Sump Equipment for Our Nano Saltwater Tank

Time to Get Sumped!

In a previous article we addressed the benefits of having sump filtration running on saltwater aquaria. Many nano saltwater tanks can get away with frequent water changes and still maintain a successful system; however, we decided to add a sump to our 12 gallon (45 L) reef tank. Currently, our nano tank sits on an elevated counter space adjacent to our kitchen sink. Call us crazy or committed (perhaps crazy enough to be committed), but we opted to drill through the sink in order to house the sump beneath the kitchen sink. This setup will allow us to hide the sump from view but still provide easy access for filter maintenance.

So what convinced us that an impromptu mini kitchen renovation was worth upgrading our nano tank?

• Improved Water Quality

          While frequent water changes are more than sufficient to sustain most nano aquaria, we felt our water chemistry could still witness some improvements. Before installing the sump, we relied upon an small canister filter (Zoo Med 501 Turtle Canister Filter) to house our chemical media including carbon and GFO. However, testing before water changes indicated we still had detectable levels of phosphate ranging from .25 to .5 ppm and nitrate fluctuating between 5 - 10 ppm. Before the addition of a sump, the tank was home to 3 small lps coral, 2 young hermit crabs, 2 clean up crew snails and a peppermint shrimp. With measurable levels of phosphate and nitrate on a minimal bioload, we were concerned that the addition of a few fish could cause levels to elevate. Additionally, since we have goals of keeping a mixed reef, we wanted to bring these levels down before the addition of any sps corals.

          We didn't conduct any form of testing; however, we had some suspicions as to what was causing the detectable levels of phosphate and nitrate. While the canister filter performed well (we would highly recommend this product on a nano freshwater tank) it did present issues for a saltwater set-up. The primary purpose of the filter was to house our chemical media. However in order for our carbon and GFO to fit, the granules became clumped together reducing surface area for the product to come in contact with the water. Additionally, particulates of food and waste would accumulate inside the canister. Slowly these organic molecules would break down, releasing nitrates and phosphate back into the water column. We also had limited live rock within our tank due to the aesthetic look we were hoping to achieve. It was our hope that the addition of more live rock and a better means of suspending chemical media could help our water chemistry. The inclusion of a filter sock and protein skimmer in the sump section would also; undoubtedly, improve the nitrate conditions for the tank.

• Surface Skimming 

          Without any type of overflow feature, an oil slick film began to accumulate along the water’s surface. We would siphon a majority of this film from the water when conducting a water change; however, the suspended film was detracting from the overall appearance of the tank. The addition of an overflow box would eliminate this surface film from the aquarium

Notice the particulate matter and film on the water's surface

​

• Refugium

​          At some point we hope to introduce a small mandarin dragonet to the aquarium. While some mandarins will eat frozen foods, many rely upon copepods as their primary food source. Our tank currently has a plethora of copepods (the little critters are running rampant on our aquarium glass). However if we were to introduce a mandarin at this point, it would quickly decimate our copepod population. In order to maintain a steady population of microfauna, a refugium is needed. With a refugium, copepods would have a safe place to flourish and reproduce without threat of predation. A steady stream of the copepods would return to the main tank through the return pump and jet.

Sump Equipment 

Fluval Spec V
Since we decided to position our sump beneath the kitchen sink, this greatly limited the overall size of our sump. Due to spacial constraints, we required a narrow elongated tank. Traditionally when individuals decide to design their own sump, any standard aquarium size would suffice. However, the limited space meant that traditional aquariums would not be suitable for this project. Sometimes though luck & timing have a way of coming together insure that things work out. We had a Fluval Spec V running as a low tech nano planted tank which we contemplated giving a rescaping overhaul. It just so happened that the dimensions of the Fluval Spec V - 20.5 x 7.5 x 11.6 inches (52 x 19 x 29.5 cm) fit perfectly in the space we had planned! The Fluval Spec V tank is advertised as holding 5 gallons (19 L).

Fluval Spec V tank positioned beneath our kitchen sink

In order to utilize as much volume as the tank had to offer, we opted to remove the black plastic divider generating a filtration section for the Spec V. Removal simply required a razor blade to cut along the silicone securing the divider in place. The lighting system for the tank was also removed from the top of the aquarium. ​

CPR CS50 Overflow Box
The CPR Overflow Box provides a means to siphon water from the main tank down towards the sump. The CS50 model is rated for aquariums up to 60 gallons (227 L) and has a flow rate of 300 GPH (1136 Liters Per Hour). The unit quietly skims the surface of the water removing all film. The overflow box can be adjusted so the water level within your aquarium is set to a desired height. The bulkhead outflow is ¾”.

