# 125 gallon tank with 55 gal sump



## Rembot (Mar 3, 2015)

Hi there. Im new to the forum and to how technical it seems fish keeping has gotten in the last 15 years or so (or at least all the info out there now). But I am also a bit intrigued by it and have been wanting to step up my fish keeping game as a result. *** never been one to monitor levels of ammonia or nitrates or whatever in my tank I basically just bumbled my way through the hobby however it seems like this would be a big step in the right direction towards righteous fish keeping skills. I currently have a 65 gallon tank with 2 dempseys, a pleco, and some corys. In a short while I should be acquiring a 125 gallon tank with plans to create a 55 gallon sump to use along with it. In the reading I have done it seems like a sumps purpose is pretty much directly tied to the conditions you are trying to create/promote in the tank while balancing that against the needs of the tanks inhabitants. As far as that goes, the 125 would inherit the fish mentioned above and I may add maybe 3 firemouths (only if it doesnt disrupt the dempseys too bad cause I would really like them to mate). Other then that I would just have plants like the java ferns and anubias. As far as the sump design, I was thinking I would like to incorporate a nice fuge area for growing plants and using them for filtration but other than that I wasnt sure how best to optimize a sump for a tank like this. I was also thinking I probably wouldn't use a protien skimmer because of the plants? (but im mainly just trying to cross check that against what those reading this might think).
*** been interested in learning how to set up a sump just so I can better understand how those types of systems work and how to tune them to the tank you are creating. I also figured a setup like this would be fairly forgiving and mainly allow me to focus on water quality. *** been inspired by some of these aquascaped tanks with crystal clear water and would like to work towards achieving something like that. Anyway, any advice is welcomed and hopefully prevents me blotching a diy build. Thanks!


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

My advice is to measure twice on how you'll fit a 55 under a 125. I had trouble fitting a 30 gal sump under my 125, to the point where to install it or remove it the entire tank needs to be removed from the stand. Anything much taller than the 30 would be problematic under my stand. If you are custom building your stand, make sure you somehow mock up the size of the 55 to test fit before you make the stand.

There is a ton of info online about making sumps - best bet is not to reinvent the wheel but to copy a proven design.

Protien skimmers are not needed in FW.


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## KempDesign (Feb 27, 2014)

I agree with nodima. If you are buying an Aqueon tank and stand, the stand has a removable center brace so you can drop the sump in through the top. For my 125, a 55 would fit but it would be so tall that it would be almost impossible to get in there to do any maintenance. Aqueon makes a 33 gallon long tank that is 48x13x13 that would make a much better option than a 55. It is basically the same length and width of the 55 but 8 inches shorter. I plan to use a 33 when I do my next tank which will be a 150 gallon reef tank with corals (but that's for a different forum!)

One other piece of advice I can give is to not make your baffles too high. If you use sponge blocks between baffles it can really restrict flow and you need to allow for enough flow between the top of the baffle and the top of the tank. For my first sump build, I had to cut the baffles back out and have them shortened to get the amount of flow I wanted. Good luck, have fun and take your time! It is very rewarding to design and make your own filter.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i have plumbed and built sumps on a couple of my tanks in the past. u have been given some good advice from the others. i would like to reitterate the point about taking your time and planning. the last thing u wanna do is have to change something once its assembled. research the diy designs, understand how it works, and probably put it together temporarily and post soe pics of the sump before u actually install to get opinions on it. i would also reccomend not hard plumbing directly to the sump. i generally use pvc for most of my intake and return except for the last foot or so where it connects to the sump. this gives u ways to disconnect for maintenance or move the sump a little if needed. if u pvc all the way to final connection on the sump end than u are handcuffed and have to cut it. the other thing is maintenance, make sure it is easy to do maintenance on. accessibility do to height restrictions or the way its set up can make life a lot tougher than it has to be if not thought out first. have fun with it. u will def ed up redoing things at least once or twice on your first design but thats part of the challenge and fun. plus, it leads to better understanding of how the overall system works.


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## Rembot (Mar 3, 2015)

Hi thanks for the replies. I did attempt building a 10 gal sump for my current 65 gallon tank, at the very least I was able to understand some of the concepts around it. I ended up making a mock tank out of a bucket and experimenting with flows and baffles and learned a few things (the sponge flow restriction being first and foremost  ) I also learned I probably didnt have enough space between the baffles themselves as well as the bottom of the tank. So those were some of the things I learned the first time around. I never ended up hooking it up to my 65 gallon just cause I was too worried about ending up with 50 gallons of water onto my floor but I was sorta able to match flows from my mock tank to my 10 gallon sump so that was something.

As far as size and all that the 125g tank is 6 ft long, 4.5 ft high with stand (stand is 2.5 ft high), and 18 inches deep. I just bought a 55g off CL that is 4' 1/4 long, 21 inches high, and 13 inches deep. I figured that gave me about 9 inches from top of 55g to the top of the stand. And then I have o figure on the plumbing and the space that would take up but still I was thinking 9 inches should give me plenty of space to work with. Thanks for the bit about the hard plumbing and yes I was planning on just having the water enter and exit through the top of the sump without needed to have it connected to the actual sump. I was under the impression that removing the sump once in place would probably be difficult but is it often that you have to move a sump once it is in place? I mean beyond nudging it around under the stand?

