# Freshwater sump setup



## zwanged (Nov 4, 2012)

Hi,

Disclaimer: I've never used a sump setup before so any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I am working on setting up a freshwater sump for my 75 gallon freshwater tank which will eventually be fully stocked with Central/South American cichlids -- so expecting a lot of waste once the fish (which I don't have yet) get to full size. The tank has a built-in rear corner overflow and is predrilled on the bottom of the overflow (.75" return and 1" intake to sump).

Here is a link to pictures of the 20 gallon sump that came with the aquarium:

Postimage.org / gallery - IMG 20121126 221321, IMG 20121126 221339, IMG 20121126 221329

What do you recommend that I put on the top drip tray, the middle tray, and the bottom tray?

My thinking is:

Top (drip tray): filter floss or pot scrubbers or filter pads? Or I can just cut up the cloth that is spiralled up and stick that on top of the drip tray?

Middle: Another filter pad on top of ceramic bio rings (or more cut up cloth on top of bio rings?) I'm not sure what to do for 'medium filtration'.

Bottom: More ceramic bio rings? (I'm thinking about ditching the lava rock which came with it). Should I ditch the metal screen at the bottom?

What do you recommend for this type of setup?

Thank you,
-Zeke


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## jschwabe5 (Nov 26, 2011)

Hi, I have a sump on my freshwater 180 gallon tank. For my drip tray I have tried a bunch of different material. Floss is cheap, filters well but its use and toss. You can get felt cloth filter blankets/material and cut to fit your drip tray. These can easily be removed, tossed into the laundry and re-used many times. Filter pads can either be bought cut to size for your drip tray, or bought bulk and cut your own. After my drip tray I have bio tower or bio balls. I've used ceramic rings in my cansister filters on other tanks, but prefer bio balls in the sump. They last forever, can be cleaned if needed and give huge surface area. Ceramic rings are good, they are heavier, not sure if true but some told me after a few years they begin to crumble and break down. My sump then has a main compartment and 2 large bio socks before going into 3rd compartment. 
You can use anything you like - some things to consider are cost, ease of changing media out, flow, and water quality.


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