Front, Side & Back View of CPR CS50 Overflow Box

The CPR Overflow Box is designed to rest easily on any traditional glass or acrylic aquarium. However, our thin rimless design presented a slight issue. The side of our aquarium was nearly too thin to allow the overflow box to cradle the tank properly. Necessity is the mother of invention and we needed this overflow box! Thankfully, we had ordered some Aqua Gadget Screen Top Suspension Clips by Innovative Marine for the mesh screen lid we will be adding to the aquarium. It just so happens that these clips provided the perfect resting place for the feet of the CPR Overflow Box. Another roadblock avoided! ​

​TOM Aquarium Aqua Lifter Pump
This pump is used in conjunction with the CPR Overflow Box. The overflow box requires a suction in order to maintain drainage. Should a power failure occur, air can be introduced in the line causing the overflow box to stop working. When power is restored, the aqua lifter pump constantly generates a suction out of the top of the overflow box eliminating any air from the unit. Eventually, water is pulled from the top of the overflow device by the aqua lifter pump through airline tubing. We’ve plumped for the extracted water to be deposited back into our sump. In the upcoming week we will post a video of this set-up in action.

3/4" Black PVC Pipe (58 inches)
The black PVC plumbing descending from the overflow box was purchased from Bulk Reef Supply. While PVC pipe can be purchased from any general hardware store, Bulk Reef Supply (BRS) offers an array of solid colors beyond the standard white and does not include text printed on the side of the pipe. I would highly recommend this option for those looking for a striking appearance in their plumbing. White 90° degree ¾” elbows were added to the piping to permit navigation around our preexisting sink plumbing.

Filter Sock & Mount System
Considering the volume of our sump and system, we opted to go with a BRS Felt Filter Sock with Plastic Ring size 4” x 8”. In order to suspend the filter sock, we also purchased a BRS Filter Sock Mount. This mount includes fittings for both 4 inch and 7 inch diameter filter socks. The mount system would work well in an standard sump; however, the full size of the mounting bracket was too large for our miniature sump. After digging through our assortment of unused aquarium parts, we managed to patch together a solution. (Krill BITES Tip: Never throw away unused aquarium parts. You never know when you might need to Macgyver parts together.) We glued the filter sock filter sock suspension from the BRS mount to an unused tank mount clamp we had remaining from the UV sterilizer we had running on our discus tank. For those interested in emulating our design, any screw compressor clamp should do the trick.

Once you have selected a suitable size filter sock for your sump, we recommend keeping several socks on hand. This will enable you to periodically exchange socks (every 3 days or less), giving you time to clean the them. Remember to keep up with your sock laundry! Filter socks provide little benefit if the materials they siphon out of the water are permitted to degrade and return organic matter back to the water column. ​

Refugium
A majority of the open space within our sump is devoted to a refugium. At this time our refugium consists of live rock. We cultivated our live rock from dry rock. If you are interested in discovering how to convert dry rock to live rock and its benefits, check out our article for Curing Dry Rock. In the future we might decide to add a little Chaeto algae; however, we are waiting and observing nitrate and phosphate levels before making any additions.

Update (5/1/16):  We no longer have live rock in the this region of the sump, instead we have switched over to using MarinePure Ceramic Biomedia Blocks. To learn more about what encouraged us to make this switch, check our our nano reef tank blog.

Sump with MarinePure Ceramic Biomedia

Chemical Media
We rely upon BRS Bulk Premium ROX 0.8 Aquarium Carbon and BRS Bulk GFO Granular Ferric Oxide - High Capacity as our chemical media. While both types of media would perform optimally within a media canister, for now we utilize two separate BRS mesh filter socks to hold the media pellets. In the future, we may choose to add a media canister.

Update (7/17/16): Since originally establishing this sump, we have since switched over to the ZEOvit system. You can discover more about our regimen with this system on our Nano Reef Tank Blog. As a result, we have removed the GFO from this system. We have also added ZEOvit media to the sump region as well.

ZEOvit media & BRS Bulk Premium ROX 0.8 Carbon

AquaMaxx WS-1 In-Sump Protein Skimmer
As nano tanks gain in popularity, many nano protein skimmers are beginning to become more available on the market. We opted to go with the AquaMaxx WS-1 In-Sump Protein Skimmer for its compact design. The AquaMaxx WS-1 is rated to for tanks up to 65 gallons (246 L) with a light bioload or up to 30 gallons (114 L) with a heavy bioload. We are still breaking in the skimmer; however, we noticed it extracting particulate waste on the first day of instillation. Each day has shown noticeable improvements in its performance. Never thought it would be so mesmerizing to watch tiny bubbles accumulate.

