Malawi King said:


> not at all they both have benefits and negatives i have a wet/wet for my 55 is thats what were calling them and in case my u tube failed my bio matereal would be under water and not die.
> 
> but thats not the case in a wet/dry...
> 
> ...


Actually the biofilter dies if it's underwater during a power failure or other stoppage more than a couple hours long. That is the experience of the past thirty years of the hobby with biofiltration. To survive the biofilter needs oxygen, so placing the scrubbies in a "tower" above the sump makes sense if you have the head room. As long as the filter media stays slightly damp, the biofilter will survive for several days without water. The beneficial bacteria that power a biofilter are after all primarily soil bacteria, and aquatic and marine environments are an extreme for them in which they need constant well oxygenated water and current to survive. They are much more efficient in a "dry" part of a filter where there is an abundance of oxygen, so you would need a "wet" filter three to four times larger to get the same amount of filtration. It's important to drain the water out of the wet filter during a failure period or it will go anaerobic.


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## bigsliks (Mar 17, 2009)

> so you would need a "wet" filter three to four times larger to get the same amount of filtration


 Hmm that's something to think about.

So without re-doing the whole sump, Could I get away with raising the bio media 6 inches and then cutting the second baffle lower maybe 6 inches this would keep the water level lower and the bio media out of the water more, I would also add a drip tray to keep the filter media wet?

thanks


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

What people do sometimes is put the scrubbies in something on top of the sump. Trays, a plastic storage container, something custom DIY'd from glass or acrylic all would work if you have some head room. Drip trays are good at spreading out the water flow over all the media but your filter floss pad also does a decent job at this with a little experimenting with the aim of the water and lay of the pad. Keep a spare pad on hand and change them out twice or more often a week. The pad is best as a mechanical filter, removing particles, so you don't need to care about preserving the bioactivity in it. An excellent article was in the GAAS Tank Topics a few months ago. Not sure if it's in one of the back issues on their club page.

If the scrubbies are raised up however much you can, you may be able to angle that heater a little under the end chamber and get more of its length submerged.


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## LowCel (Apr 6, 2004)

bigsliks said:


> So without re-doing the whole sump, Could I get away with raising the bio media 6 inches and then cutting the second baffle lower maybe 6 inches this would keep the water level lower and the bio media out of the water more, I would also add a drip tray to keep the filter media wet?
> 
> thanks


I think you would be better off either redoing it or going with Mcdaphnia's suggestion. If you raise the bio media tray 6 inches and leave the foot print the same you are not going to have much room for scrubbies at all. Your goal should be to get more media in there, not less.


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## jfly (Feb 17, 2009)

use photobucket youre pics are way small and im building my sump this weekend.. a lil larger pic would be a huge help :thumb:


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## bigsliks (Mar 17, 2009)

So I changed it around last night, I will redo it later, I took out the second baffle so the water level is now just covering the pump. It is acting like a wet/dry now.






Is this enough bio now for the 90 gall or should I double it?

this is the primary filter for the tank and if I redo the baffles it will take a day or 2 for the silicon to dry, I don't know if this will be to long for the fish any suggestions?

thanks


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## parkayandbutter (Jan 15, 2008)

Bio filtration increase won't do a single thing..... If you have a source that is established it can only live on what it consumes.


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## BirdFish (Apr 27, 2009)

I agree with Parkay. if your readings are stable, then you dont need anymore biomedia. I have a 150g with a rubbermaid sump that is perfectly stable with less scrubies than that.


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