[DEL 707]

Tying into the thread I've started.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=441482

I'm looking into getting a tank for keeping South African Mbunu.

This is the tank I've been looking at.
https://ndaquatics.co.uk/aquarium/marin ... m-cabinet/
4ft tank, 289 litres with an 83 litre sump.

I know it's a marine tank, but I was thinking of getting it, purly for the sump so that I could put some nitrate eating plants in there, since I won't be able to put them in the main tank. I was hoping to run it along side a Fluval FX6, but the fact is the filters so big, that I'm gonna be left with a tiny sump tank, so it won't be worth the money.

So now I'm thinking, either don't bother with the sump and just get a FX6, or get the sump setup and fill it with filter media.
The FX6 will obviously be just "plug and play", but the sump gives me a chance to do a bit of DIY and maybe build something better.

I like the idea of the sump, especially with the idea of adding plants to it. But I have no idea what media to add to it, or how much, plus the flow rate, which I'm assuming needs to be 3000+ lph for a Mbuna tank.

Is this sump a worth while idea, or am I just wasting money and giving myself extra headache?

 

[gillmanjr]

Personally I like sumps, they are easier to maintain than a canister and they give you a lot of flexibility. Cleaning out an FX6 is a project and takes time, I have one now. You can put any media you want in a sump. With a sump that size you could set it up so you have filtration media and enough space left for de-nitrifying bacteria.

I would recommend Marinepure ceramic media plates/blocks for everything. A single plate is enough to filter that tank and if you buy a 4" block and bury it in sand in your sump you'd have yourself a deep sand bed for removing nitrates. Only downside is they are expensive.

And yes a 3000 L/hr pump would be sufficient for that tank, and probably what I would chose.

If you give me the layout of the sump I'll show you exactly how I would arrange it. I can't tell from the photo exactly where the partitions are. Keep in mind you would also have to do some plumbing work with a sump.

 

[CeeJay]

I like sumps to, there so easy to maintain The thing about sumps is there probably the best bio-filter and can take huge loads but just ok at regular filter medium. For long time I ran a canister and the sump on 200 gallon system but as time went on I found there was no need for the canister. The thing about the sump is, if your pump goes bad you only replace the pump and it's easy to do. There lots of choices for pumps but if your fx6 takes a **** your stuck with what there cost would be. You can filter more water with a sump and you will find they oxygenate the water better then any other filter too. I won't tell what to do but if it was my choice and I have two would be to go with sump.

Best of luck

 

[Lee79]

Sump, no canister. For the exact reasons already mentioned.

If you like DIY over plug and play then go sump. I personally don't like being boxed in