Sicce Syncra Silent 1.5 Multifunction Aquarium Pump (357 GPH)
The Sicce Syncra Aquarium Pump is responsible for returning water to the main tank from the sump. When selecting a return pump, keep in mind that it must be powerful enough to have water overcome gravity the distance from your pump to the return jet. The Sicce Syncra pump is versatile in that it can be incorporated as an in-line or in sump pump. We are operating the pump in sump option and it is extremely quiet.

1/2" Black Flexible Vinyl Tubing
We opted to use flexible vinyl tubing on the return from the Sicce Syncra pump to the main aquarium. The vinyl tubing provides some added flexibility in our increasingly limited area. The flexibility also aided in trying to have the return tubing reach the main tank as inconspicuously as possible. While the vinyl tubing provides us with some needed manoeuvrability, saltwater will cause vinyl tubing to become rigid overtime. Therefore, periodically the vinyl tubing will need to be replaced. The good news is that dismantling the vinyl tubing will only need to be conducted every few years and it can be easily done.

Plumbing going to and from sump below sink

Check Valve
A check valve on the return tubing is imperative! When the return pump is turned off (for feeding or due to power outages) water will begin to siphon from the tank through the return jet and pumping. This can cause water to backflow into your sump and potentially cause your sump to overflow! Since we are installing the check valve within a vinyl tubing line, we also needed to install a ½” Pipe Adapter Spigot x Barb. We installed one pipe adapter on each end of the check valve in order to install inline with the vinyl tubing. 

½” Spears True Union Swing Check Valve

• Initial Installation - ½” Spears True Union Swing Check Valve

​​​When we initially installed our return plumbing, we utilized the ½” Spears True Union Swing Check Valve. We placed the check valve horizontally within the tubing line and orientated the check valve in the directions indicated of the valve itself. We conducted several tests to make sure that water was not siphoning back into the sump and did not witness any apparent issues. However within the first week of installation, we had severe storms in our area and experienced a power outage that lasted just shy of 12 hours. Within 4 hours of power loss, we witnessed the water line within our sump rise and nearly overflow. Upon examination, it appeared the swing check valve did not make a tight seal allowing for a slow leak. When the power was off for hours, it allowed water to slowly slip past. Since the leak was slow, we did not notice the problem in our early testing. It should be noted that it is possible that we simply had the poor luck of receiving a lemon. That being said, we will be removing this check valve and selecting another brand.

• Check Valve Installation Take 2 - Georg Fischer Wye Check Valve

​With our second attempt at installing a check valve, we will be going with a Georg Fischer Wye Check Valve. We will update with observations after we install this device.

Return Jet
We selected a return jet sold on BRS with sizing for ½” or ¾” vinyl tubing. To secure the jet to the tank, we used a suction cup and plastic ring. We have directed the return jet opposite from the flow generated by our EchoTech VorTech MP10QD powerhead to assist with circulation within the tank.

Noise Control

One common complaint among those with sump filters is that they generate a lot of noise. Thankfully, a little research and planning can dampen the volume generated by the system. We started with placing a Mr. Aqua foam mat under the sump. The foam mat reduces reverberation of the tank vibrating against a solid, flat surface such as a cabinet floor. Another source of noise derives from the water entering the sump through the filter sock. To restrict this noise, we installed a PVC pipe to descend into the filter sock below the water line. We did not glue this PVC pipe into place so that we could remove it for easy access to the filter sock for maintenance. Finally, vinyl tubing on the return pump also reduces vibration generated as water is forced upwards to the main tank. With each of these features in place and behind a cabinet door, the noise of the sump is hardly noticeable. Keep in mind when selecting equipment for your sump to consider the noise generated by each piece of equipment. Reading product descriptions and researching reviews online will help you determine which pieces of equipment take noise into consideration.

Within less than a week of having the sump installed on our tank, we noticed the levels of nitrate and phosphate drop. According to API testing kits, nitrate levels read less than 5 ppm (potentially undetectable) and phosphate levels have been completely undetectable. We can’t wait to observe the long term benefits having a sump provides for our coral. The addition of a sump brings us one step closer towards achieving the aspirations we have for our mixed reef nano tank!

Let us know if you have any questions or suggestions, we would love to hear from you!

Keep Krill’in!