What size should the sump be?????

[sanlucas]

Hi, I just bought a 150 gallon tank with two overflows, how big should the sump be? will a 29 gallon tank work?(I have one already) or should I buy a 55 gallon? another thing is which skimmer do you recomend me? thanks

[tray262]

A 50 gal breeder works better then a 55.

[charlie]

They say a sump should be at least 20% of the main display, so you are probably on the lower limit. With more water you get more stability, go with the 55 or the 50 gallon breeder.

[golfish]

The bigger the better...You don't need to push too much water through a sump. I'd say anything over 700 gph would be fine. I like to get most of my flow from other means (ie, Closed loop or powerheads) I use a standard 40 gal as a sump on my 120 and I used the same sump on my old 150. It was a little small for the Euroreef skimmer I used but it fit ok (CS6-3)

Skimmers are like lighting...everybody thinks theirs is the best. This is one of many things you don't want to skimp on. If your looking for an in sump model I'd take a look at the ASM's, their cheap and work very well. Its just a matter of what you want to spend and how you want to set it up. I use a Geo recirc 8-3 right now. Its not the best but does a great job and didn't cost me much.

Here's a link to a pretty good skimmer at a fare price.

Model ASM G-3 G-Series In-Sump prot... Product Details

[sanlucas]

Thanks for the help, I will get the 55 gallon as you told me, for the skimmer I still don't Know, someone told me that the corallife super skimmer is a good choice.

[golfish]

Thanks for the help, I will get the 55 gallon as you told me, for the skimmer I still don't Know, someone told me that the corallife super skimmer is a good choice.

IMO, the largest CL skimmers isn't big enough for your tank..

[Poseidon]

As for the size of the sump, the bigger the better. I have a 90 gallon tank, and use a 100 gallon rubbermaid tub for my sump. (The sump is in the basement.) I would get as big of a tank as you can fit into the space you have available.

For the second question, I really like MRC skimmers. I have the MR-2 model myself. Golfish is right though, everyone thinks theirs is the best. I also agree that you should not skimp on the skimmer, though the coral life skimmers have surprised me, I don't think the biggest one is big enough for you.

[charlie]

I would give a vote to the Barr Aquatics SK1220 driven by an Iwaki 50rlt. I had it on my 300 for a while and it kicked some serious butt.

[spankerbob]

I use a 38g on my 100g and fill it /12 to 3/4 full, so I would have about 19 to 29 gallons in my sump so about 20% sounds about right for sump size to main tank size. As far as the skimmer goes, you will get a hundred different recomendations from these guys, and they all have great ideas on what works, some peolpe will even take in to account your budget if any, so good luck. I have an ASM G3 with the recirculating and gate valve mod and it works great. I have used the red sea prism and it does not work well, as well as the kent natualis te with a ocean runner neddle wheel and it worked ok but not great, as well as the protein skimmer that comes with the wet dry filter, which worked about as good as the prism. Like most of the guys have already told you, do yourself a favor and save your self some money in the long run and buy a good skimmer. You can look in to getting a used one for a fair deal, I have found some on craigslist here and there and even some on ebay.

[prow]

sump yup the bigger the better.

for the skimmer IMO the ASM G3 will give you the best bang for your buck. others you might consider are Euro-Reef or AquaC or Tunze skimmers.

o-FYI-i would do a search on the actual tank size ratings for any skimmer you are thinking about. dont go by what the manufacturers ratings suggest. some are close others are way off.

[The R/C Man]

I wish I had a swimming pool in the back yard. Boy, what a sump that would make. Can you imagine the bioload your 150 gallon could handle....