My initial thoughts around the build were to have the water drain from the main tank centrally*(tangent below) into the left side of the sump where it would go through its first stage, I was thinking maybe a filter sock and lava rock or something (im guessing lava rock sorta acts like a bio noodle thing basically?). I was then thinking the water could go into the middle area where I could have heaters and the return pump. Then the fuge could be off to the right. I was figuring I could have a T coupling in my return hooked up to a ball valve that drained into the fuge area so I could dial in the gph from the pump and reduce the flow in that area. This seemed like a simple enough arrangement to me but this is sorta where I encounter my fork in the road. On the one hand is all the technical know how that goes into building a sump, on the other is building a sump that is actually addressing the needs of the tanks inhabitants, right? Does me no good to build a sump just cause i think it looks pretty right? So as far as that goes are there any things I would want to be aware of as far as planning compartments within the sump for the type of fish i will be keeping? Or can i pretty much just get away with kinda going the route I mentioned? Seems like there is a bunch of different ways to build these things and I wasnt sure how to foresee what designs would be optimal for a tank with jack dempseys, firemouths, and plants.

*Another question I had involved placement of the main tanks drain and return lines. Pretty much every bit of diy sump building *** come across involves using an overflow box from the main tank (forgive me if my jargon gets a little incorrect throughout this bit). I cant understand why they are necessary beyond increasing the amount of surface water being drawn into the overflow/sump which seems like it would have more application if a protien skimmer was in the sump. I have yet to see an actual build video that does not incorporate an overflow box and I guess I am wondering why I cant just have a straight tube going directly from tank to the first compartment of the sump? Seems like it achieves the same thing to me in the end but i figured there had to be a reason it comes up so frequently. So assuming that an overflow box is necessary I was planning on placing the overflow centrally (since I figured that would sort of conceal it from being viewed and keep in line with the spirit of not seeing equipment in the tank, as opposed to having it built into the side of the display tank). I was then planning on having the return in the back of the tank maybe 2-3 inches from the top. *** seen calculators online for figuring out what that water volume would be based on the tank dimensions that are supposed to give you a good idea of how much water would drain back into the sump so I figured if i just planned accordingly a setup like this should hopefully prevent a flood. Anyway sorry for such a long post, I dont really know people in real life that are into fish so i am figuring most of this out from online sources and trying to cross reference some of the stuff I have read. and thanks a lot for the responses!


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Rembot said:


> As far as size and all that the 125g tank is 6 ft long, 4.5 ft high with stand (stand is 2.5 ft high), and 18 inches deep. I just bought a 55g off CL that is 4' 1/4 long, 21 inches high, and 13 inches deep. I figured that gave me about 9 inches from top of 55g to the top of the stand. And then I have o figure on the plumbing and the space that would take up but still I was thinking 9 inches should give me plenty of space to work with. Thanks for the bit about the hard plumbing and yes I was planning on just having the water enter and exit through the top of the sump without needed to have it connected to the actual sump. I was under the impression that removing the sump once in place would probably be difficult but is it often that you have to move a sump once it is in place? I mean beyond nudging it around under the stand?


It is not just moving the sump that is an issue - there are times where you need to maintain it; perhaps the pump goes or you lose some fry in it and want to get them out. Maintaining filter socks or foam - they often need to be rinsed. When you have all those things to do, and there is plumbing in the way, what you think is plenty on paper, may not be so in reality. And if you are really measuring the 9 inches from the sump rim to the top of the stand, it is not really 9 inches, as the top of the stand has some thickness that cuts into the 9 inches.

Not saying it can't work, but a shorter sump will make a lot of things much easier - best thing is to model it and test it before converting the 55 to a sump. It may well work for you, but then again, it may not.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i agree with everything that was stated by nodima. as far as your water draining into sump in a power outage; the returns can go wherever u like (depth wise) u will just need to put an inline check valve in the return plumbing. although i prefer my returns at surface level for aggitation. the depth of the overflow box in the tank will determin how much water drains before the siphon breaks. ideally u want your drain line into the sump to be bigger than the return lines. my 240 has a drain line that is .5" bigger than the return. this will allow water to drain as fast as it is returned to the tank by the pumps. if both lines are the same size and u run your return pump wide open then your drain line will not keep up.


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## KempDesign (Feb 27, 2014)

The measurement that is important is the top of the sump to the top of the front doors on the stand. For my build, I made sure I could get both arms into the cabinet to get to any part of my sump. You want more room than you think. But if 9 inches works for you, go for it. I always recommend the biggest sump you can fit!


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## jw85 (Dec 24, 2013)

I've got a 55 gallon diy sump in my 125s stand. Want me to make a video real quick on how it works?


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## KempDesign (Feb 27, 2014)

I'd love to see that video. I am going to add a sump to my 125 tank and love DIY videos!


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## Rembot (Mar 3, 2015)

Yeah a video would be great! Well, I should be picking up the 125 this weekend so once i do that I will have a much better idea of how all this fits. *** tried mocking up some designs but without really knowing what I am dealing with 100% those could all be subject to change depending on the stand and trim on the stand and whatever else would diminish that 'top of sump to top of stand' space. Anyway, I'll keep checking for comments in the meantime and post some design proposals once I have the equipment all in one place and hard measurements to work off of. Thanks again for all the info so far!


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## KempDesign (Feb 27, 2014)

One of the things I did was to buy the stand first, then the tanks for my DIY sump, then once I was sure everything would fit, I bought the tank. That way you don't have to store the tank off the stand while you are installing the sump. Since I am making some changes to my sump design and I acutally cracked my sump tank (long story) my display tank is now sitting in the back of an old Ford Ranger in my garage while I make changes. I wish I would have waited to order the tank but I had to buy it before the sale ended.


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## jw85 (Dec 24, 2013)

Here is a forum post I made for my filter. I'm happy to share any lessons learned. I had to experiment a lot.

viewtopic.php?f=30&t=348825


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