# to sump or not to sump?



## keu131 (Oct 21, 2011)

hi every one! 

i have a 130ltr salt water aquarium. at the moment i use the filter that is built into the tank. it does a good job i think.

but we have a lot of algae, we also don't have good lights at the moment. so thats an issue as well! we are working on that one 

but i was curious about sumps? what are they and what do they do exactly?

are they worth setting up? 
can i have a beautiful maintained tank without one??

thank you so much for your time 

*c/p*


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

You don't have to run one. Your algae problems probably stem from having to much phospahte in your tank. Maintain that, and you won't have algae issues.
Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums


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## keu131 (Oct 21, 2011)

ok thanks 
whats the best way to handle phosphate? 
I'm very sorry about all the questions. i am very new to this and i think the local fish shop guy has been giving pretty bad advice


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## AZDesertRat (Apr 10, 2009)

Given a choice I would always choose a sump. It gives you more total water volume so things do not happen as quickly, more surface area for evaporation, cooling and oxygen transfer and most of all it gives you additional room out of sight for things like GFO or carbon reactors, protein skimmers and heaters. It will also make the water level in your display remain constant since evaporation will show up in the return section of the sump not the display.


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

keu131 said:


> ok thanks
> whats the best way to handle phosphate?
> I'm very sorry about all the questions. i am very new to this and i think the local fish shop guy has been giving pretty bad advice


Phosphate Reactor.
Aquarium Phosphate Control: PhosBan Reactor and Parts from Two Little Fishies
Phosphate Removing Aquarium Filter Media: PhosBan Media from Two Little Fishies


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## AZDesertRat (Apr 10, 2009)

I use both a Phosban Reactor filled with granular ferric oxide and a refugium filled with macroalgaes like chaetomorpha and caulerpa algaes which pull phosphates out of the water naturally.


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## Geurds (Nov 18, 2011)

AZDesertRat said:


> Given a choice I would always choose a sump. It gives you more total water volume so things do not happen as quickly, more surface area for evaporation, cooling and oxygen transfer and most of all it gives you additional room out of sight for things like GFO or carbon reactors, protein skimmers and heaters. It will also make the water level in your display remain constant since evaporation will show up in the return section of the sump not the display.


Wow, I never knew that, thanks a million!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

keu131 said:


> ok thanks
> whats the best way to handle phosphate?
> I'm very sorry about all the questions. i am very new to this and i think the local fish shop guy has been giving pretty bad advice



IMHO the best way to handle phosphates (and other plant nutrients) is to simply expand your algae. Of course using macro algae in a refugium would look way better then all the class covered with hair and cyano (red slime). *old dude

Basically what the algae does is recycle fish wastes into fish food.


my .02


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

Algae scrubber - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## AquaticDigest (Dec 22, 2011)

Sumps make tank management easier, cleaning easier, and they keep your tank free of equipment like heaters and skimmers up top. I'd go with the sump

___________
Aquatic Digest


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